I've always thought of myself as a bit of a hermit. I had a good childhood, I had fun as a teenager and my older teenage years were great, but since becoming a fully fledged 'adult', I struggle with spending time with most other adults. This struggle I used to see as a negative, was I failing at basic human adulting? Shouldn't I be able to maintain eye contact and converse with everyone? Shouldn't I be able to accept that adult women can still be horrible just like they were in their teens? Well yes, probably, but what I've learnt in the last year or so is that it's OK to not want to or feel to comfortable around adults for long. I'm not weird, or under achieving and actually it's kind of a positive and let me tell you why.
Favouring talking to younger people for the majority of time isn't a bad thing. Innocence, a sense of adventure, wild imaginations, lack of self judgement and bags of creativity are just a few of the reasons I enjoy being around kids and have even started a job in a school setting which I love. I always wanted to be a teacher and although I feel it's too late for that now, I am pretty certain that this is the direction I want to go in when I look to the future. I love talking to children, hearing their stories, how they see the world, listening to their innocent easy fix woes and giving them someone else to talk to in their lives. I feel so positive when I'm surrounded by happy little souls and they really are good for my soul too. I've always had a good imagination, I've always been good at creating characters and stories and everything I've loved about being a Mum I can now share with more children at school and it's great fun. I'm not trying to be cool or be their friend, but I do enjoy interacting with them, showing my fun side and just having the chance to be silly with people, something I rarely do with other grown ups because simply most are too tired, stressed or fed up to be bothered with much. Kids though have a constant stream of energy that can't fail to lift your spirits and make you happy.
There are so many reasons I'm enjoying working at a school and I thought I'd share some of my favourites here, as it's something I wish I'd done years ago and just maybe someone else will be inspired to seek a career in education or even a simple lunch job like mine that is really rewarding, even after just a month of working...
Kids are hilarious
I just love the things they come out with and from someone really excitedly telling me about their dead rabbit, to the three girls that play together every day but fall out every five minutes it all makes me smile afterwards and they are just so funny. I love seeing the games they make up, the songs they sing and my favourite is the silly voices and impressions. I also get extra time with my own funny babies, which is ace!
I can make them smile
I have a totally daft sense of humour and although I have a few adult friends that appreciate my bizarre traits, all the kids seem to love it and I've been surprised how lovely and fun to be around the older kids are, as I thought by that age they'd be too cool to talk to us, but they are still silly and fun too and sometimes just need to see someone even bigger being silly to know it's OK. Knowing that you've made someone smile, laugh or brightened their day is so rewarding and it's a lot easier to achieve with children!
They are a joy to be around
This is so cheesy but kids are genuinely a joy to be around. I did have my reservations about being around so many as admittedly I struggle with my two at times, but it's great! I really enjoy meeting all the different characters, learning all the different names and hearing where they are all from, with so many children from around the world at our school. One kid is teaching me Polish and there's a few now that come to me for game ideas and help to find people to play with. If I see someone sad or in tears I always go to see what's wrong and it's nice leaving them again with a smile once you've sorted their problem, which often seem very minor to us grown ups but are obviously a big deal for them.
They bring out my creative imagination
I've always had a kind of fun weird imagination and it's something that I try and quash a bit when I'm around adults, but kids love it and it's great fun coming up with funny stories, jokes and games they can play. This has helped me creatively too, with my illustrations that I have been preparing. I was making them but wasn't really sure what to do with them, but now I'm inspired to sell them as story telling prints and even getting lots of inspiration for new book and character ideas. I love the way kids see the world and if more adults could be like that the world would be awesome.
Their energy is infectious
I know from my own kids that they are all brimming with energy from the moment they wake to the moment they finally give in to sleep, but I never expected the energy to be quite as infectious as it is. Even though my few hours a week in school are super busy, I feel a real boost of energy from it an it's doing me so much good to be around. There is no choice to be anything but quick with our actions and on the ball in terms of keeping them safe, but it really does give you a boost being around such positive energetic people!
I feel like I'm part of something special
Working in a school, even just dishing out dinners and supervising them in the playground makes you feel really special. I remember so much about school and I know how much impact a good teacher, dinner lady or receptionist can have on your life when you're so small. Whatever your role in the school, you're a part of their development as a person, helping them grow up to be kind, have good manners, learn about the world and other people and expand their minds in every way possible. I feel like I'm part of a team now which feels great after a long time just doing this working from home and I feel like I really am part of something special, getting to be a part of their lives and watch them grow mentally and physically. This has been amazing for my mental health too, the positivity and excitement of the day to day rush of a lunch time is lots of fun and getting out the house more is definitely something I should have done earlier.
Although I'm now on the six week holidays after only a month of working in school, I really love it and I can't wait to get some more qualifications under my belt and do something a bit more full time. I'll always be blogging, but having a career outside of the house is now something I'm pretty sure I need and want in order to be completely happy. I love being part of a team, I love a regular wage (obvs!) and I bloody love being able to work around kids that totally appreciate my humour, silliness and creativity.