When You Have Had A Hard Day And Wonder Why You Do It......

[Guest]

HI all,

 

so as the title suggests i want to find out:

 

when you have had a hard day at work, when you get demotivated and wonder why you do somthing, what is it that keeps you going??????

 

this is a selfish post really, as i am struggling to find my enthusiasm for childcare (done for 12 years, had a few knocks and lost my confidence!) i want to know what drives and encourages your passion to continue.

 

please share.....

 

i guess for me, deep within i know i am 'meant' to do this, i can not think of another career. i touch the loves of families and for even tyhe one family that appreciate it, it all becomes worthwhile

 

Dawn

[Andreamay]

I think you have answered for me too Dawn

I too do wonder just of late and ive been in childcare for 32 years but I dont know what else would give me the job satisfaction I need

Andrea

[louby loo]

I know when I hit 'bad times' about 4 years ago, I moved away from 'daycare' (chain) to an old fashioned village pre-school. I was advised at the time it was 'career suicide' for me it was the best thing I did!

At the time I took the job to help introduce the EYFS and to get staff more involved with the daily running/planning.

 

My pay cut drastically, but then again so did my hours, however I love it and I'm still there now!!!

 

(still have occasional moan though )

xxx

[Rea]

I don't think there was anything that kept me motivated and enthusiastic for the job, I just did it. Nothing made me get up every morning, there was no one thing that made me want to be there. I never minded getting all the equipment out of the cupboard, putting it away, struggling with limited resources or space, re-jigging the planning again, sorting out staff and families, listening to 'advice'.... It was part of the job.

When I lost motivation I left. I joined an agency which was great for a while and now I don't do any time with the children, just stuff for the committee.

If you need motivating do you maybe need a change?

[Guest]

Hi

Know what you mean. This past week the three of us have wondered just that! After having been told 'politely' to go away, being told you are a 'the worst word you can think of' and a few more by 3 year olds you just wonder why? Have never known such verbal from 3 year olds in the six years I have been in nursery and the 10 years in the main school. My colleague has said she has never known such young children to be so angry!

Then i see the other children that have been through the nursery and i know we did a good job with those.

[Deb]

Personally I think I need to get a better work-life balance because I've lost a bit of sparkle lately! It's the children that make it worthwhile though - like today we found a slow worm amongst other mini-beasts, following a child's interest. I haven't seen a slow worm since I was a child when I remember collecting them.

[Panders]

Likewise Deb, and today we found the most beautiful (but sadly dead) dragonfly in the garden. It was quite huge and so delicate. To be honest Dawn, some days are more difficult to put behind you than others, but a good moan to each other often helps at the end of a session, but if I have staff woes it takes me longer!!! At the end of the day, I'd rather be doing this than almost anything else for a job.

[Rea]

I just thought of the one thing that used to make me glad that I did the job I did.

Being in town on a lunch time, watching the office workers shuffle out of their office blocks to eat an overpriced sandwich in the park with pigeons swooping around. Everyone looked so pasty, bored and it seemed everyone was dressed in black, like a mass funeral.

I on the other hand got to dip my hands in goop, paint with feathers, washing up brushes, bubble wrap and cars. I got to dance in any way I liked and then I could lie on the floor and listen to my heart beat. I could sit and read or push myself round the room on a trike. I was able to pull faces, blow raspberries and sing to my hearts content in any key I could manage. I lay on the floor driving my train to town, had picnics everyday, had my hair fashioned with chopsticks and a wok and was randomly given cuddles. I got to sit on a magic carpet and watch the world go by below and watch an ant crawl underneath the radiator for as long as it took.

My job was a fantasy and I always went in the next day glad I didn't work in an office block.

[Fredbear]

First of all a big hug to all those feeling down, disheartened or just totally fed up.

Think about why you took this career path in the first place, try to look at each day anew, worry about the things that really matter and cast the others aside, and finally do try to bring laughter in to each and everyday, it still works for me after 33 years.

[Guest]

I love this, it really made me smile :-)

 

 

I just thought of the one thing that used to make me glad that I did the job I did.

Being in town on a lunch time, watching the office workers shuffle out of their office blocks to eat an overpriced sandwich in the park with pigeons swooping around. Everyone looked so pasty, bored and it seemed everyone was dressed in black, like a mass funeral.

I on the other hand got to dip my hands in goop, paint with feathers, washing up brushes, bubble wrap and cars. I got to dance in any way I liked and then I could lie on the floor and listen to my heart beat. I could sit and read or push myself round the room on a trike. I was able to pull faces, blow raspberries and sing to my hearts content in any key I could manage. I lay on the floor driving my train to town, had picnics everyday, had my hair fashioned with chopsticks and a wok and was randomly given cuddles. I got to sit on a magic carpet and watch the world go by below and watch an ant crawl underneath the radiator for as long as it took.

My job was a fantasy and I always went in the next day glad I didn't work in an office block.

