Tuesday's Bus Adventure...

Storytime:

On the way through Dinkytown, a man gets on the bus. He's one of those people who talks whether or not anyone is paying attention. Although, he was talking so loud you couldn't help but pay attention. Among the more entertaining quips:

• "I'm a Metro Transit Police Officer. See my badge?"
• "The rivers are pretty high...this bridge is going to collapse."
• "The Metrodome was named after me. I should get a 134 million dollar contract."
• "The Vikings should just go to LA. Minnesota has a new football team: the mosquitoes and wood ticks. Mosquitoes and wood ticks can kick a**."

Just another morning on the bus.

"I'm Gonna Be a Sheep...because I'm Gonna Be Fat"

Out of the mouths of babes. That quote was one of the highlights of this very long day.

Today was one of those days. Not one of those days where you think, "I can't do this for the rest of my life." It was a day where you think, "I can do this, but if tomorrow is like this, I might lose my sanity."

For a variety of reasons, there were no toddlers for the first 45 minutes - a nice start to the day. Then the head teacher and I found out that we were getting 4 toddlers from another room with no teachers. 4 strange children + a strange room + stranger anxiety + attachment issues + mom sightings + crying instead of sleeping = WHOA. That about sums it up.

One of my personal victories was getting one boy to sleep for longer than 30 minutes, the amount of time he normally sleeps. Yeah!

So now, I am unwinding by watching Sister Act, and hoping that tomorrow will be better than today.

Happy Thursday!

As I Gaze Upon 4 Sleeping Toddlers

I was considering writing a post all about why I disliked my weekend, Daylight Savings Time, etc. Then I decided that such a post would benefit no one. In lieu of my complaints, I will leave you with a positive note:

There are only 4 toddlers to chase around in my post-weekend haze. Praise the Lord!

With Each Passing Moment

• Last week was chaotic. Thankfully, it flew by. Almost every day, I left work thinking, "can I really do this for the rest of my life?" I'm trying to anticipate toddler-esque chaos each day, and to have more love ready for them. Today, instead of trying to stop the chaos by telling them what to do (which, at this point, doesn't work very well), I tried to pull the most worked-up child away to just sit with them and read or do whatever. I like that better. :)
• Thanks to a certain sister of mine getting minor surgery, I have been able to drive to work for the past 1/2 week. This has cultivated an extreme appreciation for all things vehicular. Tomorrow, I go back to the bus. This will likely cultivate very little that is positive. I need a better attitude.
• Drafting AND sticking to a budget is not easy...or fun. But it will be worth it. It will be worth it. It will be worth it.
• What I wanted to do after college was driven by my passion for young children...as a variety of family/health issues have started surfacing, my "passion" is starting to shift to the point where I want to get in a position where I can put family first, job second. I want to have the freedom to drop everything and go help someone, but my current situation does not allow that. I don't know yet if I will make the decision to leave this job for another, but I have definitely been thinking about it.
• I am tired from a very long Monday. Good night, world.

Maybe I Need to Chuck My Rose-Colored Glasses?

I did not sleep very soundly last night. My brain was occupied with the many ways that I could be late for work. I literally dreamed all of these during my 7 hours of sleep:

• Oversleeping (average)
• My mom driving around the parking lot in circles (wouldn't surprise me a ton. :o )
• A drug bust at our apartments...little gummy candy drugs to be exact. (not unheard of)
• Getting lost in our apartment building (one of those dreams where a place that you know magically morphs into something different)
• Falling down a bottomless stage pit (this occurred after I failed to jump far enough off the stage where people were studying. I hope this one is highly unlikely.)

Thankfully, this is the point where I woke up to the pestering sound of my alarm. Interestingly enough, none of my dreams included missing the bus. Wouldn't be a bad idea if this morning's events continued...

This morning, was a first for me. The first time I was ever hit on, as in a random guy trying to chat me up and get a phone number. At 6 AM on a Monday morning, I was not in the mood for that. Not that I would ever be in the mood for it. I'm not the type of girl that gets hit on! I've been trying to find a happy balance between my desire to assume every person I meet on the street is innocent until proven guilty and the fear-driven desire to be a little hermit that talks to no one. It may not be the best attitude, but I would be perfectly happy if I never saw that man again. I'm at least hoping that he won't be at that same bus stop every day - and that I will be coherent enough to give the "right answers" to the questions these men ask. Answers that say, "I'm not going to treat you like a jerk, but I'm not interested in anything."

I was talking with one of the maintenance men at work today, and when I told him I was one of the new employees hired with the stimulus money, he called me an "Obama teacher." I thought about that later and realized, no matter how much I dislike that Obama was elected president, I got this job because of decisions he made in office. No matter how long or short the duration of my first real job is, God blessed me with it in part through our current president.

