I Didn't Let Them (Part 1)
~This was an essay I wrote for an anthology. I was sad when it didn't get accepted :o(. But then I realized, I have a blog, I can publish it myself, you silly goose :o). Advanced Warning: I'm posting this into a three part series because it's over 1000 words long and I'm sure you would like a pancake break in between there somewhere!~
“They said they couldn’t stand me, but they couldn’t [under]stand me; tried to get me fired, have my bosses reprimand me!”- from my poem The New Teacher
I don’t remember having been fired from any job that I have had so far in my life, and I hope and pray that I never endure such a thing. I do believe, however, that I had a very close encounter for possible, not exact, reasons.
Immediately after graduating college back in 2009, I was offered a job working with in a daycare. Now I have worked with kids before and have experience as a baby-sitter as well. Nonetheless, I was nervous and very anxious to expand my skills in a new setting. When I say I had no idea what I was in for, I mean it with every fiber of my being.
I knew that this new gig would be a rewarding experience, but I feel I received my reward a little too late. At this particular institution, I guess you could say that I wanted to fit in. I don’t mean “fit in” in a high school mentality. I wanted to be recognized as an equal to my co-workers and a flexible team player. I never had the will to fall into any designated clique and go for drinks with the girls after work. I had no reason to.
From day one on the job and the days that followed, all but one of my co-workers talked how I didn’t know what I was doing, how loud I was, and how long I would probably last. To most of the kids, I was the new teacher with a “different skin,” therefore I wasn’t a real teacher. The one person I worked with was the only one who would help me navigate the psyches of these little adults while everyone else watched me fail and not guide me. The fact that I wanted to do a good job seemed like a problem.
Even with the associated online training, I eventually found a way to work through the shenanigans. It seemed like every client was complaining about me because their kids didn’t like me. What they didn’t know is that the kids didn’t like me because for some reason, they felt like they didn’t have to listen to me. Once they understood that I was a teacher just like Miss Polly and Miss Molly, most of them stopped giving me a hard time. Some of the clients even had to lighten up with me.
I tried floating in other classrooms until I found my place. When the others (aka other co-workers) didn’t help me, I learned by observation. This was around late spring part of the year. By this time, I concluded that A) I wasn’t wanted around in any classroom, and B)my staff didn't want me there.
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| Photo courtesy of The Negro Queen. |
~This was an essay I wrote for an anthology. I was sad when it didn't get accepted :o(. But then I realized, I have a blog, I can publish it myself, you silly goose :o). Advanced Warning: I'm posting this into a three part series because it's over 1000 words long and I'm sure you would like a pancake break in between there somewhere!~
“They said they couldn’t stand me, but they couldn’t [under]stand me; tried to get me fired, have my bosses reprimand me!”- from my poem The New Teacher
I don’t remember having been fired from any job that I have had so far in my life, and I hope and pray that I never endure such a thing. I do believe, however, that I had a very close encounter for possible, not exact, reasons.
Immediately after graduating college back in 2009, I was offered a job working with in a daycare. Now I have worked with kids before and have experience as a baby-sitter as well. Nonetheless, I was nervous and very anxious to expand my skills in a new setting. When I say I had no idea what I was in for, I mean it with every fiber of my being.
I knew that this new gig would be a rewarding experience, but I feel I received my reward a little too late. At this particular institution, I guess you could say that I wanted to fit in. I don’t mean “fit in” in a high school mentality. I wanted to be recognized as an equal to my co-workers and a flexible team player. I never had the will to fall into any designated clique and go for drinks with the girls after work. I had no reason to.
From day one on the job and the days that followed, all but one of my co-workers talked how I didn’t know what I was doing, how loud I was, and how long I would probably last. To most of the kids, I was the new teacher with a “different skin,” therefore I wasn’t a real teacher. The one person I worked with was the only one who would help me navigate the psyches of these little adults while everyone else watched me fail and not guide me. The fact that I wanted to do a good job seemed like a problem.
Even with the associated online training, I eventually found a way to work through the shenanigans. It seemed like every client was complaining about me because their kids didn’t like me. What they didn’t know is that the kids didn’t like me because for some reason, they felt like they didn’t have to listen to me. Once they understood that I was a teacher just like Miss Polly and Miss Molly, most of them stopped giving me a hard time. Some of the clients even had to lighten up with me.
I tried floating in other classrooms until I found my place. When the others (aka other co-workers) didn’t help me, I learned by observation. This was around late spring part of the year. By this time, I concluded that A) I wasn’t wanted around in any classroom, and B)my staff didn't want me there.
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