There’s a running joke amongst those closest to me regarding my notorious luck.
Don’t bring me to bingo with you, don’t let me pick any numbers on your lottery tickets, and definitely don’t ask me to hold onto your raffle tickets. For the things in my life that really matter, though, I think I’m pretty darn lucky: I have a fantastic relationship with my husband, my two kids are the best, and we’re all healthy and happy. Want to know another reason why I’m the luckiest? I get to wake up 5 days of the week and go to a job that I love (aka, my warm and fuzzy workplace).
I know that many people aren’t that fortunate. Some people hate their workplace, or their boss, or their entire profession. Not me! I work as a program director in early childhood education, and I know the profound impact and importance of the work that we do every day.
It’s not just that I value the work that we do with children, though; my school, specifically, is just an amazing workplace. For real. Our curriculum is focused on building relationships and social/emotional intelligence, and those principles are just as important for our staff. We value open and honest communication, clear feedback, and the unlimited potential for growth that we all have within ourselves. Because of those things, we form strong relationships with each other, and really do see ourselves as a work family. My work family is the best work family!
That’s not to say that every day is a piece of cake.
Don’t get me wrong, this job can be stressful! Ya know how, as a mom, you kinda wear 37 hats every day? Well, my job is pretty similar to that. I’m an administrator, shopper, cook, substitute teacher, cleaner, builder, photographer, mentor, business manager… the list goes on and on! My whole staff knows that scheduling issues make my left eye start twitching, and don’t get me started on the mountains of paperwork that need to be filed, the fire alarms at nap-time, or the lack of adequate funding.
I get warm fuzzies when I think about my workplace, and it’s because of the people. The children, the families, and the teachers… they fill my bucket each and every day. I’m so lucky so be a part of this community.
Having a warm and fuzzy workplace means that I can show my children what it means to have a positive work-life balance; I may do work over the weekends, but I can also go to work late so that I can attend school events, or leave work early on those early dismissal days. My kids are part of a family that they are not at all related to but are strongly connected to, nonetheless. They see that caring about your job means learning constantly and being able to admit when you’re wrong. They see me ask for help when I need it, and give help to others when I can.