Ramblings After Another Week

Yesterday marked three full weeks of being an employed adult. After 4 1/2 years of college, it's strange to think that this chapter of my life does not have a defined ending point. Exams, classes, semesters all end, but a job doesn't...at least not in the same way. To me, especially as a teacher, my job is a commitment. Not a "til death do you part" commitment, but a "this is what I'm doing until someone makes it stop" commitment. Granted, I did just sign a paper informing me that my temporary position could be terminated at any point without discussing it with me beforehand, so this job could end sooner than expected. Ramblings aside, I'm playing a different ball game now, writing a new chapter.

I found out that I was not actually starting a new infant classroom, but taking the place of an assistant toddler teacher after some shuffling took place. During my first day and a half in that toddler room, I felt like I had been dropped in the middle of chaos. (Note: toddlers are not exactly the opposite of chaos!) The head teacher had not been sticking to the established routine during the two weeks with a substitute, plus they had just gotten a new bus driver. For anyone who knows young children, you know that all of those changes are a recipe for WHOA.

So, for the past week I've been adjusting to waking up at 4, new bus routes, spending all 9 hours of my shift (minus lunch) with my 8 toddlers, and getting comfortable with the kids and my coworkers.

Right now, I'm figuring out how to communicate with a head teacher who is just as quiet as I am, how to bridge cultural gaps that are big and small, how to get to know 8 new little personalities/temperaments, how to be an intentional toddler teacher, and how to survive 16 hour days that include 2-3 hours of me time. There are some days I think I won't be able to handle everything, and other days I'm more optimistic. I know I have a lot to learn and many ways to grow, so I'm praying for grace each day, just for that day, to do my best.

Another new facet of adulthood I'm figuring out is the 3-ish hours of my day devoted to commuting. The cold weather is the most difficult for me right now. Since I forsook one of my buses downtown in favor of walking 8 blocks (to stay warm), I've started to enjoy the atmosphere, the glimpses of the sunrise, and the overall quiet of the morning. If I could just keep all the feeling in my legs and feet, it would be much more enjoyable. I can't wait for spring now! Not only will spring bring warm body temperatures, but also the absence of ice on sidewalks, which will mean faster walking!

I've had plenty of warnings/advice on how to handle myself in North Minneapolis. Frankly, I'm not very worried during the daytime. When I encounter strangers on the street or bus, I want to be able to see past differences that are on the surface, not make assumptions based on first impressions. There are still moments where I get nervous or I'm sure that the people across from me on the bus are talking about me, but I just keep reminding myself that I am fine, the majority of the people around me are fine, and God is with me.

As I move into another week of adulthood, I hope and pray that God will make me adequate for what He has called me to do at this time. Overall, I am slowly learning and choosing to take responsibility for all facets of my life - I just regret that it has taken me this long to do so! And on that note, I now take responsibility for the clean laundry laying on the chair and the 8 hours of sleep I WILL get tonight!

O-bla-di, O-bla-dah

Life goes on.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I have a job. Last Friday, I accepted a full-time position working as an assistant infant teacher in North Minneapolis. I will be working for an agency that serves a very diverse range of families and has an equally diverse group of employees! After being in training for one week, I have had plenty of time to process why I am excited, and why I am less than excited. These are listed below, partly for my benefit, but it will help you know more about what I will be doing!

Reasons why I am excited for this job:

• 40 hours/week = enough money to pay all of my bills.
• I get to work with babies! I love babies. :)
• The agency really cares about all-around excellence and provides great services for many families.
• They really emphasize the necessity of relationships and teamwork as part of our job, both with coworkers and families. It will be a great opportunity for me to build skills in this area.
• The employees I have met so far are fun, caring people who want to be there.
• Our training includes a wide variety of information that is going to be extremely helpful...I am going to be so well prepared!
• I'm going to buy myself some awesome scrubs to wear!

Reasons why I'm nervous/unexcited:

• I'm halfway through 2 weeks of training. 8 hours a day of ice breakers, Power Points, handouts, and various forms of lectures all taking place in a basement with no windows. It's like being in college all over again.
• My position, along with many others, are new and funded by federal stimulus money. In other words, it is temporary and has no guarantee of becoming permanent. They hope to make it long-term, but for right now I'm working on trusting in God's plan for me.
• As I planned, I have been taking the bus to and from work. My attitude towards this is a work in progress. It's hard not to resent my lack of car when I get on a bus far too early in the morning and can't feel my toes when I finally walk into work 90 minutes later, when my 30 minute layover in St. Paul is on a street corner with enough language to fill an R-rated movie, or when I have to ride the bus home with those cussing characters. I am reminding myself each day that I do not deserve to have a warm car ride to and from work.
• Between my 9 hour shift and 3+ hours of commuting, most of my day is spoken for. I can't really do much else besides unwind a little, eat and go to bed.

Overall, I feel very blessed to have found a job so quickly, and one that I am excited for! The women training us have mentioned multiple times how picky the agency is in who they hire, telling us that we are the best of the best. I never really thought of myself in that way, so I feel like I have big shoes to fill.

I would really appreciate your prayers as I continue in my first job as a teacher!