Why???

Do you ever wonder why you chose your current profession?

Do you ever wish you could turn back time and choose a different career path?

Usually I only have those thoughts when I think about how poorly child care workers are paid compared to other professions.  And when I am fantasizing about writing for a living!

But this past week, there were countless times when I wondered what the f*ck I was thinking when I decided to become an ECE.  This week was filled with just about everything that makes an ECE's job difficult - sick/absent staff, supply teachers, late staff, miserable kids, aggressive kids, communicable illness . . . the list could go on and on.

I hardly sat down all week -  between continuing to delve into Potty Training Hell, breaking up seemingly constant fights, putting ice packs on bo-bos, cleaning up messes from art, lunch and snack, I was seriously on my feel all week.  Not only was it excruciatingly exhausting, it made me realize that I REALLY need new/better work shoes!

Toddlers are more unpredictable than a teenaged girl with PMS.  I have got two little boys who can be the best of friends one second, playing so nicely together and then without any warning they are beating the snot out of each other or biting each others faces off.  (And yes, I mean that literally!)  They go from perfectly respectable children to wild animals in 0.3 seconds.  I have another little girl who hits and scratches me every time i ask her to do something that she doesn't want to do.  And we won't even talk about the fact that I stepped on a child this week!

And then there is all the behind the scenes confidential stuff that as head teacher I know about.  And although my "need to know everything" personality is thrilled that I know some of these details, some of it just frustrates me beyond words.

I keep telling myself that this week has got to be better than last week, but in reality I am dreading going to work tomorrow, just in case this week isn't any better.  Don't get me wrong, I really do enjoy my job, just some days (or in this case, weeks) I would really love to be able to say "I don't need this" and quit.  But the reality of my life is that I need to work and despite having a bad week,  I can't imagine anything else I'd rather do for a living.  (Except for my daydreams of writing all day long . . . )