Voluntarily, I use to walk into a room smelling of sweat, screaming children and shouts of my name coming from all directions every single afternoon. This routine would occur after I had been released from my six-hour imprisonment in high school. This part-time job at the daycare, or Kidszone, was something I never could have imagined for myself. Looking back, if someone had told me that my first job would be working at the former daycare I used to attend, I would have laughed and told them they were full of it. However, what I use to think of as a joke turned into my reality. Strangely though, my view changed and I couldn’t imagine not having had the opportunity to work there during high school and still have the blessing of working there during summers. These kids have helped to teach me more valuable lessons than any professor ever could.
1. They taught me to not judge a book by its cover.
Part of my job was to help supervise a classroom of kids during their snack time/bible study time. Before snack, the washing of the hands was the first thing they would have to do upon entering the snack room, yet somehow this simple task was something a lot of them struggled with. Everyday a few of them would look right at me and stroll on past the line for the sink and just go straight to a seat. This act of defiance always baffled me. So I would begin a staring contest until the usual comment would escape from their mouth, “What?” My reply was always, “Wash your hands.” Then, typically, the perpetrator would remark, “I already did.” Boy oh boy, if there ever was a way to grind my gears that was it.
Coming from a home where I was taught to always mind my manners, as well as to listen and respect those in charge, I couldn’t understand kids who didn’t do exactly that. This lack of understanding and sympathy to other backgrounds was something I struggled with for a while. But I began to see that often times this attitude kids would put up was just a wall. It was a structure they had built to keep other things out, things that I could have never imagined dealing with as a child. They weren't acting in defiance because they were bad kids, but because they didn't know any better. I was judging them without really even understanding them. Some of these kids had to deal with divorced parents and being shuffled from home to home, some were mainly raised by one parent, barely ever seeing the other. It turned out that one little boy, who acted out quite often, was being raised by his grandmother because his dad and mom were in jail. Another kid, who I constantly would have to reprimand, was raised to think fighting was the answer.
2. They taught me that it's okay to ask for help.
Starting the job I didn’t know how to plunge a toilet, at least not until I was forced to learn. One of the kids stopped it up and decided that the best thing to do in the situation was to leave it for the next person to deal with. Fortunately for me, I was that next person. I’ve always known that when these circumstances arise you use a plunger, but I was a little hesitant to do so. For one, toilets and I don’t have a great history. I have a talent for breaking things and toilets seem to be one of my specialties. However, I ventured into the warzone that was the bathroom stall and began my fight with the toilet. I lost. So off I went to rally another leader more capable than myself to win this battle. After agreeing to come to my rescue they instructed me on how to properly use a plunger, this was after they laughed at me of course. Later on it hit me that the laughter, or shamefulness of stopping up the toilet, was probably why the child left the mess for me to clean up. Sometimes in life it’s easier that way, to leave your messes for others to fix. We don’t always look at the bigger picture of how we can learn, as well as remedy, the situation by seeking out help.
3. They taught me words matter.
Foul language was something I never thought I had a problem with. Not until a four letter word found its way out of my mouth and into the ears of two little girls as I was shuffling the cards for a game we were playing. In my defense it was the end of the workday, I was exhausted and had dropped the deck of cards all over the floor. Both the word and the cards slipped out of my reach at the same time before I could do anything about either one of them. Both girls looked at me, “Awwwww, Katrina. You said a bad word.” What was I supposed to say back? I couldn’t lie to them, that would make it worse. So instead of lying I asked them, “How do you guys even know that’s a bad word? You’re like ten.” The girls looked at me as if I was stupid and one of them replied saying, “We’ve heard our parents say it, duh.” Yes, I was guilty, but admittedly I didn’t feel so bad upon hearing this response. I told them I was wrong to say what I did and if I ever heard either of them use the word they would be in huge trouble. Eventually the girls forgot and my language has been squeaky clean in the presence of children ever since. But later on that night, when I was reflecting upon the events of that day, I thought about my word choice and how words affect people. We teach children that they need to watch their words, yet isn’t this usually taught from our own failings with their little ears hearing our faults. I decided then and there that I didn’t want this to be the case with the lessons I teach. Those kids deserve to have a positive role model, one who practices what they preach.
4. They taught me selflessness.
When I began working at the daycare I was full of optimism and excitement. I thought that it was best job in the world; I was getting paid to just watch some kids for a few hours and make sure they didn't die. It doesn’t get much easier than that. However, it turned out I had signed up for a lot more than just watching or babysitting. I was signing up to help mold these little people with such strong wills, into somebody they might become one day. This was a lot of responsibility for a girl who was in high school and more concerned about her social calendar than why a kid did what he did to wind up in timeout. I was forced to come outside of the mindset that everything is about me, and I had to step into the mindset that others sometimes need to come before yourself and your own personal agenda.
Before this job I was selfish, impatient and had a tendency to withhold sympathy. Basically, I tended to not really care about anything unless it directly affected me. It’s easy for me to blame this on being an only child, but that really doesn’t cut it. However, after this job, I flipped my attitude on things and started seeing people as more than just the surface and I began to have a heart for them. I became more understanding, patient, and little less selfish. Overall I just became a better me, who still struggles with the same stuff but who tries to be better. Through the help of these kids I experienced life and had the privilege of being allowed to grow up a little bit more along with them.
5. They taught me I can make a difference.
Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” I tried to give those kids love, help them learn right from wrong and show them that they could come to me with anything and I would be there with open arms. Then and now I would still to help any of them with anything they need. Now, don’t get me wrong, there were some days that I would walk into that daycare and really just not want to be there. However, those kids seemed to quickly change my mood. When a bratty little girl suddenly has nice things to say, a little troublemaker turns into a gentleman for a moment or when a red haired wild child shows he can be tamed; those are the things that made it all worth it. Those are the things that make you feel like you are “making a life by what you give”.
