How to Live on Nothing

I suppose the most important thing I have to update about is my now-employed state of existence. I started on Thursday with a day of paperwork, videos, and time spent with both the infants and toddlers. Apparently company policy requires that I’m familiar with the routines of every type of classroom, so I have to spend an hour with each age group "observing." I spent two hours in the infant room on Thursday, then an hour and a half with the Pre-K, including outside time on Friday. Then I spent an hour in preschoole observing lunch, after which I spent probably an hour and half going over "The Checklist" with Kim. Now I have to come up with three written references. ::rolls eyes:: She might have mentioned this sometime before. The problem is that Judi, Kristin, and Angela at Kiddie World were told straight out that they aren’t allowed to write references. It was a big issue when Kate Drew was leaving. Kim suggested I ask former teachers, but that’s just ridiculous. I graduated three frickin’ years ago! English teachers are some of the flakiest I’ve ever met. And I’m about the most forgettable person on the planet, so I seriously doubt any of them would remember me at this point. I was thinking I could ask Casey and maybe Suki since I still have at least Facebook contact with them. Maybe Stefanie and Mary, too? I did work with Mary, after all, even though we were roommates and friends before we were coworkers. Argh! Seriously, she couldn’t have mentioned that she needed written references? Maybe about the time she asked for phone references perhaps?

Despite that, it seems like it’s going to be a good place to work. I can’t get all that worked up about it because A.) I’m generally inclined toward laziness and self-direction and B.) It’s just not what I want to be doing anymore. Still, I only have to get through the next 9 months. Alan tried to cheer me up last night by reminding me that it’s only the length of a pregnancy, so I told him that he should try asking a woman who’s at 38 weeks just how long a pregnancy is… and that he should do from a safe distance. o_0

Everyone there has been pretty welcoming though. Erica, the lead toddler teacher, is really nice and enthusiastic. I think I’ll enjoy working with her. Ashley has also been very open to my presence, which is saying something since she had to switch rooms.  Shantee, Alyssa, Karina, and Samara have also been nice. I was a little leary of Joy, but now that I’ve been around her a bit more, I think that’s just her manner, not any kind of actual hostility. The preschool teachers I’ve spent time with are also nice. Most of the people there have been there for more than a year and some have been with the company or location for more than five.  The second newest employee is Daiana and even she’s been there for 8 months, which certainly speaks well of the organization since daycare is a pretty high turnover industry.

For the time-being I’m still considered to be training. I’m not "in numbers," as they say there, which means that I don’t count towards the student-teacher ratio. I probably won’t for at least another week either, which certainly has its perks. Unlike everyone else, I can go to the bathroom whenever I want. LOL… simple pleasures. I haven’t had the chance to really investigate my new room yet, but I have met a couple of the kids who are going to be in it. My group of kids is going to be a sort of pre-toddler/transitional group, which makes me perfectly happy because that’s possibly my favorite age group. I have my first staff meeting this coming Wednesday and on Thursday I’m learning the closing routine with Erica. Then next Thursday we’ll all have a meeting with the parents of the kids who are going to be transitioning into my room.  The Wednesday after that I have jury duty. And somewhere in there my mother is coming down to work on a costume for the Renaissance Faire and we’ll be celebrating our anniversary. Busy busy busy!

The hard part of all of this is that we’re still broke. Alan had to trade in some video games at Game Stop to get cash to put gas in my car. Last night he put up his truck and a whole bunch of DVD’s and books up for sale on CraigsList. He got some money from his grandfather for the work he’s been doing around their yard, but at least part of that has to go towards my car payment, so they can at least realize that we’re trying to pay. I’ve already missed a bill this month. Alan will get paid this Friday and then every week, but I won’t get my first paycheck until the 18th.  And I’m running low on my medication. I’m cutting every other pill in half so that it lasts at least a little while longer. As for groceries, I think we’ll just have rely on the staples we already have. And beg Victor for some garden-fresh veggies. We’ll get through. We always do. And it’s only a little while longer.

In less than two months Alan will be leaving for Basic Training. I’ve only told Karina that my husband is going into the Army because she seems like someone who keeps her own counsel. Also, she’s really the only person who’s asked what my husband does, and I can’t really lie about it. I need to ask for November 2nd off so I can bring Alan to the recruiting station, but I’m not sure what I should say to Kim. Tell her that he’s going on an extended business trip? Or just tell her the truth? I’m inclined towards the truth, but I also don’t want her to think that there was no point hiring me if I’m just going to leave. So I’m a little stuck on this one. There’s been absolutely no talk of asking for a minimum committment to the company. And I wouldn’t necessarily have to leave the company. Anyway, we’ll see, won’t we?

At least I have tomorrow off. I still have to type up a little biography/intro for the parents, so I might as well get started on that.

~Liz