Working with Little ones (part 1)

 As you all know, I don't have children of my own, this was not a choice I made for me. My body has never been able - I am barren- those feelings are for another blog

When I was 12 I took a "Red Cross Babysitting Course" & I began babysitting a severely disabled boy who lived next door. He was 14, but his abilities were that of a 3 or 4 year old. He taught me that each child learns differently and at their own pace.

Seems I was always with kids. And I always loved them. I can't even tell you how many children came and went in my life so far but there's been a lot- I taught Sunday school, youth groups, family, friends kids... Then a TA, Teacher, Home VIsitor, Program Supervisor

When I graduated high school, I began working with Migrant Head Start. The first season, I was a float so I got to work with all 3 age groups- infants toddlers and preschool. I loved it so much & the families got a kick out of me trying to learn Spanish so I could communicate with them. The next 3 seasons, I worked as an infant teacher & preschool TA. 

The next year they gave me the Toddler classroom. It was wild. We had 14 littles ages 12 months (walking infants) to age 3 (ready for preschool) it was busy! The next year & following 4 I) my was the Toddler Teacher (😂😆 no one else wanted to be) I was required to get a CDA  (Child Development Associates) certification for Infants & Toddlers. It was good practice and instruction and opened up more jobs to me in the ECE (Early Childhood Education) field. 

I loved being the Toddler teacher. I had to stay on top of things or our class was quickly chaotic so I had a wide variety of projects that included painting with our feet (we would lay down sheets of butcher paper and cover the floors. We took off their shoes & laid paper plates full of paint in the corners. Our little guys would walk run or slip through their paint covered feet. It was so fun but I know my teachers assistants all thought I was crazy. 

The 3 of them spoke Puro Espanol (Spanish only) we struggled our way through,  lost in translation. My knowledge of and ability to speak Spanish really grew. I can hold conversations. Though I don't consider myself fluent I sure do love the language (Me encanta hablar Espanol). I had almost completed my 10th harvest season of service when our program was shut down. It was heartbreaking to hear. We were at full enrollment of 8 infants, 14 Toddlers, and 40 preschoolers. The parents & families got no notice. Here one day and gone the next. Come to find out, one of the higher ups had embezzled. I was crushed.

From there, I went to work at our elementary school and was an After School Music Teacher. That job was so fun. I was originally hired to put a Christmas program together but then asked to stay on. I was watching a couple kids in the days too back then. It was pretty constant.

I don't remember the full timing of it but the job that came next was with Early Head Start. I got a caseload of all Spanish speaking families & visited them @ their homes with personalized lesson plans for their kids. It was so rewarding. The only really bad thing was a way higher up who took a path more jaded. She was a bully really, belittling and shaming others. I have no idea how or why she worked with children.

What I did know was I had been under very poor leadership. I knew the power of their positions had made them lose focus on the FAMILIES needs. I had grown to love these people I served & my heart has never been for fortune or fame so I decided I was going to get in a higher position and make some differences in the program. I just needed a Bachelor's degree...

I ended up going to Oregon to be a nanny for friends. That was a huge mistake and a blog of its own. But all told I completed my Transfer AA degree that I planned to take to OSU. As God would have it, I ended up coming home & landed the best "job" of them all! I got to be my Grandpa's caregiver for the last years of his life. I will NEVER regret that decision. I started school at WSU instead and was able to complete all courses online for a BA in Human Development...  I graduated from WSU in 2008 at the top of my class 

I continued caregiving for my grandpa but got a part time job with Catholic Child & Family services. I served the whole Okanogan county by observing & assisting home and center daycare programs. I hosted play groups & taught classes for STARS training. I started a Masters program at Gonzaga and somehow completed that degree with honors- a 4,0 

A lot of life happened quickly and those are stories for another day. My grandpa passed away a day before my wedding. We got married and a few weeks later I was in the Seattle area with my MA in hand and a plan for a great job with children and families somewhere... It never happened. 

I didn't know it at that time but the next job I got would be my last.  After months of struggling with finding a job, homelessness, the battle I started working as a Financial Aid Advisor. I made it there for 2'years before having a horrible health issues that almost cost my life. I became permanently and totally disabled. End of story  (part one)