One of the most challenging parts of my work as an early childhood educator has been my ability to recognize and process my emotions. This first week of this assignment has been wild, with many ups and downs. As I have done much of my life, I have pushed my emotions aside and not allowed myself the time to feel what is happening around me. This website started as a journey for my practicum, and I did not think about creating it until my advisor suggested that it could be helpful to more than just those new to my place of employment. As I began preparations for this undertaking, I returned to the roots of what I wanted to share with you all. In the first few days of my new job as an infant educator last year, my center director handed me a thick binder. It seemed
overwhelming at the time. However, I was never one to shy away from a challenge, so I dug in and spent much of the week I had off that summer exploring the Pyramid Model. Little did I know how this binder would open up a whole new world of understanding how I support the social-emotional development of the children in my care. In those first few months at my center, I was introduced to the Pyramid Model for the first time. Like many starting, I was a bit overwhelmed, but I pushed through, watched many hours of videos, and took many tests after each module. Yet, I felt like I was not hitting the mark, but again, I pushed those feelings aside. Fast forward to now, and I was presented with this fantastic opportunity to create something that could support future educators in their introduction to this framework. Though it takes work, every educator can achieve this and should be confident about learning. Then, my world was shaken in a 5-minute phone conversation, and no, I had not even started to process these emotions. It was only five days before the start of the semester at Mount Saint Vincent University when my phone rang, and I was told that our house was being sold and we needed to relocate. Now, on top of taking on this massive undertaking for my practicum and other courses to boot while working full-time plus hours, I need to relocate myself and my family during the worst rental prices anyone could imagine. Yet, my only thoughts were, keep going; you have people depending on you.
If I can tell you anything, this differs from how one should handle emotions because it does not model the behaviors I want to see in children. I expected this week to kick off this journey. I hope what I learn about the Pyramid Model can help me and the children I work with.
