By the time I turned sixteen, my parents had already began to pressure me to find a job. They constantly told me that getting a job would give me some experience for any future jobs and allow me to practice the responsibilities that come with being employed. I continually ignored their pressure to find a job, not wanting to have to give up my free time to work. Eventually, my parents gave me no choice but to apply for a job.

In December of 2018, I applied to work at Elmwood Gymnastics Academy. I submitted my application, complete with my resumé, and scheduled a time for an interview with the manager. Going into the interview, I was extremely nervous; my palms were sweating, and before walking in, I was trying to come up with answers to any potential questions I might be asked. I walked into the room, greeted the manager, and sat down. As soon as I sat down, I suddenly became less nervous; seeing the informal, intimate atmosphere of the meeting room made me feel more comfortable. Additionally, the manager was extremely kind and comforting, further easing my nerves. I answered all of her questions, and by the end of the interview she asked when I could start working.

I began my job at Elmwood, coaching gymnastics to kids from ages one to six, by January of 2019. Walking in to my first day at Elmwood, my nerves came back. I had never really worked with kids before this job, much less coached gymnastics. I walked into the gym, where all the mats, trampolines, beams, and bars were set up, and my coworkers reassured me that they would walk me through every step of the job. My first couple days on the job, I depended on my coworkers to tell me what I needed to do. They taught me every station and skill that I needed to teach to the kids. They also made sure I knew how to maintain the children’s attention and how to persuade them to do all of their stations and skills. Overtime, I became more comfortable with the job, and I was eventually able to do every task without the help of my coworkers.

Even though I am now comfortable with my job, working with young kids can still sometimes become frustrating. My coworkers taught me specific methods on how to keep each child’s attention, but even after using their techniques, some kids still do not listen. The gym can also sometimes become loud and hectic with multiple kids shouting for my attention or all asking questions simultaneously. When this happens, I have to give all of my attention to one kid at a time, which typically solves the issue.

Dealing with noisy, often stubborn children on a weekly basis has prepared me for many many future life and job experiences. My job at Elmwood has taught me how refrain from becoming easily frustrated when someone does not listen to my directions the first time I communicate them. This job has given me the experience for future jobs to effectively communicate with others in a way that will attract and maintain their attention. Working with kids has also given me some insight into how to handle kids, which will be a helpful skill to use later in my life when I have kids of my own. Overall, my job at Elmwood Gymnastics Academy has taught me how to tolerate stubborn children and people, in general who do not listen to directions the first time they are told.