My mum was a nursery nurse and my grandmother a nursery practitioner. Did I ever think I would find myself down the same path? Not at all. I remember being in Primary 7 at Boghall Primary School and writing down my dream job: beautician or a primary school teacher. How things have changed!
I love education. I was the person who cried buckets when they left primary school and even more when leaving high school. Four years at Queen Margaret University studying Drama & Performance and a year-long Masters degree in Playwriting & Dramaturgy at The University of Glasgow. Tears, celebrations, and a lot more prosecco those times around! I have completed five years of higher education and they had absolutely nothing to do with beauty or teaching. I owe it all to my drama teacher at Bathgate Academy. It is not until you look back on your education that you realise it is all about the people who encouraged you along the way. I still remember my favourite nursery teacher; I am still in contact with my drama teacher and I am continually inspired by the lecturers I had over the years. The Nurture Nursery is no different with its attachment led practice and aim to form secure and lasting attachments between children and staff.
I began helping at The Nurture Nursery in January 2019, a few hours here and there to support lunch covers. You fall in love with the place quickly, very quickly. I was half-way through my Masters, working a part-time job and still I found myself wanting more time at the nursery. By June I had left my job and was working more hours each week. Fast forward to now – albeit before the lockdown – and I am working full-time with three of my own key children. Laughing and smiling, at times pulling my hair out, and always in awe of the energy and creativity children hold. It has been a massive learning curve for myself and both the most rewarding and difficult job I have had. Do not even get me started on the tidying up!
I have sat in on many ‘shows’ – my favourite still being Frozen 2. You cannot dance, you might be allowed to sing, and you simply cannot clap until the entire soundtrack has been performed. I have tried desperately to teach the kids how to do the YMCA. I have been a doctor, a teacher, a mother, and a father. I know the songs that can hopefully stop the tears and the ones that encourage outbreaks of dancing. The books, comforting toys, and sensory play. Mountains of coloured rice. Chasing the painted hands, feet and, often, faces. It has been about learning to go with the flow, letting the kids lead the way and celebrating the small victories.
We are all living through a surreal time. We are being invited to think creatively and uniquely, navigating waters we have never touched before. Between baking cakes and pestering my family, I have had time to reflect upon how lucky I am to have a job I truly love. I cannot wait for things to return to normal, to see those familiar faces and to hopefully gain my qualification in childcare. Plus, I need more material for the next instalment of the short stories I am hoping to write!
“You get to play for a living? I think you’ve won” is what an old colleague said upon hearing what I do now. I agree with her wholeheartedly.
