Stumbling Through Work
Working in education is to stumble through your everyday! We love what we do, but staff, families, policies, regulations and sometimes even the children make us quit everyday then come back the next day. Just remember, you are not in this alone.
Stumbling Through Work
America Loves Kids Like I Love My Gym Membership
A country that can regulate crib slats but can’t protect classrooms has its priorities backwards. We start by tearing into the ritual that follows school shootings—thoughts, prayers, half-staff flags—and ask what it would look like to put children over comfort with policies that actually reduce harm. No platitudes, no performative concern, just a hard look at how safety becomes theater while kids carry the weight.
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Welcome to Stumbling Through Work where Educators Figure Shit Out. The podcast for educators and anyone who ever walked into their program and said nope, not today. I'm your host Jared Huff here to unpack the wild stories, broken systems, and to call out the chaos. Let's get into it. Welcome to another episode of Stumbling Through Work where educators figure shit out. This is a warning. Full disclosure. It is heavy. There are no jokes about bleach bottles, no fire Brenda energy. The first segment is about guns, school shootings, and America's favorite lie. We care about children. Because apparently we care about children the way you know people care about gym memberships, love the idea, but hate the follow-through. Now, before we start, before anyone panics, this is not a takeaway everything episode. That is what this is. It's not that type of episode. This is a how is this the system we're defending episode? Now that's what it's about. So buckle up or don't, because children don't get that option. So picture this.
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SPEAKER_00:America loves children. We love them on posters, we love them in commercials, we love them when they're smiling, quiet, waving tiny flags. But the second children require actual policy, money, or inconvenience, suddenly it's well that's complicated. Now's not the time. Or we need to respect all sides. All sides? Like what sides? The children and the bullets? Because here's the wild thing. We will regulate uh bleach bottles, playground mulch death, crib slat width, snat choking hazards, but guns near schools and centers? Now that's where America says, whoa, now wait a minute now. You're carrying. Let's not overdo it. Now, see, I can't send a teacher to work without CPR training, background checks, fingerprints, TV test, um, on and on, a blood sacrifice to the licensing gods, but a weapon designed to kill multiple people quickly? That just needs vibes and a good guy with intentions. And then the routine, because at this point it's just scripted. Step one, tragedy happens. Step two, shock. Step three, thoughts and prayers. Step four, flags that have staff. Step five, politicians say this is not the time to politicize this. Step six, nothing changes. Step seven, repeat. It's like groundhog day, but with backpacks in funerals. And then adults say things like, We can't live in fear. Cool. Now tell that to the four and five-year-old practicing active shooter drills instead of learning how to tie their shoes. Have we not realized we have normalized bulletproof backpacks? Lockdown drills, teachers being human shields, but we call it preparation. No, that's trauma with a PowerPoint. Here's and see here's where shit gets wild. We pass laws that control books, control bathrooms, control what children can say, control how families parent. But when it comes to actual physical safety, suddenly lawmakers develop amnesia and a philosophy degree. We can't be sure laws would help. We need more research. We need personal responsibility. Personal responsibility for children in a system built by adults. We don't trust teenagers to vote. We don't trust them to drink. We don't trust them to rent a car, but somehow we're fine trusting a society flooded with weapons and calling it freedom. Freedom for who? Because dead children aren't free. Terrified teachers aren't free. Families burying their kids aren't free. But what about mental health? Oh yes, the mental health, the deflection. Every time this happens, it's a mental health issue. Okay. Let's pretend that's true just one second. Then why don't we fund mental health services? Why don't we fund community services? Why don't we support school counselors? Why don't we help reduce class sizes? Why don't we provide trauma-informed care? Oh right, because that would also require money and effort. So instead we say mental health the same way people say I'm going to the gym and never go. It's not concern, it's cover. Here's the truth nobody wants to say out loud. If children were priority, the debate would already be over. We would inconvenience adults. We would regulate harder. We would choose kids over comfort. Children over comfort. But we don't. We don't tell educators, do it for the kids, or you're heroes, or children are our future. If you're not willing to protect them right now, because children don't live in the future, they become young adults with trauma in the