Thirty-five years ago, I opened my fourth children’s center—and became a director once again. This would be my largest center, with 200 fulltime children, upwards of 400 parents, a staff (mostly teachers) of sixty-five, eighteen classrooms— six infant, six toddler, five preschool, and an all-day kindergarten— within large and spacious indoor and outdoor environments. It was situated in Back Bay Boston, and it would be the on-site childcare program for the employees of John Hancock.
This was a big undertaking. I knew what I needed to do to build an early childhood program, but I also needed to learn how I would work within the established business culture across the street. I was absorbing how to navigate “the tower,” and who I would turn to, and when. Honestly, it was a bit intimidating at times, and I could really get stressed here if I wasn’t careful.
So, at the beginning of this adventure, I started writing (journaling) about my days—the first 100 days to be exact—and this seemed to put things into some perspective.
At the end of each day, I wrote down the highlights and kept all of these papers in a file.
And at the end of the 100 days, I read everything in the order written. I was amazed at the writing, because it was not a listing of what happened, but rather a conversation with myself. How I had done something that worked so well, and how I could do something differently and better the next time. This 100-page critique was an invaluable tool as I became a more skilled leader and director.
I continued to journal when I could. Honestly, there was something cathartic in putting pen to paper. If the day had been stressful, just writing about it took it away. If something wonderful had happened, I could read and reread the event— and simply smile and breathe deeply. All was good. Writing things down was one half of the process. Reading each of the passages the next day always brought me an insight, an aha! I hadn’t seen or realized.
And so, journaling became part of my work life.
Little did I know that I would one day use these journal entries in a book! But I did. They are real life amid theory and practice. In Beginning to End – The Life Cycle of a Child Care Center, you can see for yourself.
If journaling speaks to you, give it a chance at work. It is a wonderful self-reflective tool and … I think you will enjoy its results!
You can find Beginning to End: The Life Cycle of a Child Care Center—A Director’s Story, at amazon.com Books, as well as on Barnes & Noble.
