The End of High School.

It was the end of high school, and I wasn't sure which college I wanted to apply to. I felt excited but also nervous because choosing the right program could open doors to my future career. Nevertheless, two choices were available to me. Which College would you choose?

Choice 1 : Apply to Dawson College.

Choice 2 : Apply to Montmorency College.

Apply to Dawson College.

I applied to Dawson College, hoping to get a fresh start and meet new people. A few weeks later, I received an email saying that I had been accepted into the Early Childhood Education program. I felt relieved because it felt like a foot in the door toward my dream of becoming a teacher. However, the college was really far from home, and I needed to wake up very early every morning to take the metro and because of that, I started doubting my decision. (Restart and choose Montmorency College).

Choice 1 : The End of High School.

Apply to Montmorency College.

I decided to go to Montmorency College because it's closer to my house. So, I could sleep longer, avoid stressful commute, and have more time to focus on my projects. When I received my acceptance, I immediately felt confident about my choice. But, I was facing two programs. If you were in my place, which program would you choose?

Choice 1 : Social Science in Psychology.

Choice 2 : Switch to Early Childhood Education Program.

Social Science in Psychology.

I tried giving a chance by choosing Social Science, hoping I would like it. During my semester, I was in a situation where there was a group drama because the members of the group weren't doing their part of the project properly. There was also a lack of communication with my classmates because one of them decided to do their part the day before it was due. It was very maddening because I was getting sucked up in correcting his part because it didn't make any sense with the subject. I was very disappointed with everything because I was a straight A' s student and when I got a low grade it really made no sense because I had put a lot of time of management by distributing all the tasks to every classmate of the group. So, at that moment, I finally realized that this program wasn't connected to my values and my personality. (Restart and choose Early Childhood Education Program).

Choice 1 : Switch to Early Childhood Education Program.

Switch to Early Childhood Education Program.

When I finally changed program, and I went into the Early Childhood Education one, I felt better. I learned about every child's development especially when some of the have some different needs, I learned the different ways and steps how to guide the children to have a conflict resolution, and I learned different strategies to create different activities so they I can make them learn something new, and it will also help their confidence by making different choices. My supervisor in the program, she encouraged me to write down all of my reflections, and she guided me through moments when I needed to observe the children's when they were in action, so I could write everything down in a notebook and create new activities based on my observations and on their interests and to also work on a part of their development if they are facing a difficulty like example how to hold a pen we would work their fine motor skills. I also needed to understand the professional language of education like supporting transitions and using positive reinforcement to guide a child in his behaviour and in his actions. Have you ever done an internship? If yes, select that choice!

Choice 1 : Start my first internship.

Choice 2 : Volunteer at a daycare.

Start my first internship.

The first internship was challenging because I needed to observe children all day, and I needed to plan activities, and it was also rewarding because I gained experience by being around the children all day. Every day, I would learn something new, and I needed to adapt myself to a new group and their particularities. For example, the children's energy, the dynamic of the environment, and the variety of the tasks that needed to be done throughout the day, and it would also demand full attention. During my internship, I made some mistakes like everyone did. During my observation day, my supervisor from school came to see me at the center, I was feeling very nervous because I wanted everything to go well, but I couldn't predict if everything will go well. Suddenly, I had to face a situation when a child had a minor injury on his forehead during outdoor play. My supervisor looked at me and reassured me to stay calm. At that time, I didn't have my trainee to administer the first aid kit to child, and I to report the incident on a document as a proof to show the parents. So, my supervisor told me the steps and told that for the future semester, I would have that trainee. This experience reinforced the importance of a professional communication and to also carry the first aid kit and to also make some quick decisions. If you were facing different challenges during your internship, would you continue your internship or would you request some feedback from your supervisor?

Choice 1 : Continuing Internship.

Choice 2 : Request Feedback or Lead Activities.

Volunteer at a daycare.

When I volunteered twice a week it allowed me to observe different routines through the morning, during lunchtime, and at night. I also improved my communication skills asking the children open questions. By asking them open questions, they would answer me back with more details instead of just saying yes or no as an answer. I also practiced classroom management without taking the charge of having the responsibility of the whole group, I would take in charge of the group for 30 minutes while doing an activity. The children began to recognize me, they would call me by name, and they would ask for my help when it was time to dress up for outside or even to guide them to complete an action. When I was there, I saw the positive impact an adult can have on children, they get attached to us when we are caring towards them.

Choice 1 : Continuing Internship.

Continuing Internship.

Whenever I would receive my feedback from my supervisor, it helped me learn the ropes on how to improve for my next observations. She would come in handy, when she would guide me on handling different challenging behaviors with the children's, and she suggested I could use different visual symbols like the steps on how to wash the hands, the steps on how to get dressed to go outside, and about the different emotions. She also suggested to me different strategies for transitions such as singing songs based on the children's interest or based on the different moment of the day. She also suggested putting a timer during cleaning moments of transitions, to prepare for the nap time, and to use to get dressed to go outside, so the kids could see the visual time.

Choice 1 : Internship Challenges.

Internship Challenges.

My first internship was a test drive of learning about this program. There were times when children struggled with transitions, and I needed help, so I would ask my supervisor, and she would come in handy to suggest to me different strategies. At one point, I felt a bit abandoned and overwhelm when the educator of the group would leave me with no answers when I would ask a question concerning the children. I learned to communicate clearly by using simple sentences and short ones. This internship made me learn the ropes and every challenge I faced became a lesson to career.

Choice 1 : Second Internship.

Second Internship.

