What I'm Good At...

So, 10 months and 7 blog posts later... I quit my stint as a preschool teacher... and marketing officer.

It was a long 10 months. It took up a lot of my time. So much time that I barely got to blog. Honestly, I felt like so much of my time, my efforts, my thoughts, my LIFE was sucked in by the school. It just wasn't worth it. I mean, I loved teaching... And I loved the kids! But after my two hour class, it was a completely different story.

I was no longer happy with what I was happening. So much was expected from me with very little resources. Not just limited resources, limited support, too. I was handling most of the classes. I was handling marketing but I had a limited budget. My last two or three months, I barely had any brochuresnto distribute.

In addition to that, I went through two nannies and my little one lacked in discipline.

I was becoming miserable... Even on paydays. I mean, it's not like I joined the company for the money anyway.

I joined the company because of the benefit of 80% off on tuition for my little one. The school was accredited by the International Preschool Curriculum. It boasts that they are the only school in the Philippines accredited by the IPC. The curriculum and lesson plans were suppose to be approved by the IPC. I was a lead preschool teacher, I never saw the curriculum. And I never had to get my lesson plans approved. Plus, the owner has been having doubts about whether or not to continue the IPC accreditation. So, I figured, the only reason I was working there was for my little one's education, but if the quality of education is substandard, even if it's free, I wouldn't send my kid to school there.

Don't get me wrong, when we first started our toddler classes there, the school was great. But things changed...

And it wasn't a change for the better.

So, now that I got that off my chest... I can move on.

I think I'll stick to stuff I'm good at. I'm good at writing. I'm good at raising my son. I'm good at customer service. I'm good at admin stuff. I'm good at party planning. Yeah, I'll stick to what I'm good at.

Stepping Up

My biggest role is still mother to (now) two year old Monch. I'm still a pre-school teacher. And I still handle some toddler classes. But last May, I opted to up my game a bit at school. I'm now also the marketing officer.

Life for me is a blast to live right now. I have the challenges of being a mother and hopefully raising my son right. I have the challenges of a teacher and I hope I can effectively teach my students the basics - the building blocks of education. I am definitely challenged by my role as a marketing officer - I hope to eventually reach our target income (something that the company still aims for being only two years old). And I still have the challenges of a girlfriend.

Trip to the Zoo

This week's topic for my prep class is the letter Z. We do science on Thursday, so I decided we would "go to the zoo".

I told the kids on Wednesday, "Tomorrow, we're going to the zoo!" Earlier this week, I had printed "zoo brochures" for the kids. It was just eight empty cages on a piece of paper. Something they could take home at the end of the class.

On Thursday morning, I set up the classroom chairs to look like a bus. I had them take their seats and buckle their seat-belts as we drove to and around the zoo. I had prepared pictures of several animals and asked the kids to identify them along with what sound they made. And lastly, I put a stamp of that animal in their empty cages.

One of the students was dropped off by her mom just as "the bus pulled up at the zoo". The mom smiled at me and said, "So that's what Louisse was talking about. She said you were going to to zoo."

I was surprised and happy. I am a part of my students' lives now. I can make a difference.

See you soon, Teacher Noyme!

Last Friday, we didn't say goodbye to Teacher Noyme when we went home.

I cry easily and saying goodbye would have opened a dam.

We first met Teacher Noyme when Monch and I attended the smart tots class in October last year. She made an impression on Monch because when I started bringing Monch to work with me, he recognized Teacher Noyme. And I know Monch will miss her. She is Monch's first teacher.

She was also my teacher. I picked up tips from on activities to do with Monch at home. And as her assistant, I learned a lot - how to make story time more interactive, how to give each child your undivided attention in class, when to step back and let a child be a child, and many more.

I did not want to say goodbye. And so we didn't. One of these days, we'll have lunch with Teacher Noyme. So, no, it wasn't goodbye.

Slow Learner

I was asked to handle the nursery class today. I know nothing about what happens in the nursery class. It's a three hour class with a 30 minute snack break.

I was told that the subject of the day was the science and the topic is the basic needs of a plant - sunlight, air and water. In the span of two and a half hours, I asked the three students the question "What does a plant need?" more times than I cared to count. I asked them as a group. I asked them individually. I asked them while we reviewed the plant in the classroom. I asked them while they colored their workbooks. I asked them each to name all three. I asked them to name one each.

At the end of the class, I asked the students again, individually, "What does a plant need?" One girl answered enthusiastically, "Sun... FLOWER!"

Having worked different jobs before becoming a pre-school teacher, I've observed that the older an individual, the more challenging it is for them to learn new things. Although I still believe it to be a valid generalization, I learned today that individuals learn at different paces.

New Year, New Career

I've been a preschool teacher for two weeks now. It's still all new to me but I intend to excel.

I used to be a quality assurance analyst for a business process outsourcing company. When I got pregnant, I traded that life to be a mommy 24/7.

I was a stay home mom for more than a year and a half. Half that time, my boyfriend has been encouraging me to go back to work.

I didn't want to go back to working in an office. I wanted to have the strength and time to play with my son.

I grabbed the opportunity to be a part time preschool teacher. I work four to five hours a day. I get weekends and holidays off. I get to bring my son to work with me. He gets to take the toddler classes for free. And my boyfriend supports me.

A career change at my age is unthinkable for most people. But I have gone from working in an office full time, to wiping my son's runny nose for kisses, to wiping other kid's runny noses part time...

So far, I'm happy with my choice.