#to play with as a kid but they have this horrible show cocomelon-- | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

gloomysoup · 7 days

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listen, love my job. working with littles is both amazing and exhausting but i wouldn't have it any other way. there's something very satisfying about the connections i've been able to make with them and the progress i've seen in the short time i've been at this childcare center. however, sometimes i think the lead teacher in my room should not be a teacher.

she's a nice person and all, good with the kids, but she doesn't seem... like she's fit for the job, is all. she's never in the classroom and often fails to communicate lesson plans or ideas, and hardly ever takes suggestions. this week we're doing butterflies with our littles and the other day, she straight up asked me if a caterpillar comes before a chrysalis. she was 100% serious. she had no clue. after i told her that yes, caterpillars come before the chrysalis, bc that's how life cycles work, i made a little joke about that being elementary school biology that she should know, being the lead teacher and all. she said she thought science was stupid. granted, it could have been a joke in response to my joke, and the other teacher's jokes that followed, but part of me doesn't think it was.

and then there's the cocomelon shit. let it be known that as a daycare teacher, and someone who has taken courses in early childhood development and psychology, i absolutely resent cocomelon. it is horrible for a child's developing brain. it's overstimulating in several aspects, and it doesn't actually teach anything. it is, subjectively speaking, one of the worst kids shows i've ever come across in terms of how it helps with development. i've read psychological studies and articles about the negative affects cocomelon can have.

and yet, this woman lets her own child watch it. she puts on cocomelon songs for the kids i work with all the time. she has praised cocomelon and talks often about how much her toddler loves it. i refuse to let anything cocomelon play while i'm in the classroom bc i cannot stand it. i've also stood my ground on this, explained my point of view to the other teachers. it has not been played while i'm present since, but i have walked into the room to certain songs playing before.

obviously, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and not every teacher is going to have the same views on early childhood education, but the things just keep piling up with her. and it's really starting to annoy me. she tries to act like she knows so much and does all these lesson plans, but not once has she clued me in on anything. not once has she asked my opinion or acknowledged my suggestions. maybe i'm just looking too far into things that aren't there, but i just don't believe she makes a very good lead teacher. all we seem to do is sit and watch the kids play while kidz bop or cocomelon plays on the ipad. and while that's great sometimes, it doesn't feel like a lot of learning is happening. and if i try to bring this up and offer suggestions, i simply get shut down. at this point, i'm not sure what i can do. i would take it to the director, but this teacher is the director's daughter in law and is often shown favoritism. she spends more time talking in the office than she does her own classroom. i also apparently dont have the qualifications to be considered a teacher, even though i have more than enough college credits, so there's nothing i can do on that end unless i wanna put myself back through school. which is not really in the cards for me right now either.

so basically, i'm stuck. and this sucks. and i've seriously thought about asking if i can be moved to the pre k room instead, but there's very specific reasons that i was placed as a closer in the classroom im in and i don't want those things to go back to how they were before.

#gloomysoup rambles #personal rant

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mesanthropi · 10 months

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— EPISODE 3. (JUNHUI)

title: it's never too late to adopt! even if it's ghosts. (alt title: you have a daughter, i adopted a ghost and we watch cocomelon. we are not the same.)

— episode details: 2.6k words. warns/tws includes some language, an attempt at horror, secondhand embarrassment, implications of death. also some REALLY out of pocket shit from jun in the latter half, i swear to god

(it may be confusing with the format we're writing these in. so like, be warned!! its kinda like. multi,, pov ish in a sense with the narrative. but at the same time, i have no idea either)

w's annotation: i've considered going back and editing it from top to bottom just because it seems weirdly paced- but it's already so lengthy. plus, we've done what we could and that's ok ^^ but im not gonna lie. the ending was a bit hard to do because like- words weren't wording!! i had to do it like this im soso sorry. also, it's REALLY fucking long, so it'll be utc. please enjoy :3

— previous (mingyu) ; masterlist ; next (cheol)

; camping with the 95z and 96z guys is always a delight, if you put aside all the bullshit they get into. one simple detail was that sometimes, they think of the most random things to do.

