Once upon a time I worked 3pm to 12am at my center. It was one of the worst times in my life. One of the reasons it was one of the worst times is because I had no support or understanding. There was only one other adult in the building with me and she was of no help, the last staff members get off at 7pm. The day shift people treated me like a servant. Nobody had ever done my job before and did not know anything about the reality of working nights. I had no guidance. No guidelines from the administration or my fellow night teacher. It was just the worst. There are other factors that made it horrendous – but my point it I know from experience what it is like to not have support. Time has passed since then and my life has turned around.
So let us begin the happy portion of this post.
My Team Rachael and Jessie
I find support in music. I find messages in songs that support me in any given situation. I am supported by myself because I have been journaling since I was a little girl. Writing is amazing because it is so much at once: reflection, coping, problem solving, prayer, memory, and more.
Saint Gabe's - My place
Saint
Gabriel Catholic Church has been my home since I was 10 years old. My faith is important to me in ways that
words and thoughts can not adequately express. So I won’t. On the other hand my
church family is easily expressible. In short they’ve got my back.
A blurry picture of my fam from 2009
As always I am supported by my family. I never get tired of
talking about them. Since the dawn of
time (well at least my time;) my family has listened to me and cared for me and
offered help. They teach me about things.
They let me figure things out. They comfort me. They play with me. All the things a family
does they do for me.
Feeling Supported is so important. In work and regular life knowing there are people who care is the best.
Those are wonderful supports to have. You sound like you are SO close with your staff, that is so wonderful. I've seen classrooms where a lot of the staff clash and it makes it hard and uncomfortable on everyone. Staff relationships can really make or break a classroom, I feel.
ReplyDeleteHi Koni, Your supports at work started off pretty shaky. I am glad that you now have some wonderful support systems in place. I hope that you never have to experience any more then tidbits without them.
ReplyDeleteLucinda
Hi Koni,
ReplyDeleteI still enjoy reading your blog, I just love your posts!
I agree with you that co-workers can be our main support, and when we have established good relationships, they make our job easier.
Ah! By the way, through your post I just learned that there are day cares that provide night care, it sounds tough!