When Senior Ashley La guides children through the colorful halls of Kidspace Children’s Museum in Pasadena, she is often reminded of how much potential human beings have, especially at a young age. In fact, this perspective is one of the reasons why she’s highly committed to her part-time job.
La earned her position as an educator after months of volunteering and training. Hand in hand with coworkers and eager parents, she helps coordinate and contribute to learning activities and maintain the kid-driven, positive environment of the museum.
“I already knew that I wanted to pursue a future in teaching kids,” La said. “When I discovered Kidspace, I thought ‘wow, this place is so cool’ and I took the job knowing that it would be a great experience and worth replacing my other work at the time, which was at a restaurant.”
In many ways, Kidspace has proven to be an informal classroom setting for La and the people she teaches and works with by bringing teaching back to the roots of experience and contact with nature and other humans.
“I would say that my therapist and mom inspired me,” La said. “They showed me how life is chosen and drawn out based on how we’re raised and the people who love us. I want to set a healthy example for kids and parents to lead happier, supportive lives.”
Without a sixth period, La travels to the museum at noon for her 1-5 p.m. shift and tries to work full-time on the weekend. She commits an average of 20 to 30 hours a week over the span of four weekdays, Saturday and Sunday and earns a little more than minimum wage. Recently, La was promoted for her endeavors and received a fair raise.
“If someone is moving past retail and restaurant jobs, the next step for them is to go for something else,” La said. “A lot of people are unsure about what they want to do, but don’t be afraid to step your foot in and say hi. Don’t be afraid to work for free, because you’re earning more than what a part-time wage can pay you in the long run.”
Though La’s family was very supportive of her decision, she received skepticism from some of her friends, most of whom spoke from concern and inexperience with part-time jobs and questioned whether or not she could handle the work coupled with school.
Despite the misunderstandings, La continues to take this job at her own pace and believes that it will definitely help her in her future major.
“I never really measured my job in terms of dollar amount,” La said. “I’ve actually learned a lot about how compatible I am with teaching. In college, I plan to major in music education and feel like what I get out of Kidspace is more than just a paycheck.”
TCHS School Newspaper