future who are the ones taking care of our old asses. No. Children don't live in the future. They live in classrooms, they live in hallways, they live in fear they didn't create. And the most dangerous thing in America is pretending this shit is normal. It is not. See, now I told y'all this was going to be heavy because this is where we don't wrap things up neatly. I did warn you. But the reason why I'm saying this is because children's graves aren't neat either. We have to do better. The people that represent us have to do better. The United States has to do better. And just remember, America loves their kids, and we'll be right back. Okay, quick break. If you're a teacher or a director who's currently stumbling through work, and I mean that literally, figuratively, or spiritually, you need to check out our new merch. We've got shirts that say exactly what you want to say in staff meetings, what you want to say to parents, mugs for caffeine that hold your entire personality together, and gear so you can walk into the building already announcing, nope, I don't have time for this today, without even opening your mouth. These are perfect for the classroom, the office, or the car where you sit for 12 minutes pretending you're going to quit. Again, grab your shirts, your mugs, and your survival merch at abbreviatedlearning.com because if you're gonna stumble through work anyway, you might as well look good doing it. Let's talk about policies that sound great on paper, but fall apart the moment a real human interacts with them. The open door policy. And you know the one, my door is always open, which in early childhood education usually translates to where teachers don't actually say anything, parents don't come to talk, but yell, and then administrators ask, Why doesn't anyone communicate with us? The door is open, but everyone is scared to walk through it, and honestly, for good reason. Let's start with administrators. Administrators love saying we have an open door policy, they love that shit. They say it in staff meetings, they put it in handbooks, they say it right before someone gets written up for tone, an appropriate tone. Because here's the truth: an open door policy doesn't mean anything if the first person who walks through it gets consequences. Teachers are not quiet because they don't care, they're quiet because they've learned. So now when admin says, Come talk to me if there's an issue, what teachers are actually hearing is come talk to me if you're ready to be watched. That's not an open door. That, my friend, is a trapdoor. And see, let's be clear. Teachers don't fear feedback, they fear retaliation disguised as professionalism, they fear being labeled not a team player, being told they're too emotional, being reminded they're replaceable, and then being told this might not be the field for you. So instead of speaking up, they go vent in their cars, they cry in bathrooms, and text each other screenshots, quiet quitting emotionally while still showing up physically. And administrators sit there wondering why didn't they say anything sooner? Because history, because patterns, because ECE has taught people that survival requires silence. Now, let's pivot to parents. Preschools say we have an open door policy for families. But what parents actually hear is I can come in with the shits whenever I want. They don't want dialogue, they want volume, they don't want understanding, they want validation, and they don't want solutions, they want someone to blame. And the moment you try to explain ratios, um, developmental stages, licensing rules, why their child isn't exempt from the rules, then they say, I'm not listening to excuses, which is wild because facts aren't excuses, but open door doesn't mean interrupting, yelling, threatening reviews, demanding immediate policy changes. Parents, that is not advocacy, that's verbal drive-by shooting. And see, here's the irony that we don't talk about either. Us as programs, we're screaming, we encourage communication, but when parents actually could communicate, like attending conferences, reading newsletters, provide you know, um, responding to emails, showing up for meetings, suddenly it's crickets. The door open exists, but parents only want to walk through it when they're already angry, not when we ask for collaboration, when we're asking for a partnership. We ask them to meet us halfway. They don't want an open door, they want a complaint window. An open door policy should mean teachers can speak without fear. Parents could listen as much as they talk, administrators can hear feedback without punishment, conversations happen before explosions. But see, that requires something radical in ECE. Trust, accountability, and emotional maturity. And let's be honest, if your door is open but people are scared to use it, that's not their problem. That's a leadership issue. And if your door is open but you only walk through it to yell, that's not communication, that's entitlement. Just know an open door doesn't mean shit if everyone's afraid of what's on the other side. I actually have staff that come and talk to me about stupid shit, unfortunately, because I do have an open door policy, and sometimes I feel like my door is too