; and one big example that was not in fact hypothetical, is playing truth or dare. no drinking, just going all crazy because they can, and YOLO as one does.

; and junhui was glad (very fucking happy even) that they'd played this dumb truth or dare game before evening. otherwise, he'd be switching lanes and begging for joshua to give him a truth.

; it was about five in the afternoon then, and he was strutting into a forest with many dark rumors surrounding it, like they didn't exist at all. no phone, no emotional support, and a complementary horror game flashlight. he's killing it, you guys.

; the rumors were mainly things like- "oh, some people came in here and never lived to see the light of day," or "deep inside, there's a monster that lures children and eats them", things like that. obviously just some things to keep their kids from wandering too far.

; and to be honest, he didn't believe that shit. people lived beside the forest, there was a camping site that they could have to themselves beside the forest, and like- google showed that there was a neat lake on the other side of this forest.

; there was literally nothing to be scared of, the fuck are these people on?? (the last thoughts of a dead man, 2023)

; but back to the present. with his long legs and his audacity, jun was near the very heart of the forest. even when the sun was starting to set, he pushed through because fuck it, it's wen junhui.

; (plus, if he managed to come back unscathed and untraumatized, joshua owed him cash. anything for that man's money.)

; though all he'd been hearing on the way were the leaves crunching underneath his shoes, the occasional whistle of the wind, and a bird. normal things that were to be expected in a place of nature and greenery. blinding in the day, calming in the afternoon, and horrible in the night.

; despite what could happen, the what-if's and such, jun just continued for the sake of the dare. though in the back of his mind, maybe he should have brought his phone. so in case some axe killer was about to end his life, he could call joshua and blame him.

; (no, he'd call the police, duh.)

; and finally, after like. about two hours - though in reality, it's only been thirty-two minutes - something was off. what he shouldn't be hearing in this forest is other people, let alone people who were like. a decade and seven years younger than him.

; there were children laughing in the near distance, and the ravenette couldn't help but look to where it was coming from. his curiosity was accompanied by concern, as this laughter was accompanied by one person's cries.

; were they laughing at this nameless figure, or was the crying just… extreme laughing? he couldn't tell with just sounds. and when words started to become coherent, jun snuck over to a tree nearest to these people, and eavesdropped. (stupid, he's aware, but curiosity's killing the cat right now. very slowly.)

; "come on, candy, we've been here for a while now! you're scared of a little dark forest? huh?" some kid said to this girl curled up on the ground, crying into her hands. "seriously, this is probably why you're here in the first place."

; pause, what.

; 'candy' looked up, and even if jun was peeking from behind the oak, he could see that she didn't like what the other had said. not at all.

; a more lanky girl rolled her eyes and circled her, until she was standing right behind the shimmery form. "shut up, viv, you're making her cry. like a baby. we're supposed to be nice to babies, right? where's your mom, candy?"

; this was getting weird.

; "oh my god, you didn't," viv elbowed her. "you literally just said to be nice to her."

; "i am, viv. i wanna try helping candy, we have to find her mommy," she sing-songed, nudging the helpless girl with her knee. "or maybe she's at the lake with the rest of us!"

; "shut up, ivy!" she finally snapped, getting up on her feet with her small hands grabbing fistfuls of her vest. "you pushed me! i didn't even mean to-"

; "hey hey hey, stop that right now!" jun finally broke the almost never-ending commotion but with the blank stares he received, he thought onto his plan b. as the kids stared at him in silence, clearing his throat, he rested his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest. "bullying is not right!" ah yes. very mature. using his 'opera singer' voice.

; the reactions were flipped from his expectations. while he expected a more of a guilty look, all he heard were small snorts and giggles coming from the established bullies.

; "is he really doing this right now-" vivi managed through her laughs. "that voice was so bad." ivy only nodded along, sort of doubled over with one hand on the other girl's shoulder. "and that pose- vivi, what is he, really, somebody's dad? get a load of this, candy."

