I love kindergarten kids. I love the desire to learn. I love teaching reading/writing. I love the making connections. I even loved the first day screamers/criers and parents that sealed their kisses with a stamp so the kids would have a great first day! What I didn't realize after my first day teaching kindergarten is that this would be me someday! If you told me, on my first day as a kindergarten teacher that I would stay home one day with my children, I may have decked you. I never saw myself as a stay at home Mom. Teaching fourth grade (oh by the way, those kids are graduating this school year. When did I get old? ), Four years in kindergarten, remarrying a man who I can honestly say is my best friend, teaching third grade, and getting pregnant is when it hit me that this is what I wanted to do.
I didn't want to send my kid to an unsafe daycare. I didn't want someone else to raise my child while I raised others. I wanted to be selfish. I wanted to see the first steps, hear the first words, get all the smiles, hugs, cries. I wanted to be selfish. What I LOVED even more is that my husband was okay with that. He was okay with me taking a $42,000 pay cut to stay a home.
What I love even more than teaching fourth grade/first/kindergarten/third/etc., is teaching my child. I love watching the world evolve right before her eyes. I love hearing her language develop and her big girl talk. I love her potty 'learning' and I love her tantrums. I love all of it because it is who she is. Some people have a misconception about stay at home Moms. I'm not Peggy Bundy. I don't sit on a couch all day and eat bon bons. I could go off on a tangent about this because I assure you I had it made teaching with a uninterrupted lunch and a planning period. There are days that I want to run to work and then I hear a giggle and it reminds me how special being a Mommy is. I got to capture that giggle in my head and cherish it in my heart. There are days I wish Patrick could stay home just to witness it. I can only hope that I capture enough pictures to show him how awesome she is. Yes Mom and Dad, you love me because you sent me to Clemson to acquire a degree in Early Childhood Education so I could become a Stay at Home Mom. I promise it will not be forever :)
And then when Raileigh was one, I decided she needed someone to play with/to learn with/to grow with and that's when I decided to open a preschool in my home. Last year, I had another one year old and a four year old. It was the most amazing experience to watch these kids learn to talk/read/write and socialize. I was very blessed that two teachers wanting me to capture their child's learning and share it with them through pictures and activities. This year I have a two year old full time and a two and four year old part time. I now pick up a five year old (who was four last year) from school once a week. I love my job! I love measuring success in how many times I cleaned up poop and pee. I love watching these kids read/write/communicate and learn. I LOVE the giggles and the "i love you's" to me and to each other. I love the fact that they treat each other with respect one minute and scream mine the next. I love watching these minis develop their personalities. I'ts amazing! I love watching two and four year olds read and if you tell me they can't I'm going to prove you wrong!
I got to witness this yesterday:
He's two! :)
She's two! :)
He's four! :)
She's two! :)
I love teaching these kids to learn to love and I love learning along the way! I love life and it's all about what you make of it! Not everyday is a rose petal, but let's face it, the grass is only greener on the other side
because the septic tank overflowed!
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