Dear readers,
I can’t believe it’s been over a year since my last post! Time truly does fly by faster than it may seem on certain days. At the beginning of 2023, I witnessed a former coworker’s reaction to their layoff. I didn’t realize it, at the time, but I will begin a 5-month journey of self-reflection that includes career coaching, talk therapy, and a mood-stabilizing prescription. Why am I sharing this? Because I’m taking a leap of faith to leave my comfortable desk job as a corporate accountant and in pursuit of becoming an early educator (preschool teacher).
Yes, this may very well be a “mid-life” crisis. I am a married, 36 year old woman who is child-free, by choice. I had someone ask me, “is this about you wanting to become a mother?” I politely responded, “it could be though I’m seeking professional help for a couple months to figure this out.” I mean, what else could I have said? Quitting my job and returning to my local community college, to take 2 classes from the Early Childhood Education (ECE) department, sounds extreme. But, is it really?
I’ve been a dedicated weekly volunteer at my church’s early Kid’s Ministry (nursery – Pre-K’s 5 year olds) for over 10 years combined. Post pandemic, I’ve been asked to become a volunteer coach and help staff oversee a team of adult and teen volunteers. It’s been a blast. Every week, it’s the morning I look forward to the most. Yes, there are more challenging mornings than others but I only engage with each child for 1 hour, tops. Being a weekly familiar face is comforting for returning parents and I get to grow with their family, one week at a time. It’s a true honor!
This led me to explore the field of ECE so I can be more impactful in my time with children and families. There are some naysayers that feel that I would be less equipped to be a teacher because I don’t have children of my own. I disagree with this misconception wholeheartedly. I love being a dog owner (parent) but I don’t wish to become a veterinarian. I wish to dedicate my time to create a nurturing environment for the children in my classroom. I want to spend time partnering with families on developing their child to reach their milestones. So much so, that learning becomes a lifelong hobby.
Is this a giant feat? It could be. It could also be loads of fun! After all, a child’s work is through play. An infant reaching to touch your face is learning attachment bond while developing their fine motor skill. A toddler propping themselves up and taking their first step is developing their gross motor skill. Getting a heartfelt hug from a child when they enter the classroom or a smile from a game of peekaboo is one of the fine luxuries and rewards of being a preschool teacher. I reserve my daily energy to spend it all with children and families at school or at church.
Making the choice of being child-free has given me a home space of quiet retreat where I can laze about doing whatever. Quality time is my love language and having the ability to spend it however I’d like is something that I’ll cherish to the end of my days.
Thanks for sticking with me and reading until here. This is only the beginning of my journey towards teaching preschool. I look forward to sharing my adventures with you as the months progress. To commit to blogging, I’ve found a way to share myself through the #MyIntent project. I bought a deck of their 33 meaningful question cards that entails 6 categories: Let Go, Be Me, Dream, Grow, Love, and Serve. Starting this week, I commit to a weekly Saturday post that answers one of these 33 questions. You’ll get to learn more about me and feel free to email me to share your answer to the same question. It’ll be an interesting way to get to know you personally as a human from a distance. To take the pressure off, feel free to be anonymous. I love alias and pen names, so give it a go and we’ll travel along together in spirit!
@BonzColoring 