I have always loved school. I loved homework, projects, reading assignments—anything to do with school made me happy. I know I sound crazy, and you wouldn’t be the first to voice that opinion. But, for me, going to school was an escape. I grew up in an abusive home, so I latched onto the one thing that could take me away from the reality of my home-life.
With that said, being a teacher has been my life-long dream. I love working with children, 
and have worked in many different child-related areas. I’ve babysat, tutored, worked in daycares, after-school programs, planned curriculum, taught and have been a nanny—I feel like I have been there/done that and seen it all.
I graduated with my Master’s Degree in Elementary Education in 2009 with the intention of landing my dream job as a teacher. Unfortunately, finding teaching jobs in public schools at the time was rather difficult. With the teaching market saturated with experienced teachers and not enough jobs, I turned to teaching in a private preschool setting.
The longer I stayed in that setting, the less I enjoyed it. I found that in this school setting the establishment was more focused on their numbers, rather than the quality of the care given to the children. I had no support team when it came to taking care of the 24 three-year-olds in my classroom that had no bathrooms or sinks, and one assistant. Curriculum was written for me and I was restricted from shaping the curriculum based on the needs of my students. The kids that had undiagnosed learning disabilities were swept under the rug, which I found very upsetting. This was a cookie-cutter preschool, and didn’t account for the individuality of each child, something I believe is extremely important to embrace as a care-giver/teacher.
I had always dreamed of helping kids the way my teachers had helped me. My teachers saw my passion for learning and had provided me with the support and encouragement I needed to stay on the right path, a path I may not have found otherwise. It was then that I realized my real dream was to help children in any way that I could, rather than specifically being a teacher.
If I was going to continue with my dream of helping children, I needed to find a different way. I wanted to be able to work one-on-one with kids and cater to their individual needs, rather than the needs of the masses. Becoming a nanny seemed like the perfect choice for me, and I couldn’t be happier with my decision to leave private school.
I have been able to modify issues like tantrums, potty accidents and napping problems. I have worked closely with children who have been on the autism spectrum and helped their families create loving, understanding and harmonious homes. There is a way to help every child and every family, and I am determined to help as many as I can. Cue: Cheer Up Buttercups!