Working with Bitch … but …

Do you know where I am working recently? In the childcare centre. A place where young Australian (in this context) went to a wider social environment outside his/ her family circle for the very first time in his/ her life.

Me? I am just a worker. I started working in this industry while I was still studying certificate 3. I was lucky (or bad luck?) I got a job straight away in a childcare centre manage by a religion background organisation. But don’t think that whole staffs are religious persons. I think there are only 2 or 3 persons there, are still do praying. I was with a funny funky tomboy girl (or woman?) as my group leader in the room. One of her joke is: when most of babies are in the cots room, there is one baby stand up on her cot. The group leader talk on the baby monitor “Lie down” and this baby look confuse looking for the source of the voice. Once again, the group leader said “This is God speaking” and make her voice more bass.

Quite funny actually, I was laughing all day when I remember that. But that day, I can say I know nothing about working in the childcare centre. I also hardly express something when talking to a judgmental person especially in a rush situation. Unfortunately, childcare centre is the place where accident happens all the time. One second my attention attract to something and my eyes do not cover through the whole room, already a baby fall from her chair, or a baby bite other baby. Apparently this group leader aware of my raw-skill less experiences. She is really good in checking that … really good.

One day, some babies in the cots room are crying. The group leader asked me to go to the cots room. I rock two of the babies (using my two hands) because that what we used to do. She told me not to rock the baby. She gave codes from the window. The baby keep crying louder and louder, I was in the situation where any person will react, “must do something.” Just when I touch one of the cot, the group leader’s 14 years old daughter give me a sign with her hand not do that. I said to her “Is not you telling me what to do here.” This is the first time (and last time) I talk assertive to this girl. That is after I got the entire childcare staff acting like a mean teacher to me, telling me what to do every 5 minute.

There is a moment when one of them comes to talk to the group leader “We have a concern of Theni mopped the toilet floor using the blue mop (for general cleaning) instead of red mop (for toilet).” The way she tells the group leader is like a big outbreak just happen because of me and they have been talking about it for a while before come to my group leader. For your information I use it in the baby toilet which never been use, because the centre was brand new that day and that room is for baby less than 18 months old and all of them not toilet training yet. I will be more appreciating, if they say to me not to do it. Then I won’t do it. This is not a matter of I ignore what have been told.

Do they have to treat me like this to show me how to work? Maybe. I have no idea about how to teach a new carer in the childcare centre according to Aussie’s rule. Does these ways making me a good carer in the childcare centre? The answer is: not. This is stressful, depressing moment for me and it has impact to the way I work.

Anyway, after this centre I moved to other centre which has been operating for years. Everybody seems know what to do, compare to my first centre which was brand new and everybody still in process to find best way of do something. One thing better in this centre is that my colleagues trust me, I can do the job. I mean, most of the time, not all the time. This gave me self-confidence.

On my first week, a girl called me to change junior kindy’s nappy. She shows me the nappy changing paper and tells me “I have already written my name … so you just need to change them.” This paper is a data which shows what time children got their nappy changed and who change them. In other word this girl wanted other people think that she does the job, not me.

After working for a while in this centre I know more about my colleague and of course the job. But that does not mean I save from their mean manner. The same girl, asked me do you empty the feminine napkin bin? I said “no I didn’t, I just empty the other bin in the toilet.” She called me to look in the bathroom, she standing on the door and point inside the bathroom insisted me to come for a look. I was really tired, we were in the late shift that day and our job to close the centre which means we have to pack all toys and cleaned up. I was on my way to the big bin outside with garbage on my hand. This girl standing there, thinking that she is the most knowledgeable girl catches me napping. Who she thinks just a dumb staff who doesn't know anything, including a caution on a feminine napkin bin not to empty it. I came to the bathroom, submissively and I said “Yes, this bin … I didn't empty it.” Then I did a long exhale.

I worked with bitch but on the end of the day … (most of the day when I worked there), when I met some colleagues who are nice persons. All those rubbish washed away.

Working in the childcare centre is not a job require an intelligent full of book reference. It is a job involving “mental” how to cope moments when most of children are being challenging for example. Is not like a lawyer job or something… and while my colleague thought that I just a dumb person from a third world country, I was thinking what they know about public relation job, my previous occupation.