Category: work
It’s December|First Year Done|Home is Where the Heart Is
Some could say that the first year at a new job is always going to be stressful. Now add on the fact that my centre was brand new at the beginning of this year. It officially opened in January and had a dedication service in February.
And, now, we’re at the end of the first year, tracking on well to reaching capacity and running smoothly with all the staff that we need.
I don’t see my colleagues as just ‘other staff’ though. They’re like family. Distant family, yes…but family nonetheless. It’s like what Tim Healy said at our Christmas service on the weekend: We can have more than one home, because home is where the heart is. And my heart and soul and mind are set firmly at my centre.
Do you feel that way at your centre?
The families that call our centre theirs, the team, the support from the Church team…it’s been an amazing year. Yes, I’ve been sick countless times and had to have time off…but that’s the hazard of working in my profession. Children are germ magnets…and maybe I am too.
There have been some amazing moments too. The little things. Children learning my name, or reaching for me, or just wanting me to join in their play. Children learning, developing, growing. The first steps…the first words… the smiles, the tears, the giggling. The spilled milk…the crying over spilled milk…all of it.
But I think for me, the defining moment was when my Director said to me, after I’d gone away for a holiday and come back, “You’re not going anywhere, we’re keeping you.”
To feel like a valued member of the team, of the family? That means more than anything. Especially after the way I felt at my previous centre.
Home. Home is definitely where the heart is.
So, this Christmas season, I can only give thanks to God. Thanks that 2015 turned out the way it did.
And here’s to a just as amazing 2016.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.
Reflections of Myself
Listening to: Encounter – Riverview Worship
Mood: Awake, content, happy
I’ve had this thought: Taking initiative is difficult for me. Unless it comes to direct interaction with the children at work. I’m more of a follower and thrive when being directed by others.
I had a big win the other day. I was settling a child to sleep, and by reading a book that he chose he eventually just dropped off to sleep. Sleep time can be difficult; the key is to remain calm and ‘low’ as it helps to settle the children down. Especially if they are still spending their energy.
I think allowing the children to make choices and to give us cues as to when they are tired and being flexible with rest times works. Rather than having strict rest times. Obviously, once we have more children that may need to be altered, but while we have low numbers and the children we have are getting used to the centre it has worked quite well.
I am still super excited about heading to work each day, and I pray that this continues. I know there will be down days; every job has that. However, I am excited for the possibilities and helping my centre grow and become everything it can be for the community it aims to serve.
This is my centre and I’m proud of where we are and where we’re heading and absolutely blessed and feel that it is such a privilege to be part of such an important journey.
I still feel I have more to offer and just need to figure out what that is. I’m not artistically inclined and sometimes it takes time for me to come up with ideas for programming, or abstract thinking. I feel that comes back to the fact that I have a ‘follow the leader’ approach to life.
Give me a task to do and I’ll set my heart and mind to it.
Being left to my own devices I often flounder and will just stick to the easy route of allowing spontaneity to ensue.
This also leads to me appearing lazy; but, I’m far from it. I’m usually just off in my own little world, which is always busy. If I could write everything that was going on in my mind on any given day, I’d probably fill pages and pages…even write a book in a day.
So, just because I may look like I’m sitting around doing nothing, doesn’t mean I’m not actively engaging with the environment I’m in.
I guess children are like that as well.
I’ve learned from experience that a child who is sitting by themselves with nothing at hand doesn’t necessarily need or want attention. Sometimes they are just processing their environment and will eventually make a decision as to what/how they want to engage.
Of course, there will come a time when some encouragement or prompting is welcomed, but this often depends on duration and other factors. But, allowing children to make their own choices is important in building independence and teaching them how to navigate their world.
It’s how they learn. It’s how we all learn.
We never stop learning and growing.
And, reflection is a big part of that. So, here’s my first one for the year. 🙂
Been awhile…
Work at STAWA has gotten a little quiet. Part of me is a little bit over working there. Don’t get me wrong, I like working at STAWA, I’m just in a personal funk. I’ve just been feeling blah about a lot of things. I think it’s partly because I’m not feeling motivated to do anything lately. Work, writing, hanging out with friends…I just want to crawl into bed and sleep…and I’m not even tired or anything. I’ve had a few off nights, but I’ve been sleeping well lately, so it’s not that.
I’m loving working at Kids Inn. Maybe that’s it. I need to rethink my position in the workforce. Perhaps I should go fulltime into childcare? I don’t know. I really like working where I’m at right now. The kids are great, even though some of them can be right little so-and-so’s sometimes. But, I really, really enjoy working there, nonetheless.
