I'm neither old, nor a novice!!

My mind went back to the time when I was an after school program teacher at the YMCA before the management at the West Philly branch saw something in me and promoted me to run that program along with camp and ultimately all of their youth programs.

But I started as a camp counselor and after school teacher, yes TEACHER!! I remember the way I'd come early after my college classes were done for the day, organize my classroom, prepare for the "after homework LESSON" and all! We'd have a BLAST!!

"Mr. Steve's K-1st Grade" after school class was POPPIN!!!

We learned French, we cooked, we reviewed spelling words, we got dirty, we painted, we LEARNED and had fun doing it! (Although there was that one time we were making cookies. I put them in the oven and 2 minutes later they were on fire. My class and I just eased on out of the building before the fire alarm came on. My colleagues laughed me to scorn. lol Ahhh the memories.)

I remember the fights I'd have with a colleague because, and I quote, "Mr. Steve swear he know what he's doing." (I remember laughing, not sure if it was right away or if it hit me later)

I remember being told, and I quote again, "don't disobey me!" HA! I had a few things to say about that to her face!

I'm not old, but neither am I a novice, running camps and youth programs since I was 13 years old and WANTING to do so since I was knee-high to a grasshopper! Just ask my parents!

Ahhh! Precious memories. It's years later and I'm still teaching....and fighting, and that's quite alright with me! Give me what I need and I won't have to fight! But until them, square up...