open. It's too many people coming in and out with I had to tell someone last week, don't come back to me with that type of question. Because my door is way too open. I was wondering, could I close it? Because I get way too much. So if people are not afraid, if people do not want to work with you, if people don't want to talk with you, if your door is truly not open, cool. Just know an open door doesn't mean shit if everyone's afraid of what's on the other side. I have an open door policy. Staff talks to me entirely way too much, actually. Actually, I had to tell someone last week don't don't come to me with that again, please. My door is way too open. I'm sitting there looking like, oh, can I close it so it's a little bit ajar? And that's a good thing because that says to me that the staff know that families know they can talk to me about anything, and that I am there for them to hear. Now, I need to like I said, I need to close that door a little bit, but that says a lot about my leadership style. But anyway, on that note, we'll be right back after the break. So, are you an educator watching everyone else get promoted, watching everyone else get raises, or even get the recognition for things you've literally have been doing forever? That's why we offer educational career development coaching designed for teachers, directors, and leaders who want to move up, earn more, and actually get the credit for the work they do. We work on interviews, resumes, salary negotiation, leadership confidence, communication skills, and how to stop letting your admin gaslight you into believing you're not ready yet. You are ready, you just need the strategy. Book your session at abbreviatedlearning.com and start moving towards the title, salary, and respect you deserve because stumbling through work is funny, but stumbling through your career is not. So here is our first one for the day. So I absolutely love my current position at my center. There is nothing wrong with the center, and I love my co-workers. Something we don't hear a lot, but I fear that it's just time for me to move on. The pay just isn't worth it anymore. I currently make$21,000 to$23,000 a year, girl, on a 10-month contract. I have jobs offering 40 hours a week between$26 to$30 an hour, and after purchasing our first home, it's obvious what is the right choice for me and my family. What do you think? Whew, girl. Now, this is the part of the movie when childcare says, follow your heart. And then your mortgage says, Cool story, but follow the money. You you're not paying your you're not saying your center's trash. You're not dragging your coworkers, you're not over it. You're just saying, I love this work, but love doesn't pay escrow because let's do the math that nobody in early childhood wants to do out loud.$21,000 to$23,000 for 10 months a year, that's a passion tax with a like a cute name tag. But$26 to$30 an hour, you know, we're starting to move into real adult money that covers, you know, groceries, that surprise. Why is the water heater bill, you know, all those type of things that happen. So if you would if you're looking for a clean way to say it, here it is. I'm looking grateful for this role. And girl. Um, this is the part of the movie when childcare says, follow your heart, and then your morgan says, Cool story, now follow the money. You're not saying your center is trash. You're not dragging your coworkers, you're not over it. You're saying I love this work, but love doesn't pay escrow. Because let's do the math. 23, 21 to$23,000 a year. Girl, that's passion tax with a cute name tag. No ma'am. But$26 to$30 an hour, 40 hours a week, okay, we're moving into adult money. That covers things like groceries. Um, that surprise. Why is the water heater screaming, Bill? So if you're looking for a clean way to say it, here it is. I am really grateful for this role for this team. I love kids and the culture here, and I'm leaving with nothing but respect. But financially, I have to make a decision that supports my family, especially after buying our first home. I've been offered a full-time position at$30 an hour. Notice I didn't say$26 for$30.$30 an hour. And at this point, it's the responsible move. See how I did that? See, y'all know how y'all love when I do that shit, how I pull that out of nowhere. Um, because y'all know I'm full of it too. Um, that's how you kind of want to respond and have that type of that conversation. Because my thing, if anyone tries to guilt you with the old classic, but it's about the children. Yes, it is, and your children live in your house. Take the better offer, leave with grace, don't apologize for needing stability. On to our next question. How often do you change your artwork on display in your room? My program requires us to hang kid art at three heights kids, the adults, aka a standard bulletin board, and up high. I posted a while back asking about help with the kids' height with them ripping it off the walls, the toddlers, and then having to laminate three or four kid pieces and using contact paper with it low enough for them to see. But that takes time and effort to do. Same with up high artwork since we have to use a ladder. Okay, so I'm gonna put on my you know, education