Is the job tiring? Yes.
Is the job stressful? Yes.
Do the kids wear me out every day? Yes.
Am I still looking forward to going back to work on Monday? Yes.
I'm not gonna lie... I have to put a lot more into this job than pretty much anything I've done before. The kids are sometimes difficult to handle, the way the program is organized often leaves little to be desired, and, when it comes down to it, I feel like I'm doing a lot more than I signed up to do.
But I don't mind. When I'm assigned to give individual attention to a child who likes to be disobedient and to have his own way, it's not the most fun thing to do. But after spending the day with him, growing make-believe plants in the garden with him, playing in the water with him, going up and down the slides with him... and when he starts crying and throwing a fit after I leave at the end of the day, only to completely calm down and give me a big hug when I come back for a minute to say goodbye... it's all worth it.
When the kids who ride my van in the morning get upset because "Mr. H" won't be taking them home in the afternoon... when a little boy comes up to me and grabs my arm because he wants me to eat lunch with him... or when a 5-year-old girl on my afternoon van is tired from the day and curls up in my lap to take a nap... I realize why I love this job.
I love it because I feel like I'm making a difference. I know I'm not Bill Gates, giving billions of dollars to help improve healthcare, enhance education and reduce poverty. But if I can help just one child, I'm satisfied. The kids I work with need somebody to be nice to them, to uplift them, to reprimand them, to teach them, to care for them, to be with them... to be an example for them. In a nutshell, that's my job.
Last week, I said it's going to be a long summer. I was right. The only problem... it won't be long enough.
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