...About My Kids?

I have hundreds of them. Since the spring of 2005, I have worked for the YMCA at an elementary school CEP program. I look after several kids who need a place to go before school starts as well as after the final bell has rung for the day. Far beyond being a great job, it has been a completely transformative experience for me.

I have quite the storied past when it comes to employment. Before striking gold with the YMCA, I worked as many as ten jobs in the course of two years. I was not one to stick around when I realized I was not going to find happiness in my current situation. I’m not going to detail all of the different glorious positions that I held through the years in this post, instead choosing to greedily turn that into a blog post of its own. I’m going to jump straight to the critical year as it pertains to my current situation.

I had moved into an apartment with three of my closest friends. At the time, we all had jobs, but that didn’t last too long. We all floundered around for a bit, starting and stopping work as if we didn’t have rent to pay each month. Some of us were more responsible than others, and with a little help from friends at times, we were able to pay the bills each month. Towards the end of the life cycle of this ill-fated apartment (the stories of which I’m sure will show in a blog post from time to time), I found myself without employment once again. I turned to my mother, having already worked for the company where my father worked. She set up an appointment at Bowen Elementary with the site director of their CEP program.

I walked in at 3:00 PM, and explained my presence to the receptionist. She ushered me into the cafeteria to wait for the site director, Roger. In the mean time, I helped the custodian set up chairs for some event that was soon to clog up the cafeteria like an obese man’s arteries. When Roger finally arrived, the “interview” process was odd to say the least. He told me what I would be doing, and then suggested I hang around to see it for myself. I did just that, acting the proverbial ‘fly on the wall’ for about forty-five minutes. I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of herding around a gaggle of snot-nosed brats, but with bills looming and no other immediate options, I didn’t have much of a choice. I told Roger that it looked like something I would be interested in, and he told me to be there the next day at 3:00 PM, ready to work.

It was by no means an instantaneous connection. The kids were loud and rambunctious, and after a couple of days they expected me to help solve their arguments and lead them in activities! The nerve of that group. I quickly discovered that I connected best with the oldest bunch of kids; the fourth and fifth grade students, as well as a few children from a middle school that bussed back to their old CEP site in lieu of other options. We fell into a nice rut of dodge ball in the gym and football outside. Every single day I found myself liking the job more and more.

I began working only the afternoon shift; the time when kids are fresh out of class and ready to get into some serious capture the flag. It wasn’t long before I was looking forward to that part of my day above any other. The kids were all of the things I mentioned above, but that was such a small part of them. Under the misbehavior, they were all wonderful, creative, hilarious, and fun to be around, and I wanted more. Luckily, we had just gotten a new site director that wanted more people to work in the mornings. I volunteered and was able to get my fix, as it were. It wouldn’t come without a price, but I was willing to make the necessary sacrifices. I began to spend my entire days at Bowen. I would work in the morning and, unable to find a ride home in between shifts, hang out in our office (which was actually a big closet) and watch movies until the afternoon shift began.

It isn’t all rainbows and butterflies. The job is stressful at times, and the wrong mix of children can drive even the best group leader crazy. The pay is far from great and you are equal parts babysitter, janitor, peacekeeper, and role model. The majority the higher-ups at The Y are out of touch with the day-to-day of the job and still get to make the decisions that affect your site directly. The worst aspect by far, however, is one I still haven’t been able to fully cope with. I know this may surprise most of you, but kids grow older and eventually graduate elementary school! I know, it shocked me too! All kidding aside, I have a new found respect for teachers and other child-care professionals; losing kids that you care about hurts.

This universe has a sense of humor, of that much I am sure. If I had been able to comprise a list of complaints like that at previous jobs I would’ve quit without a second thought. But the kids kept me coming back day in and day out. They could turn my worst of moods around with a smile. The chance to make their life, or even just their day a little bit better was what I was getting out of bed in the morning for. If someone had sat me down when I was young and told me that my career of choice was going to be that of an educator, I would’ve elbow-dropped that chump. If anyone had asked me, I was going to stand alongside The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin. I was going to fly through the air from the top rope to deliver a glorious frog splash. I was going to cut promos that dazzled anyone within earshot. During my middle school years, I wouldn’t miss a single show; not Monday Night Raw, Thursday Night Smackdown, the monthly Pay-Per-View event, or live shows. It just was not a possibility. If I couldn’t watch it live, I would tape it, and then watch it the next morning before I had to catch my bus. It was my entire world. And then, for whatever reason, it just wasn’t anymore.

Flash forward to the present day. I am currently enrolled at the University of Louisville with the goal of becoming a teacher. I still work at Bowen each and every day, and plan to stay there while I complete my studies. This job has been more than a means to an end for me; it has been the cocoon that has allowed me to grow from a timid, sluggish, awkward caterpillar into the butterfly that you all know today.