I worked for 2 years as a course instructor with up to 14 kids of school age and I loved every single day of it. It was tough, it was challenging, but it felt good to make a difference in these kids' lives.

Now I'm working with 2 year olds and co-workers who don't respect me and it's getting to me, so I need to vent. I try really hard not to talk bad about them to other people that might know them, but I need to get this out of my head.

One of my main concerns is that when I was hired, I was told that I will have to be flexible, because my afternoon co-worker has 2 kids she has to pick up from school. She said some days I would come in at 1 and leave at 5, some days I would come in at 2 and leave at 6, it wouldn't be the same every week and I was absolutely okay with it.

But that's not the reality and it freaking sucks.

My coworker leaves whenever she wants, simply assuming I will stay until 6 every single day. I don't like it and it is really shitty to never communicate things with me.

The other day it was pouring and I asked her if it was OK that I left early (we had 4 kids, so we were OK with just one staff member) because my SIL was going to give me a ride home and she just drops on me that she has to leave at 5:30 (without ever even mentioning it to me) and I have to stay until 6.

Yesterday she came in at 1:30 and left at 5, even though she's supposed to stay later if she comes in later, especially since I have been in this classroom since 6:45 in the morning and the general consensus is that the staff who stayed the longest, gets to leave first, but nope, at 5 sharp she just left, leaving me to stay until 6.

I would be OK with it if it happened every couple of days or a couple times a week, but not every single day at random times of day. I can never plan anything in the afternoon, because she just does whatever she wants. Sometimes she leaves at 4, sometimes at 5, sometimes as soon as we are down to 4 toddlers, which can be as soon as 3.

And the worst part about it is that she will complain that her hours are being cut, but she will not stay longer to make ends meet. If you need money, stay until 6, don't leave at 5 and complain when you told me that you need to leave at 6 to pick up your son, not earlier.

*sigh*
I guess I'm just upset, because I have to take the bus and it leaves at 5:57 or 6:40, so if I was able to leave a tiny, tiny little earlier than 6, I would be able to catch it and not have to waste 40 minutes at the bus stop.

Well, among other things.