; the mentioned child rolled her eyes this time, unamused by the two's antics. this thankfully went unnoticed as they were more focused on… to them, this weirdo that came out of nowhere.

; humiliated? yes. jun was that very word at that moment. a grown man now being a target of the endless bullying was about to be his 13th reason.

; "w-well, maybe i am her dad!" he was not this child's father. "and i'm actually… looking to take her back home with my very loving wife who is in fact her very mother, so excuse us," jun improvised as he approached the girls and ushered candy away from ivy and vivi. "i'll be taking her away from the likes of you two. i'm definitely telling your parents about this."

; (note from author w.: i'm amused but also getting secondhand embarrassment)

; as they were leaving them behind, candy spared him a glance, brows furrowed as he was recovering from the situation they were walking away from. only then did she speak up when they were further away. "um… thank you."

; "... i couldn't leave you with those two," he murmured, rubbing his neck with his free hand. then jun kneeled in front of the girl, checking anywhere for anything. "did they hurt you at all? push you, pull you, anything?"

; "no... not physically at least," candy answered, growing quiet near the end of her reply. she studied the man in front of her, eyes following as he actively searched for any wounds or potential signs of more life-threatening scars. the forest wasn't… exactly the safest place. especially for a child. let alone three of them- because while the two were particularly not the most pleasant kids around, they were still… you know, kids.

; it was on the backburner for now though, because his current concern was candy.

; after jun close inspection, he finally eyed the girl. "alright. do you know where your parents are? any relatives?" his now stable voice quired, and a sense of relief washed over his whole being after a slight nod from candy.

; "thank god. let's get you out of this forest and then you can try to lead me to them, yeah?"

candy sighed. "u-um… they're dead. both of them. you can't actually lead me to them… unless you were some kind of wizard." if the atmosphere wasn't tense before, it surely was now. probably even more unbearable and a bit suffocating.

; after a bit of silence, a small 'oh' was all jun could utter out. afraid if he says something more, this little girl will unleash all of her pent up rage and rip him into shreds.

; "... i'm… sorry," the older awkwardly responded. "i'm no wizard. but it must've been hard." the nonchalant shrug was a bit surprising though, as she wrung her hands. "mama's always said that i'm ahead of other girls. i know how to do stuff."

; jun words fell short. nods sending the basic sign that he was indeed listening. the slightly bewildered man cleared his throat, "let's… get you out of here. we'll figure out what to do afterwards." he nodded along with his request and candy copied the same gesture, also a bit hesitant on the next step of this mission.

; if joshua was expecting anything from jun once he was out, it would not have included an abandoned child he rescued from a forest with bullies. but hey, jun is a (in)sane man full of many quirks.

; the mission out was fairly simple… to people who had this forest down by memory. jun was almost a lost soul upon the tall trees and the secrets that lie in the dark within. "you don't know how to get out, don't you?" candy wasn't shocked in the slightest. what do you even expect from a wannabe opera singer? exactly.

; "my friends just sent me in here! it's not like they gave me a map!" the male exclaimed, anxiety lacing his voice. he exhaled heavily while he combed his tensed hands in his unraveled hair.

; silence once again engulfed them along with the trees. candy willingly letting it swallow them both whole for she can let the oblivious man calm down and then process that there was indeed a path that can lead them out. he was literally on said path.

; "mister..." the more put together girl called out to the man pacing around. murmuring something along the lines of 'what am i going to do?' and 'where am i going to shit and piss here?' but candy really did not want to know the answer to the latter. "HEY, SIR." jun panicked motions come to an abrupt pause, heaving a bit shakily. "there's a path." candy hands rose and motioned forward towards the remainder of the trail ahead, leading to where he'd entered from.

; something took over jun. a sense of relief that he doesn't have to shit in a nearby bush and wipe with sticks? possibly. but whatever it was, it prompted him to do something.

