Singing Along with Shari
NAME
Shari Atamian
POSITION
Infant/Toddler Teacher
START DATE AT HORIZONS
June 2016
Describe the day in the life of your role at Horizons.
I come in during the mornings and help the children get situated. Children struggle with saying goodbye to their parents so I help with the transition to get them started for the day. We then go to free play where the kids can choose from a variety of activities. Balls and instruments are the favorites! All day long I am a human jukebox. I sing lots of songs with the children because they love it. The favorite song is “Wheels On the Bus”, so I have to get creative with the different verses. Throughout the whole day I provide words of encouragement for everyday activities. I teach the children how to be self-sufficient, manners, basic signing commands, and other basics to help with everyday life.
What do you like most about working at Horizons?
Building relationships with the children and watching their progress is incredible to me. Even within my first month I saw progress with them. Kids are so warming and I love the process of building the relationship with them.
What’s a goal you hope to accomplish while at Horizons?
I would like to continue to build relationships with the parents as the children come and go. It can be difficult to do because parents are really only here when they drop-off and pick-up and a lot of the time I have to be catering to the other children during those times. I’d like to find a good balance to help with that.
What is something you’ve learned at Horizons that has affected you the most?
During my new staff orientation I learned what a shelter looked like and what families are able to bring into them.
They explained to us the positions the families were in and how much they are limited. This really helped me get a glimpse into what the parents and kids are going through.
Favorite/most powerful Horizons moment?
My favorite is the feeling I get when I hug and hold the children while they feel safe with me.
Why do you think people should support Horizons?
Supporting Horizons is important because it provides quality early education to children who may not be able to access it otherwise. Quality education is hard to come across and can be very expensive, but Horizons breaks that barrier.
Children living through trauma and experiencing drastic changes are being supported by Horizons’ staff. The organization helps these kids to overcome emotional and social challenges that could affect them for the rest of their lives.
What’s your favorite childhood memory?
My sister, brother, and I used to sing and dance to various 90’s dance songs while my dad video recorded. We acted like we were popstars in music videos!
What was your favorite learning activity growing up?
Painting was always fun to me because I liked to experiment with the options it provided. I liked playing with the different colors, textures, and amounts of paint. It’s always fun for me when we do painting activities with the kids in the class.
Horizons for Homeless Children’s passionate employees embody the Horizons’ mission every day in a vast array of ways. The Horizons’ staff is uniquely specialized in several areas to serve to the needs of young homeless children and their families. To join our team, check out our career opportunities!
Published on May 3, 2017
