ECE Level II Exemption

Reading and Writing

These are two more of my absolute favorite things. For a while, I didn't have time to read but recently, as part of my wellness plan in another class - I made a promise to do more of it. I really thought during the Covid-19 shutdown I would have more time, but instead I hatched chicks and caught up on housework and did a lot of writing. A lot. I can still read a book in a day if I really get into it. 

I love writing all kinds of things, mostly fiction, but even writing a blog post brings me joy. Making the daycare's newsletter brings satisfaction and even writing out proper reports. Simple things I suppose ;) There is something really fulfilling in writing something that satisfies another person and they get the message you are sending. My verbal skills are always improving but my writing skills are above those - thankfully. If I'm not sure what to say I will often just wait and send an email later. 

These are two skills that serve me well in many aspects of my life. They are also skills that can always be improved and practicing make them better. 

Music

I have been playing the piano since I was 6 years old. That's over 30 years of piano playing. I took exams up to grade 3, but found the pressure to be more than I wanted. I wanted to play but without the stress - so I continued up to my grade 8 books. Looking back, I wish I would have continued taking the exams. Regardless, music a is a big part of my life. I am very happy that my children love music as much as I do. 

When working with the kids we do a lot of singing and dancing. I may not be the best singer but kids are the least critical of all - usually. Music is a great way to express yourself physically and is often a great emotional outlet. You don't have to be great at it, so it's easy to participate in one way or another. 

My family

By far, the most important thing in my life, is my beautiful family. I am married, and have been for 15 years. (Pretty sure that's a skill in itself) We have 4 children: 2 girls and 2 boys. 

They are my priority in everything. 

Having a family means that there is some juggling going on between home life and work life. This gets to be pretty tough when kids are sick. I know I won't concentrate at work, so I choose to be home with my sick kids unless my husband can be there in my place. There's also a lot of planning going on - making sure lunches are made, everyone is ready for school, supper is planned and that everyone's extra curricular activities are organized. It can get pretty chaotic when you need to go in four different directions on the same day. My ability to schedule comes in handy at home. 

Having a large family also requires patience, time management and conflict resolution. These are things you get better at as your children get older and the juggling and conflicts get more complex. It also takes a lot of love and compassion. 

These people are the people that help keep me at my very best.  

Chickens!

This could be the longest post ever. 

I love my chickens. Actually, I now have guineas and turkeys as well - and other animals. For simplicity, I'll keep it to the chickens because the turkeys are still small and the guineas are technically not born yet. 

We've had chickens since 2016. My husband got them thinking I would get bored of them and he could turn the coop into a meat shop. We started off with 12 browns and this year we have 41 laying hens, 4 roosters, 18 juveniles (feb 2020 hatch) and over 50 grow-outs (replacement hens). (plus 10 turkeys and possibly 43 guineas but that's a different story)

Chickens are amazing little birds. Okay, maybe they are a little on the simple side, but their personalities are intriguing. I could go on about them for ages. I've had to use a variety of interesting skills with these guys: 

Problem-solving - How did I get my chickens to stop chasing the saskenergy guy? 😑

Teamwork - We had to move an enormous set of laying boxes from one coop to another. 

Organizing/planning - making sure there's enough room for everyone to grow happy and healthy and ensure proper feed for everyone involved. 

Dedication - Keeping up with everyday chores even in -50 weather. 

Patience - They eat the garden. The end. 

Communication skills - Does ordering more eggs or chickens count? I think it does. 

Perseverance - One year I lost 3/4 of my flock to a fox. 

Responsibility - I take that very seriously. They depend on me for food, water, shelter and a safe place to live. I take it very personally if I fail them somehow. I know it's just a chicken - but I feel each loss regardless. 

Chickens are also my calm-down space. I can go out and watch them and do the chores and they are happy just to see me. Maybe it's because I bring the food and maybe it's because they like me. It's all about perspective. 

#theytotallylikeme

Preschool Teacher to Educator in a daycare

The transition from a preschool teacher to an educator was definitely a learning experience. I went from guiding some independent 3-5 year olds, to having to care for children aged 6 weeks to 12 years old. 

At first, I was overwhelmed. I am a mom of 4 kids but I still wasn't prepared for how different things would be in this setting. A lot of the things I knew how to do needed to adapt to smaller people and their expanding minds. They were all still learning the basics - quite literally. It did take a few weeks but I eventually got the hang of it and was able to use my programming skills to my advantage. I simplified themes and started following what the children were interested in. If it happened to be a topic I was especially fond of (farm animals) we were able to explore it for weeks!

Another thing that helped, my ECE learning continued, and the more I learned about the various ages, the more I was able to adapt my programming. I do miss working in a preschool, but I love working in the daycare. The simplest things can teach the most complex skills. For example: ripping paper. This simple skill is good for fine motor skills and strengthening fingers. It also encourages hand-eye coordination, especially when trying to rip a straight line. Some of us are still working on this as adults. 

I've recently become an interim director, and I also love that. I have grown considerably in the last few years as an educator. As a parent I can often relate to situations parents find themselves in, while at the same time keeping to the Early Childhood Educator Code of Ethics. I enjoy the paperwork, organizing schedules, dealing with invoices and income reports. I am still learning a lot about these things, and maybe they weren't smooth at the beginning, but every month I've learned something new. I love being with the kids and our team of educators - it's a positive work environment!

During my tenure as director I've had to deal with some complex issues such as injured staff - twice at one time, hiring new subs and employees, reorganizing schedules on a weekly basis to accommodate, toilet overflow (twice), behaviour issues, a change in fees, a new consultant, a financial review of our fiscal year, and the ever-so-lovely Pandemic Covid-19. 

I've used a large variety of skills: 

Organizing

Planning

Adaptating to new situations

Problem-solving

Leadership

Time-management

Communication skills - written and oral

I've also demonstrated: 

Compassion

Patience

Flexibility
Determination

Positivity

I have so much more to offer and as my education continues, my skills grow. These are not all my skills, behaviours, attitudes or strengths, but they have definitely been the top 12 I've been using in the last few months. 

ECE Level 1