I work at a daycare now and I can see the reasons for turnover rates in all honesty. My body is never as less tense than it is on the weekend.
There literally is never a break in the classroom. I’ve learned quickly how I have to desensitize myself to the smell of different kinds of urine or bm filled diapers or pull ups that fill up the bathroom trash can
You have to be prepared for more extreme messes in said diapers some days more than usual that take a while to clean while somehow keeping kids safe in the classroom while doing so who want to run around or play or close the bathroom door regardless of what I say or put out for them sometimes.
Having kids stick their hands in their diapers and getting poop on themselves if it’s just me in the classroom.
Never being able to be at the center if I’m working with younger kids without either having to change my shirt or wipe my clothes with soap and a paper towel if it got soiled from someone
Having to be in different rooms to help out for someone who left for a medical reason and cover as the teacher for a time. Which I never complained about but I sure as heck felt myself breaking down from the sudden expectation required from me for days.
There is always a chance someone is gonna get hurt or always a child that needs calming, or a chance someone is gonna have an accident if I am outside with kids who don’t want to come in even if someone has to go to the bathroom.
There is always a mask that needs changing or a nose that needs blowing or someone’s pants are dry but their long dress shirt or underwear got a little wet when they had to use the bathroom.
There is always someone that won’t clean up or will not be gentle or won’t share and in that case it’s immediate tears requiring me to help calm or clean their face and get a new mask for them.
There is always a email going out of a illness that was discovered in one of the classrooms. Recently it was: Roseola, strep, influenza B, and the ever recent Covid (with the center still having cases). I don’t have Kids and I’m not sure I want them. But with or without kids I don’t find it safe to be in this place when it’s such a Petri dish, for others or myself.
The staff cleaners at the end of the day don’t clean the tile floor or shampoo the carpet. Just vacuum, clean the toilet, change trash, restock paper towels and other supplies. At least that’s what it seems. The floor continues to have old food stains and spills, and the one day there was vomit from a child on the carpet that was sprayed but the smell and the spray mark from the cleaner remained.
We don’t have time or means to clean the floor as teachers the way it should be cleaned with all the bathroom accidents and what not that goes onto the floor. We just use soapy water spray and bleach spray to clean, that’s all. And sometimes if there’s no disposable masks for any kids from the center left, and clean masks from home then they have to wear their mask that was already soiled from spit or mucus and dried.
Nothing about how the center does things sits well with me. A person can still work even if they had contact with an infected person of any illness provided they don’t show symptoms and are vaccinated.
How about the trauma of working while:
*all this Petri dish bacteria producing the above illnesses on the constant due to lax cleaning and such
*some of the already existing workload and expectations
*not always being guaranteed a bathroom break or help during busy hours due to short staff
- being yelled at by admin or other coworkers for buckling and not being able to do what needs to be done calmly as a result
*suffering back pain from the job and severe abdominal pain from stress (twice)
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suffering my own heavy congestion in winter from Covid illness in the building that dirties my face as I blow my nose and requires me to clean my face
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not being able to wash my hands (only if I’m doing diaper changes as I’m in bathroom) if I handle bodily fluids like drool or mucus if it’s only me in the classroom and the head teacher is taking care of diapers and one teacher has to be in the room and there is no hand sanitizer (which is not sufficient anyway if your whole hand is covered in drool or has mucus on it, you need to be able to wash that stuff off especially if you’re working with kids that are getting sick on the regular)
*the existing ratios that don’t make sense sometimes depending on the needs or energy level of a child who doesn’t don’t always choose to listen (not the child’s fault obviously)
*or having children hurt other kids to the point of bleeding or themselves (or doing unsanitary things like licking the floor that like I said is never cleaned properly and has had bodily fluids of all kinds on it) due to an overstimulating learning disability and it still being ok for them to return to the center even if they broke their leg from hyperactivity from said learning disability?
There was enjoyable moments sure but it’s not enough and I don’t think it should be considering all the above.