Dedication

I'm going to be really cheesy right now and I'm going to "dedicate" this blog to my coworkers. Working in childcare can sometimes be a thankless job. We are our students second family pretty much. I'm sure most parents would love to stay home with their kids until they go to kindergarten but financially it usually isn't possible. Some kids in my class come full time, some part time but we take care of them while they're with us and their parents trust us to keep them safe, happy and make them feel loved. I've gotten lucky and have an AMAZING group of parents this year who are supportive, kind and constantly give us positive feedback. It means more to us then they'll ever know.

Now to my co-workers. Over the two years I've been back at TLC there have been quite a few people who have passed through the preschool room. When I took the head teacher job Bri started as my assistant. She and I clicked from day one. Our days were full of laughter with the kids, dance parties and blasting Kidz Bop cds. I cried pretty hard when she left but I know that we'll always be close. Maddie took over for Bri when she left for school. The funniest part about working with Maddie was listening to her do art with the kids. I think since she was an art major she always wanted their art projects to be perfect but anyone who's done art with a three year old knows that they never turn out perfect -ha! I will always consider Maddie one of my best friends. We went through a lot together, at work and outside of work. We planned an incredible Moving Up Day that I doubt I'll ever top. I cried a little on her last day and then the second I got into my car I lost it. Bri came back for the summer, which was great. It was an easy transition and the kids loved having her back. 

Once she left it was time to find a new assistant. That brings me to Emily. She loves Hello Kitty, so obviously we were a perfect match! She's so calm and patient with the kids, she's kind and funny. It's been great having her in the room and I'm so glad she chose TLC. Along with Emily we have some amazing part time people in our room too. Jess has been with us for a few months now and the kids gravitated towards her from the first moment. She is honestly one of the sweetest and most caring people I've ever met. Not a morning goes by that the kids don't ask, "Is Miss Jessica coming in today?" They really love her and so do I. Liv has been with us for over a year. I'm so at ease when I know she's going to be in the classroom. I know she'll be calm when she needs to be but she'll also be firm with the kids when she needs to be too. I'm pretty sure her plans are to go away to college after her senior year this year and. Can't even think about her leaving. I look at her like she's a little sister and can't imagine why it'll be like without her. Christine is also in our room quite a bit these days. She's so great with the kids. She's always moving around, giving equal attention to all of them and she's so kind to every child. I hope she sticks around for a,while! Oh, and Hannah is back again! She comes and goes since she goes to Potsdam. Hannah and I geek out over the same stuff (Harry Potter, LOTR, ect...). She's always singing with the kids too and if there is one thing our kids love to do, it's sing! I'll miss her a lot when she goes too.

Last but DEFINITELY NOT LEAST is Val. Val is the director and pretty much my older sister. I've known her since I was little since my mom and her used to teach together in the Preschool room. We were close when I was at TLC growing up but the the past two years we have become much closer. She busts her butt day in and day out and rarely hears thank you. She gives up time with her husband and children and she seems to always put TLC first (especially recently). She's a great director, but and even better teacher. I wish she had the time to be in a classroom because any child that would have her for a teacher would be an incredibly lucky child. If you're reading this Val, thank you,for every single thing you do. I love you.

Clearly we all don't do this for the money and the praise. We don't don't do this because it's an easy job. We teach children because we love it. We do it because it's what feels right. I know I do at least. I also know that I couldn't do my job if I didn't have each and every one of the girls I talked about above to help me. We definitely have a great group of kids and a creat group of parents, but we also have a great group of teachers.