“Trevor, it’s not outside time.” I reach for my walkie-talkie. “Guys, I need help now. Please. Hurry.”
That’s when I spot Alexa across the gym, reaching up to touch the red metal fire alarm. “Alexa! Don’t do ” she doesn’t hear me and I can’t run to her, because if I move the door will close and lock out Trevor. “Don’t ” she jumps higher, her heels lifting and her hand grasping at the red box.
The fire alarm rings.
Five years later, that difficult day still loomed large when I pondered whether the stresses of being a daycare teacher outweigh my calling to the field. In fact, I was trying to decide whether to quit and move on to something else when the pandemic arrived in March of 2020.