I don't proofread my posts before I publish them... cause I keep my thoughts au naturale.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Tuesday Musings...

(I teach remedial English at a community college.)

Each semester I get a new group of students, which brings a new batch of personalities and background stories.  It's not like elementary teachers who are occasionally sad to see their students go each year- I'm more than happy for them to go bye-bye because it means I get a break and get to meet new students next semester. 

This semester I have a decent sized group and by the 4th day I had all their names memorized (yet some of them still pronounce my  name wrong.)  I always have an assignment the first day where the students have to give me a short bio about what they think I should know about them.

I am very impressed because this semester and last fall I have had three students in particular who are single moms and they work harder at my class than most of the other students.  They each have more than one.  It impressed me because I hear so many moms say that they can't go back to school or they can't finish school because they have children at home.  One of the most important things I think that a mother can teach her child is that you don't have to give up on life to become a parent.  It's okay to devote a crap ton of time to your children, but you don't have to give up on what makes you happy or your dreams.

I myself finished my bachelor's degree when my daughter was 3 and my son was 1.  Currently I am teaching and taking 3 grad classes so I can finish what little I have left of my MA.  Right now my children are 6,4 and two months.  I'm not gloating or trying to talk myself up, but I'm proof that your kids are not in the way of school.  Just like these three girls I'm referring to are achieving their goals.  I love seeing their drive and hearing them say that they are doing it to give their children better lives.  In a world where it's so easy to live off the government and not work, it's great to see young girls who want more for themselves and don't just give up or become lazy.

Random off topic musing: It bugs me when I make a joke and some of my students don't laugh or smile.  I think I have three students who have yet to crack a smile... it irks me... are they robots or do they think all teachers are nerds?

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Another Awful Daycare Experience

I wrote a couple years back about a bad daycare that my kids were going to.

Well, I just had another unfortunate experience yesterday.  They is a daycare on campus at the college I teach at.  Although it is not affiliated with the school (they rent the space), it is still in the school.  It is very pricy, but it was convenient for me to send my son to last year.  I never had a problem with L going- he liked it, he didn't throw a fit going and there seemed to be no problem.  This year, L will be going to preschool elsewhere, but I needed daycare for Baby H.  I only teach one class Mon-Thurs and it lasts an hour, so I figured having H go to the daycare wouldn't be a big deal.  He was only going to have to go on Mondays and Wednesdays because I have family caring for him the other two days.  Of course, it's ridiculous to pay for a full day when he's only going an hour, but the convenience to me was worth it.

As you may or may not know, I used to be a stay at home mom while earning my bachelor degree online.  A didn't go to daycare for the first time until she was 2.5.  L was 6 months and it was so hard because he cried every day when I dropped him off.  It was only a couple days a week, but it was still difficult.  You think that no one can take care of your children as well as you can (of course they can't.)  So, the idea of Baby H going to a daycare at 2 months was very scary to me, but like I said, I didn't think two hours a week would be that bad.

I was wrong.  When I got there to drop H off, there were two women working with 8 babies that looked like they ranged in age from 3 months-16 months.  There were some screaming, a baby in a swing crying, it was chaos.  I know that the state licensed facilities are only allowed to have 4 babies per one adult, so it wasn't as though they were doing something illegal and had "too many" babies there at one time.  I felt bad leaving him and since I was early, I figured that I would feed him a bottle and rock him, hoping he'd fall asleep.  I stayed as long as I could, but he wasn't asleep so I put him in a swing.

Fast forward until I got back.  There was one woman eating in a corner.  The other was spoon feeding one child at the table. H was in the same swing as when I had left, but was crying so much his voice was hoarse.  He was sweaty and he had puke on his clothes.  His bottle hadn't moved from where I left it.  I picked him up, got his stuff and left.  When I got to the car I held him until he calmed down and I cried. 

There is absolutely NO WAY he is going back.  I would rather quit my job than send him back to that place.  Luckily I have found other arrangements that I am much more comfortable with as it is someone I know who has watched L before.  I had David call the daycare and tell them neither of my kids would be returning.  I just can't believe that people can sit back while babies cry and scream!  I care too much about my children to force them into a situation like that.

My poor baby...