; he took candy's hand (or tried to) and began to zoom ahead. only slowing and coming to a complete halt when he didn't hear the second pair of quick footsteps following behind. in a swift motion, he turned back around just to realize that girl was still glued to her place and has not moved not even an inch.

; did he miss her hand? as bamboozled and startled as he was, he treaded back and went towards candy again. steps slow and steady.

; once a few inches in front of the child, he reached for her hand again. this time making direct contact to make sure for a fact he grasps her hand this time.

; every inch closer his hand gets, the more goosebumps start to cover his skin. like seriously. his hand was freezing as the proximity between him and the child shrunk. as if candy radiated the season of winter from her very self.

; he slowly began to close his hand around the girls and… it went right through her. only the icy temperature wrapping onto him. what? what kind of AI bullshit is this? once again and the same outcome happened. it took jun a few (many) times before his mind started to click into place that this was not going to have his way.

; he even went to the girl's other hand just to make sure his mind was not in fact teasing him. he already has to deal with that at home. "w-what is going on?" jun fested up. eyeing candy with a bit of hope because he did in fact know what was going on. but confirmation is what he needed and man… did he hope for one answer to his masked question.

; "do you promise not to get scared?" it wasn't a direct answer, but jun did get what he wanted from that question alone. the much more taller man bent down again, slowly shaking his head.

; candy stared the man down before admitting her truth. "i'm a ghost."

a beat of silence. a silent 'i see' coming from the other. all he could do after though was stare at the girl blankly, expecting a laugh or a twist of emotion spiking out after her funny bone was picked a little too much but… nothing. just a look full of expectancy.

; "how did you die?" jun broke down the silent bubble. wow. what a way to add to the list of conversation starters.

; "can we go?" candy smoothly dodged the ticket to reiterate her very short-term life. "i know you want to leave too."

; 'right.' jun placed himself back onto his feet with practiced ease. except the small ache in his knees but look, aging comes with some consequences. "just… follow along."

; it took maybe around 20 minutes before finally hearing the passing of cars and an added 5 minutes before they were back on the sidewalk where joshua basically ended the poor man's life. the two stood there for a moment, breathing in fresher and less suffocating air

; "thank you," jun heard candy speak out, and he was supposed to say something back with a turn of the head, but found nobody there. as if this couldn't get any weirder, the girl's sudden disappearance prompted him to do a double take, turn on his heel to get a 360 on where she could have gone.

; then again, he remembered what she'd said before; she's dead. a ghost, a spirit, and maybe she'd been put to rest by leaving that forest. leaving behind those other two girls who were picking on her, for no reason too, might he add.

; with a sigh and a lot of questions left unanswered (he didn't know if he wanted any answers anyway), the ravenette walked off to the campsite, just about done with the night. hopefully there was food, and hopefully the others were ready to be on jun control. the guy was ready to throttle joshua on sight because what the hell was that.

; for the rest of his stay, whenever silence enveloped the area, all that occupied his thoughts were candy's wherabouts and what exactly happened in the forest. that feeling from when he attempted to hold her hand, it was worry, and it was coming back despite the child's absence around him.

; even with her circumstances, he couldn't help but feel this way. he couldn't help but wonder what could have happened to her. but that could be saved for… some other time, or whenever he could think about it. life was full of mysterious things, after all.

. . .

(two days later, they all went back home to their respective places of residence, and jun was the last. his belongings were on his couch and coffee table, to be re-organized into their spaces in a couple hours. there was no way that there was energy left after that trip back, the guy's only plan was to sleep with his bag as a pillow.

after waving off wonwoo and telling him not to die on the way back (what the hell), jun closed the door and let out a breath. though upon turning around, that breath transitioned into a scream. it was followed by the coat rack getting knocked over when he stumbled. he stared in shock, for the nth time that week, at the girl that stood there.

"... c-candy, how did you get inside my house-")

#👻・MUNI13 #selenicives.chr ✶#moonlit tracts ✶#wen junhui

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