Guess what? I’m going to Soundwave next year. And guess what else? Avenged Sevenfold will be there. Seeing them live will definitely make my life. I have to say, seeing them live will most likely trump seeing Simple Plan.
The bittersweet thing, though, is that I won’t ever get to see Jimmy ‘The Rev’ play with them. I’m sure Mike Portnoy will do the drummer justice, but I can’t help but feel gypped that I never got the chance to see A7X as the full band.
It will be an experience, though. My first major music festival. I never was ever interested in the Big Day Out, or Southbound or any of those others. The bands didn’t really excite me. I would like to see Eskimo Joe and The Living End, though.
I think I’ve used the word ‘though’ a lot in this blog… oh well. My writing has improved since I first started back in…um…probably 2000 or even before then. I started writing semi-serious fics back in 1999, even though [there I go again with that word…] it was kind of silly stories about my crush…and talking animals and stuff. [Stuff is a good scientific term. And ‘thing’ is as well…] But, I can tell you I have definitely gotten better, and that’s not boasting. I can see the improvement.
I have so many ideas floating around in my mind, but none of them I can really pin down. My latest venture is exciting, though.
It’s called Shadows Creed, and is a fanfic [A7X], but the premise is so different, to me at least, that I reckon I could write it as an original.
The basic gist is this: Bands are outlawed. Politicians are using solo artists to garner popularity. The law is upheld by The Creed. The Creed is a force responsible for eliminating renegade musicians. One man decides it’s time for a change. Time to crush the oppression and bring rock and roll back into the world. There is one problem. This one man is The Creed’s most trusted.
So, there it is. Of course, the story I’m writing now is based around the guys in Avenged, but I could so easily modify it to use my original characters. But, I will probably endeavour to work on the idea later on in the year.
I also want to try and write an all Aussie based fic. But, we’ll see.
Anyways, signing off, g’night all.
Been awhile…
Work at STAWA has gotten a little quiet. Part of me is a little bit over working there. Don’t get me wrong, I like working at STAWA, I’m just in a personal funk. I’ve just been feeling blah about a lot of things. I think it’s partly because I’m not feeling motivated to do anything lately. Work, writing, hanging out with friends…I just want to crawl into bed and sleep…and I’m not even tired or anything. I’ve had a few off nights, but I’ve been sleeping well lately, so it’s not that.
I’m loving working at Kids Inn. Maybe that’s it. I need to rethink my position in the workforce. Perhaps I should go fulltime into childcare? I don’t know. I really like working where I’m at right now. The kids are great, even though some of them can be right little so-and-so’s sometimes. But, I really, really enjoy working there, nonetheless.
Guess what? I’m going to Soundwave next year. And guess what else? Avenged Sevenfold will be there. Seeing them live will definitely make my life. I have to say, seeing them live will most likely trump seeing Simple Plan.
The bittersweet thing, though, is that I won’t ever get to see Jimmy ‘The Rev’ play with them. I’m sure Mike Portnoy will do the drummer justice, but I can’t help but feel gypped that I never got the chance to see A7X as the full band.
It will be an experience, though. My first major music festival. I never was ever interested in the Big Day Out, or Southbound or any of those others. The bands didn’t really excite me. I would like to see Eskimo Joe and The Living End, though.
I think I’ve used the word ‘though’ a lot in this blog… oh well. My writing has improved since I first started back in…um…probably 2000 or even before then. I started writing semi-serious fics back in 1999, even though [there I go again with that word…] it was kind of silly stories about my crush…and talking animals and stuff. [Stuff is a good scientific term. And ‘thing’ is as well…] But, I can tell you I have definitely gotten better, and that’s not boasting. I can see the improvement.
I have so many ideas floating around in my mind, but none of them I can really pin down. My latest venture is exciting, though.
It’s called Shadows Creed, and is a fanfic [A7X], but the premise is so different, to me at least, that I reckon I could write it as an original.
The basic gist is this: Bands are outlawed. Politicians are using solo artists to garner popularity. The law is upheld by The Creed. The Creed is a force responsible for eliminating renegade musicians. One man decides it’s time for a change. Time to crush the oppression and bring rock and roll back into the world. There is one problem. This one man is The Creed’s most trusted.
So, there it is. Of course, the story I’m writing now is based around the guys in Avenged, but I could so easily modify it to use my original characters. But, I will probably endeavour to work on the idea later on in the year.
I also want to try and write an all Aussie based fic. But, we’ll see.
Anyways, signing off, g’night all.