Relationship Reflections

Relationships, both good and bad, have helped me to grow and learn as a person. Though I would much rather have all good relationships some of the tough ones have helped me to become the mother, person and teacher that I have become today. One particularly difficult relationship that has really affected me as both a woman and a teacher is that of my boss. Sue Hogate was a very strong and loving woman but she was very tough and straight forward at the same time. She always told me what she thought, even if she knew it would hurt my feelings or make me angry. Over time I realized that she did this because she saw the potential in me and wanted to pull it out. She spent the last year training me to take her place because she was sick with brain cancer and she passed away on June 30th of this year because of that cancer so I am now in her position at work. The paths that she led me down was long and riddled with potholes but I will forever grateful that she used tough love with me as a teacher, director and a woman. She was an amazing woman and the world was better for her having been in it. We added up after her funeral how many young children's lives she touched in all of her years of childcare and the number is somewhere around a thousand or more. I can only hope that I am able to touch as many lives as she did. I work every day to be not only the teacher she was but the mentor to other teachers as well. I am always asking myself if I am handling a problem the way that she would or wondering what she would do in a specific situation. Without her I don't know if I ever would have found my passion for young children and my successes in this field are all owed to her and the fact that she did not give up on me.

Another very important relationship in my life is the one that I have with my best friend Jordan. She is always there for me to listen when I have a problem, help me when I am in trouble and spend time with me just because she can. We do not always see eye to eye but that is why our friendship is so strong. I know that she will always be honest and open with me and I never have to worry about offending her. If I hurt her feelings she will tell me I did it and I know I can be the same way with her. These are the qualities that I look for in a person and most of my strong, positive relationships have those qualities or characteristics. I do not believe in sugar coating things and some people take offense to that but the people that I have the strongest relationships with know that honesty is best and what to expect from me. I also know what to expect from those people which is what makes are relationships great. Krystal is another person that I share the same type of relationship with. I work with these ladies as well as share family time with them. Our children are friends and the love we have for each other makes us all stronger as individuals as well as teachers. As teachers we share ideas and a love for children that helps us to come to each other with problems as well as successes. We just make each other better people.

Me (in the middle) with my 2 favorite people Krystal (left) and Jordan (right).