brain, and yes, you should rotate your artwork between two to four weeks based on your theme. Your artwork should reflect your theme or the theme you just completed, but Every week though, girl, that's that's too much work for me. I ain't about to sit here and do all that. That is a lot of work. And yes, you do have to laminate for younger children. Now, once children are used to seeing the artwork, when they're used to seeing it up, you know, they'll they'll begin to leave it alone. But when it's new, they're like, ooh, there's some new shit on the walls. It takes yeah, I it takes time. They'll get used to it though. And I don't laminate for older children though. They should have the ability to not tear stuff up off the wall. If you have a three-year-old and up and they tearing shit off the walls, that's a classroom management issue. But two and down, yeah, they're gonna do it. And yes, you probably really need to laminate everything. But I like how you also said um you also said you use contact paper, so that could work. I mean a little janky possibly. Walls could look a little hood, but you know, um that that works though. That definitely works. But your artwork does need to be at children's eyesight. Now, when it's when it's at their eyesight, because if it's at the adult eyesight, they can't see it. And yes, you do want to present some artwork for families so they can come in and see what their kids are doing too. But the high, I don't understand that. Can someone reach out to me and help me know why this is a thing? Unless you're saying like high, like you're hanging from the ceiling, which is a thing sometimes. It can be a little tacky to me because it's just a bunch of shit floating in this in the ceiling. But um, it may have done nicely, it could be done, but I'm assuming that's what you're talking about. Because other than that, why would something like be high close to the ceiling randomly? I I don't know. Hopefully, somebody explains it to me in the comments. But other than that, um, we'll be right back. You know that moment in your day, the one when you stop, stare into the fluorescent lights, and think there has to be a better way than whatever nonsense way we're doing right now. The best practice series is that better way. Because these books, they're short, they're friendly, they're written in plain English, and not that education jargon sprinkled with fairy dust language. Hand them to your team and say, please, just do it like this so I don't lose my last good nerve. We've got guides on tours, policies, communication, safety, programming, and all the daily madness nobody warns you about. And the best part, your team will get it, your families will feel the difference, and you get to breathe like a normal human again. Grab your copies at abbreviatedlearning.com or just risk another week of someone asking, wait, what's that procedure again? Alright, we're back with our interview corner for today. You are an employer and you are conducting an interview, and you ask the question, How long will it take for you to make a significant contribution? And they respond with, Well, what do you define as significant? Do not hire them. I'm telling you, do not hire them, but you know what? Y'all are gonna hire them because you hire out of desperation. Now let's look at other bad answers that they could have gave. Oh, immediately, like day one, I'll come in and fix everything. No, they won't. Stop, they're a lie. Don't no. Because what they have just promised is that they don't need onboarding, they don't need context, they don't need training, and they're either delusional or desperate. Here's another bad example. Um, I'm not sure. Depending on the role, this reads like they haven't thought about transition, they don't understand, you know, performance expectations, they're going to require a lot of hand holding. My thing too is even if even if that's true, don't say that shit out loud. This question you're asking really is like a three, it's like a three questions in a trench coat situation. Because the part A of that is how fast do you ramp up? Can you learn quickly without being annoying? It is what it is. Uh, part B of that question too is do you understand what success looks like in this position? Can you divine, can you define contributions beyond vibes? And then part C is are you going to disrupt everything or are you going to collaborate? Are you going to come in like a professional who listens, learns, you know, improves the system, or are you coming in like a wreck and ball with a clipboard? You also want to reassure that they'll be productive before you regret hiring them. And I think we've all have hired people we regret. Um, you should hear a timeline that says, I can contribute fast, but I'm not reckless, and I measure outcomes. Now, for me, this is this is my thing. I love when someone comes in with a 30, 60, 90 day plan, because in 30 days they should be able to learn the system, they should learn you know relationships, they should have a few quick wins. Uh 60 days, they should own something, they should improve the processes, and by 90 days, they should have measurable results. And um this is an example of what somebody should say because y'all know