I think we all know that most of us who go into Early Childhood Education don't do in for the enormous paycheck. Most people expect you to say the lack of pay, benefits, teacher retention and, or the long hours are what is most challenging about choosing this career path, but I disagree. The most challenging part of my job is hearing that I am not a real teacher, that I play all day, or that my job isn't important. Those outside of the world of early childhood education don't quite grasp how important play is, or that me spending 10 hours making a paper mache cow that the kids can practice milking for a farm unit just so the kids can do more than just read about it, doesn't make me a real teacher. Our job teaches more than abc's. Our job teaches children how to hold a spoon correctly, how to take turns, settle arguments, as well as trust. I have a 4 year old boy in my current prek class whom I have known since he was 12 weeks old, working his way up room to room. I get the opportunity to watch him grow, it's amazing.