I actually have a toe in the doorway of another daycare... one that will offer me MORE hours and has actual babies and toddlers- not four year olds who are less independent than the one-year-olds I used to work with.

I'm just trying really hard not to lose my patience while I'm still employed at this place. One coworker, "B" is the worst. Today, I told the kids on their mats that they needed to keep their shoes on (as per our DIRECTOR'S instruction- in case of evacuation). B told me that I'm not allowed to tell one of the kids what to do because he isn't my kid. (I should add that I work from 11:30 to 6 most days; B leaves between 12 and 12:30, so we don't spend much time together). In the short time that we ARE together, B will often (loudly) try to engage me in conversation about the weekend, what she should wear on a date, Halloween costumes, etc at the most inopportune times. Her favorites are when I'm trying to keep the kids engaged in a post-lunch "Circle Time" or when the kids are settling down for their naps. Of course, this means that the kids are kept up and either sleep late OR they reach the point where they are so wound up that they never sleep. (I've learned that a lot of kids have a "sweet spot" with naptime; if they are on their mats for too long without settling down, then they just won't sleep.

I will say that if I'm left alone (even though I'm not supposed to be), situations that often trigger tantrums with some of the kids lead to NOTHING. The kids seem to understand that I don't give in to screaming and crying. I also don't tolerate things like kids running down the halls into the other classrooms unsupervised. (I came from the world of corporate daycare where allowing the kids to do that would result in instant termination. When I worked with 1 and 2 year olds, my kids knew to line up against the wall when getting ready to leave the classroom, and they were counted going in and out of the room). The kids are starting to see that I don't mess around with misbehavior, but I am also a lot more relaxed about other aspects such as play time. I don't expect four year olds to sit quietly for 4 straight hours. I wouldn't pass out a cutting worksheet to half a dozen kids who don't know how to use scissors. That would just frustrate them. My approach was to give the kids strips of paper so they could just practice using scissors without the pressure of cutting on a line.

Reasons I haven't walked out of this job:

1. I'd have to face my boss eventually if I want my paycheck.
2. Abandoning the kids could ruin my potential of working at another daycare in the future.
3. I'm poor and cannot afford to be out of work right now.

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