a realization

As I was mentioning yesterday, the Y is a very difficult place to work. At least my site is. As I was (we were) discussing/venting with my coworkers today my (our)frustrations about the MANY problem children (they far out-number the better behaved children) I came to the realization that there would be so many less problems if the kids just LISTENED, especially listening the first time. They may hear me as I shout their name two, three, even four times sometimes, but they do not react. They are not listening. I find myself repeating a command at least three times about 95% of the time. It wears down on all of us to have to repeat ourselves because the kids completely intentionally ignore us most of the time. Our authority levels are next to nothing with them. The kids don't look up to us, they don't see us as elders that need to be respected (even if they are a rare child that respects their elders). So many of these kids do not know basic manners that they should have been learning from birth. I asked my coworkers today if maybe we should be the ones to sit them down and teach them the things, like manners, that their parents aren't teaching them. But I sorta got disagreed with with this comment. I don't think they want to take the time and effort to try to get the kids to sit quietly for 20 minutes several times a week to have these talks. And I don't really blame them. My coworker Paula constantly brings up the point that we don't get paid enough to deal with the amount of crap these kids deal us. I was in that exact same boat when I started working at the Y, and I still am. Shoot, I am planning on applying to work at Sunshine (another childcare that my roomie works for) this summer and starting working there in the Fall, mostly cause I'd be making $10.65 an hour as opposed to $8(minimum wage) at the Y. I know that it is still kids, and it still will be challenging, but at least there is a little compensation for the stress. It bites that I have to go through the whole pain-in-the-butt process of interviewing and getting settled at another job just for $2 more an hour, but it adds up. Especially when I am paying $600 a month for rent (will be going up in a few months), $3.95 for gas, $$$$ for food, student loans, and the list goes on and on. I don't feel like asking $11 an hour when I have my BACHELOR'S DEGREE is really asking that much. But, the Y is a "non-profit" organization, so their employees get the shaft. It's not fair. We would be so much more willing to put up with the crap if we had a few more dollars compensation per hour. (A 20 minute break would be nice too, but since we "signed away" our lunch hour to work here, I won't even dare think of that) I don't get why the Y doesn't get it. They have SUCH A HIGH TURN OVER RATE OF EMPLOYEES, you'd think eventually they'd clue in. Anyway, I'm realizing that this might be complaining... though I'd like to call it venting frustrations...which might be a nicer way of putting the same term. Well, it's not like many people read this, so I'm okay with logging this here. I could go on for hours with the unfortunate job I have, but I am glad to have a job. I'm not homeless. I have food available to me every meal. I am not hated at work. I can talk to people (even though I am a terrible witness for Jesus). I actually did get some encouragement from Haley today. She said I was "the best counselor ever". (I think it's cause yesterday I brought in some ceramic cat and dog figurines to paint, and today I had them all make paper airplanes). I'm pretty much out of ideas though, so my cool status won't remain forever. Garrett, Stephanie, Katie, Sandra, and Mariska were all brought up today and how much they were missed. Would I be missed when I'm gone? Probably not. I'm pretty mean, always having to yell to get them to quiet down, or calm down, or stop talking about the inappropriate topic, or to not swear, or to clean some mess up. I wish I encouraged them twice as much as I yelled at them to do something. It is EXTREMELY hard to do that though. I do thank the kids that eventually, after a lot of yelling, help clean up. I give them 'Y-bucks' so that on Fridays they can buy a prize. If we were given some sort of budget to buy prizes, I would buy a few really cool grand prizes that everyone would be trying to save up for. A lot of the older kids don't care about the chinsey little bouncey-balls and sticky-hands that the younger kids like. If I got an action figure set or some Naruto cards for the older boys to save up for and some sort of Bratz dolls or Littlest Pet Shop for the girls to save up for, that'd be awesome. Even though, honestly, most of them probably wouldn't even care then because they have any toy they could ever want. They have all of the video game systems, equipped with all of the video games. They are so darn spoiled, it's SO hard to impress or please them. They have had the best things provided at their word their whole lives. It is frustrating. Maybe if I was working in East or South L.A., then there could be motivation for kids who don't have anything. They do what they're told or they get busted. Then again, there would be a whole new set of problems. Sheesh. People are messy and have so many problems and issues, and it's sad that kids are messy too. Were kids of the 50's this messy? I don't remember being this messy in the late 80's/90's. I think I was 12 when I first started feeling overwhelmed with life, and all of the complications/obligations of life. These kids are 6-11 and I feel like they are dealing with things that I didn't have to at their age. I'm feeling too old and nostalgic now, so I'm gonna stop aging myself. Haha. Anyway...like I said, I could go on and on, but I need to write some papers.
Peace.