[Inge]

I just thought of the one thing that used to make me glad that I did the job I did.

Being in town on a lunch time, watching the office workers shuffle out of their office blocks to eat an overpriced sandwich in the park with pigeons swooping around. Everyone looked so pasty, bored and it seemed everyone was dressed in black, like a mass funeral.

I on the other hand got to dip my hands in goop, paint with feathers, washing up brushes, bubble wrap and cars. I got to dance in any way I liked and then I could lie on the floor and listen to my heart beat. I could sit and read or push myself round the room on a trike. I was able to pull faces, blow raspberries and sing to my hearts content in any key I could manage. I lay on the floor driving my train to town, had picnics everyday, had my hair fashioned with chopsticks and a wok and was randomly given cuddles. I got to sit on a magic carpet and watch the world go by below and watch an ant crawl underneath the radiator for as long as it took.

My job was a fantasy and I always went in the next day glad I didn't work in an office block.

 

 

was much the same for me............ the big smile on the faces that ran in to give me a cuddle, the laughter , the tears, the sillyiness which was never criticised or commented on.. singing as loud as I wanted even out of tune and being joined by lots of other voices.. dancing and making up silly rhymes.. being able to make a mess , get messy and not worry ..... jump in puddles, kick leaves, play in the rain, build a tower, knock it down, cook misshapes and all enjoy them........... reading a story and all joining in, rolling down hills, laying on the floor and so much more... could never have gone supernumerary.. would have lost the best bits...

[Guest]

some lovely reasons as to why working with children is fun.... i wonder if i have missed this recently since i have been supernumary (in the office mostly), there is no painting, baking, splashing in puddles going on in the office. Nor is there interactions or laughter......... my plan when i return to work is to spend less time in the office

[HappyMaz]

I did it for the high prestige and the money.

[Guest]

:( :wacko: :rolleyes: :unsure: :ph34r:

 

I did it for the high prestige and the money.

[suebear]

I do it cos I love poo, tantrums, nits and adults that you just can't please..

 

Where would we be without a bit of laughter???

[sunnyday]

I do it cos I love poo, tantrums, nits and adults that you just can't please..

Ahem....you forgot the 'snot'!

[Guest]

I do it cos I love poo, tantrums, nits and adults that you just can't please..

 

Me. too!!!

 

and the comments on the playground during the school runs that stick in my mind... the Mum who came and told me her son had asked why she didn't go back to work so he could come to Nona's?

 

It made up for the parent from my daughter's class who asked me if I "was going to get a proper job now Lex is going to high school" I MUST send her a copy of my Graduation photo... she was one of the reasons I signed up for my FD to show I was more than 'just a childminder'

 

It's a blessing that my desire to play in the puddles and leaves, collect conkers and acorns, and be able to hold a conversation about Peppa Pig outweighs my financial aspirations

 

Nona

[Deb]

I MUST send her a copy of my Graduation photo... she was one of the reasons I signed up for my FD to show I was more than 'just a childminder' -

 

Make sure you accidently slip your Graduation photo under her nose Nona!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Working in Early Years - where else could you make mud pies flavoured with lavender sprinkles 'for snack' and get away with it!

[Rea]

I was once called childish by a disgruntled parent in the playground, I was chuffed to bits, but she didnt understand why

[Guest]

I found the secret by Rhonda Byrne some years ago and I absolutely love it, tis amazing!!!!

[Devondaisy]

Well, I read this when first posted and didn't reply as I was feeling so negative too! I was sinking in a sea of dirty bottoms, noses and goodness knows what else!! However I had a magic moment today. I have a little boy whose first language is Polish, and he has been coming to sessions with Mum for ages. Last week she started leaving him for half an hour then an hour at a time, and tbh he has cried and been quite hard work. On Friday he was better and today she left him for the whole 3 hour session, and he was just brilliant, no tears, and even a couple of words in English! On pick-up she brought his Dad, and their faces on seeing him so happy just made everything perfect and worthwhile. They were so thrilled!

 

Sometimes we can just make a small difference to someone's life, be it the parent or the child, and it is such a wonderful feeling!! There is no other job like it!!

 

Hope you get your oomph back soon. To be questioning it, I think, means you really care.

[HappyMaz]

Well, I read this when first posted and didn't reply as I was feeling so negative too! I was sinking in a sea of dirty bottoms, noses and goodness knows what else!!

Staff can be so trying can't they?

 

Glad you had your magic moment - as you say, absolutely priceless!

[Gezabel]

I did it for the high prestige and the money.

oh thank you maz thank you. a bit poorly right now and accessing from my hospital bed but your comment is coffee splurtingly funny

[sunnyday]

oh thank you maz thank you. a bit poorly right now and accessing from my hospital bed but your comment is coffee splurtingly funny

Get well soon Gezza!

[klc106]

Get well soon. At least you can still access fsf while you recover! xx

[Guest]

Gezabel, Get Well Soon!

 

Nona