The second internship I had, they placed me in a new daycare with a higher responsibility. I needed plan activities, I needed guide children on how to solve their conflicts, I needed to take in charge of the group for 2 hours, and the educator of the group would observe me, and I needed to collaborate with my supervisor to reach the standards. I also faced challenges such as children with behavioural difficulties and high-energy groups, which demanded creativity to find different solutions, it also demanded patience, and to to use simple and short sentences towards the children to be understood. I actually loved my second internship, the educator of the group had a lot of experience and helped me a lot with one of the children who had special needs. She would stay with him during my observations. Would you finish your final stage of your program or would you take an extra internship to feel more competitive?

Choice 1 : Final stage of Early Childhood Education Training.

Choice 2 : Extra Internship.

Request Feedback or Lead Activities.

The feedback that my supervisor gave me after the last observation was based on time management. During our discussion, she mentioned me that the activity I organized was too long, and some of the children lost interest. She asked me to suggest some solutions, and I said I could prepare a second activity based on their interests or I could have a group discussion with the children to ask them what could be added after the activity. She also said I'm very attentive when children ask questions, when they share their ideas, and for helping them find solutions on how to solve problems on their own. My supervisor also mentioned that when I am around the children I am a natural, sweet, and calm person.

Choice 1 : Final stage of Early Childhood Education Training.

Choice 2 : Extra Internship.

Final stage of Early Childhood Education Training.

The final stage was intense and demanded a lot of time management. I needed to plan activities based on my observations of the week, I needed to have a genuine communication with all the parents of the children. I also needed to have a genuine connection with the educator the group that I could trust and to be referenced if I need help. I was there 4 days of the week, and I would take in charge the group for the full 7 hours. The homework was very long, and it demanded a lot of creativity, and some time management to create new activities based on my observations of the week, so I can work something in every child development like gross motor skills. Would you accept having a job at a private daycare? Or taking an extra internship?

Choice 1 : Private Daycare.

Choice 2 : Extra Internship.

Extra Internship.

I decided to do an extra internship at a new place to challenge myself, and to adapt my teaching methods, and to gain experience with different age groups, so I could be fully prepared to work with any group. Are you type of person to choose the simple road if yes select choice 1! Are you the type of person to challenge yourself, if yes select choice 2!

Choice 1 : Graduation.

Choice 2 : Private Daycare.

Graduation.

After years of dedication, I finally graduated, my teachers congratulated me on my academic skills, my personal growth, and my professionalism. I felt proud hearing that from my teachers because those years had been full of leg work in different situations like in overcoming challenges, learning from my mistakes during my internships. At that moment, I was so happy knowing that I was one step closer to have the job of my dreams. I decided to work at a private daycare during the summer!

Choice 1 : Private Daycare.

Choice 2 : CPE Employment.

Private Daycare.

The place where I did my second internship since they really like me, they offered me a summer job. During that summer, I got to plan different activities with the children. I also needed to complete many tasks as an educator would complete, it was very maddening because they couldn't give me a premium wage since it was my first time working at that center. Unfortunately, I decided to finish my summer job there, and it led me to work at another place with a different learning such as nature. Regarding that situation, I still loved working with my coworkers and have a genuine connection with the children.

Choice 1 : CPE Employment.

CPE Employment.

At the center, where I started working at after my summer job, they offered me a premium wage because they needed someone who had experience in the field, and they also wanted me to replace in one group because of the educators got hurt. This place was different they had to follow a project called Alex nature based. They had to always be outside and learn new things about nature and creating their own games based on what they find, so it could work and practice their imagination.

Choice 1 : Long-Term Employment.

Choice 2 : Took a year off to go travel.

Long-Term Employment.

So, I decided to work there full-time work and take over as the educator of the group. I had to adapt myself to that group because some of the children had special needs that required attention. The parents were very friendly and often asked me how I managed balancing school and being here at work, and they would congratulate me for it. Towards the end of working there, I faced some office politics with one of the educators. Normally, there are 8 children per educator, but she gave me four extra children, so she could make a phone call. I told her, can you make that phone can during the nap time because I can't stay with 12 children on my own.

Choice 1 : Took a year off to go travel.

Took a year off to go travel.

After many years of study, I decided to take a year off and to go travel to two different countries with my significant other. We went to Greece for a week, we visited Santorini, Mykonos, Athens and Crete. We brought back some memories for both of our families. The other country was Portugal.

Choice 1 : A New Beginning.

A New Beginning.

I began replacing in elementary classrooms, so I could start being familiar with the environment and to also gain experience. By starting to replace in elementary schools it would step up my teaching rank, my uncle's girlfriend took the same direction as me. The school that I had been replacing offered me a full-year class. My dream of my child years was no longer a dream it had become my reality.

Choice 1 : An accomplished Dream.

Choice 2 : The End.

An accomplished Dream.

After graduating, I began my career in a small but welcoming elementary school. Everything felt different with new coworkers, new routines, new responsibilities, and a bigger classroom. I applied everything I had learned over the years like how to teach a subject to children, how to adapt myself to different difficulties coming from the children on how to solve a mathematical problem. I would also have some extra work prepare aside for the substitute.

Choice 1 : The End.

The End.

All the hours of studying, all the late nights, and all the hard work truly paid off. I was surrounded by encouraging teachers, and parents who believed in me. Every challenge I faced, every mistake I made, and every moment of questioning if everything was worth it, it was worth at the end! Now I have my own classroom, a space I can organize and decorate exactly the way I want, filled with creativity just the way I wanted to be since I was young.

Choice 1 : The End.