I love doing this shit. Um I typically start contributing right away in small, meaningful ways, and then build to measurable impact, learning the systems and all the priorities. And my first 30 days, my focus is learning, um, understanding workflows. Um, during that time, I'm also trying to get a few quick wins in, but um, within my first 60 days, I expect to take ownership of core areas, uh, processing and solving, fixing some issues. Uh yeah, and you know what? And then I I can say for my next 90 days, I aim to be making significant contributions that are measurable, whether that's improving quality, um efficiency, strengthening communication, hitting specific performance goals that we agree on. And if you can share what a significant contribution is in that position, like key metrics that can align with my 30, 60, 90 day plan, that's how I'm gonna, that's how I'm gonna operate. See, that's how you do the shit right there. That's how you do it. But if they respond with uh what are you what do you define as significance? Don't hire them, don't do it. But like I said, y'all will because y'all hire out of desperation. And we'll be right back. Listen, if your center or program is currently held together by tape, caffeine, and vibes, you might need consulting. And that's where abbreviated learning comes in. We work with childcare centers, studios, and youth programs that are doing their absolute best while simultaneously drowning in staffing issues, quality, enrollment gaps, and with that one parent who emails 14 times a day. We help you streamline your systems, fix the operational chaos, train your teachers, and get the program functioning like you're not just winging it every morning at 6 a.m. Whether you need policies, tours, staff development, or someone to just look at your program and say, okay, here's how we unjanky this. We're here for you. Visit abbreviatedlearning.com to book consulting for your center or program because stumbling through work is funny on the podcast, but not in real life. It is policy time. And remember, something became a policy because someone demessed the shit up for all of us. Today's policy is pay raises. So, our policy is that pay salaries match the work done. Salaries increase depends on performance evaluations and educational updates. Now, before anybody gets cute, yes, this is a policy because if you don't write it down, somebody will assume raises happen by vibes, like the tooth fairy swings by with the cost of living adjustment and just leaves it under the clipboard. Let's start here. People have a deep emotional relationship with the idea of a raise, not the math or the meaning, because a raise isn't just money, it's you see me, it's I'm not invisible, it's I'm not being played, it's I'm not doing three jobs for the price of one and then getting thanked with the pizza party. So the moment you don't have a policy, your center becomes a rumor factory. I heard she got a raise because she's the director's favorite. I heard he got a raise because he threatened to quit. I heard she got hit by three zebras and a monkey. I mean, come on, that's just where we're at at this point with the rumors. And that's why it's a policy because adults plus money plus feelings, that equals chaos. And so this policy is basically the center saying, we're not doing random, we're not doing secret, we're not doing ask at the right time raises. It creates receipts. Because here's what happens when you don't have raises or when you don't tie raises to anything. You give someone a raise and someone else finds out now you're in a meeting that feels like court. You don't give someone a raise and now they're telling everybody, the entire center, you know, they don't value education. Someone, and also someone assumes that if they're tenure or because they've been there a while, it automatically equals more pay. Even if their performance is we'll say spiritually inconsistent, that that's a good way of saying it. Because a policy is the difference between because I said so and because this is the standards we follow for everyone. Let's follow, you know, let's talk about this line. Pay salaries that match the work done. Because in childcare, people will quietly absorb extra work like a sponge until one day they snap. And then they're just like, I'm basically an assistant director anyway. No, you're not. You are a teacher who has been carrying the building on your back because you are competent and you care. Let's just be honest. So, this policy exists to define the relationships between responsibilities, between expectations, and compensations. Because without it, you get burnout and resentment that is so thick you can spread it on toast. And if you're doing lead teacher work, you should not be paid like a floater. If you're doing admin work, you should not be told that's just being a team player. No, we hit the phase that makes people roll their eyes right now. We're at that phase a part of this. The salary increases depend on performance evaluations. Now, listen. Performance evaluations aren't just paperwork, they're supposed to be the measuring stick. Because if raises are not connected to performance, then what are we rewarding? Attendance, survival, vibes. She's been here a long time. Girl, bye. Longevity is nice, it really is. But child care is not a museum. We're not paying extra because you've been on display for seven years. Performance evaluations are how the center says we are paying for outcomes. We are paying for classroom management, child engagement, um, family communication, lesson planning, health and safety compliance, you know, professionalism, all that shit. Because if you if you are late every day, you don't supervise properly, and your classroom looks like a tornado with feelings, we're not calling that, we're gonna call that you know, not raise ready. And yes, evaluations can feel subjective if leadership is lazy. That's why you write the policy, that's why you standardize the process. A good evaluation system protects staff from favoritism and protects leaderships from accusations. Now, the other half, the educational update part of this. That means, you know, CDA, you got, you know, you went and got more ECE credits, certifications, college transcripts, credentials, trainings, all of that. You got all that stuff completed. Specializations you can add in there, like maybe inclusion, behavior, because we know all these kids are bad right now. Um, administration stuff, infant toddler, whatever it may be, all of that stuff. This exists because an early childhood education isn't a flex, it's tied to the quality of care, to licensing requirements, to QIS standards, um, accreditation goals, any outcomes that have to deal with children. So when a center says educational updates can impact raises, what they're saying is if you invest in being better, we will invest in you. And yes, it does also help with retention because teachers will leave for a place that pays more for credentials. A center needs a way to say we are not ignoring your professional growth. Now, here's the part nobody puts in the handbook because it's not inspirational. Raises are also about budgets. A lot of people get upset and mad when it's not what they want, they get upset and pissed when they feel like it should be better, that they should get them more. And I get it, I totally get that, but raises are about budgets. Child care margins are already tight. Tuition, tuition rates just can't jump without families leaving. Subsidy rates, you know, don't always come in like they're supposed to, and payroll is the biggest expense that a facility has. So, this policy is how a center manages raises without doing a roulette wheel. What you're gonna do is use planned cycles, predictable criteria, documentation for why increases happen. Because if leadership hands out raises inconsistently, they can just blow the entire budget. And then suddenly we're doing hiring freezes, cutting hours, and we can't replace that position. You know, all that all of the classics we'll pull out. We'll revisit compensation next year. Translation, that shit ain't never gonna happen. This policy is the grown-up version of we have to do this in a way that keeps the doors open. And this policy also tells staff something important a raise is not automatic, a raise is not owed just because time has passed, a raise is earned through performance, growth, and contribution. And that's not mean, that's just clarity. Because the alternative is people believing I should get more money because I'm tired. And listen, I respect tired. Shit, I'm tired. I live in tired, but payroll does not run on exhausted energy, it runs on measurable value and sustainability. My final point is this policy only works if leadership does it right. If you're going to have a salary-raise policy, then evaluations must be consistent, the criteria must be clear, timelines must be communable, communicated annually, semi-annually, whenever it is. They just need to be they need to be communicated out to the staff because staff must know what good performance looks like. Now we all know what bad performance looks like, and we can say, ah, we don't want you to look like that. We can walk into a classroom and say, not that, but they do need to know what good performance looks like because educational updates must be tracked fairly, and raises can't be used as punishment or bribery. I think we all have had those situations where you know raises was used as a punishment of you're not doing well, so you're not gonna get this, and that's something we really don't want. We don't want to be playing with people's money like that, because the fastest way to make this policy meaningless is when staff feels that raises are based on who's like, who's quiet, who doesn't complain, who will you know do unpaid overtime. So, yes, this is a center policy because it's supposed to create fairness, structure, transparency, and a clear path for people to grow and earn more. Because in child care, if you don't manage money with policies, you will manage it with drama, and nobody has time for that. Welp team, that is all I have for you for this episode. I know we covered a lot this week. I want you to truly keep your doors open. I want you to make decisions that are best for your family. I want you to hire people with a 30, 60, and 90 day plan. And remember, if you don't remember anything else, remember that America loves the kids. Bye.
