✨ From Physics to Playdough: My Journey of Rebuilding with Love

If you had asked me a few years ago where I saw myself, I would have painted a picture with blackboards, equations, and senior students preparing for exams. Physics was my world—structured, logical, exact. I loved the rhythm of teaching, the satisfaction of solving, and the pride of mentoring bright young minds.

But life had its own curriculum for me.

Today, I find myself humming nursery rhymes, molding playdough, calming toddler tantrums, and catching tiny hugs like they’re falling stars.
And strangely… I feel more “me” than ever before.

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👩‍🏫 A Classroom of Another Kind

My name is Poonam Soni, and I was once a senior Physics teacher in India. My academic journey was deeply rooted in science and education:

• 🎓 B.Sc in Science
• 📚 B.Ed in Education
• 🔬 M.Sc in Physics
• And most recently, an M.Ed in Educational Leadership here in Canada

I’ve always been a learner. I still am. But how I learn—and teach—has evolved in ways I never expected.

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A New Chapter

In 2021, my husband and I packed up our life in India and moved to Canada with our two young boys. Like so many immigrant families, we carried both dreams and doubts in our suitcases. We started over. From scratch.

There were no classrooms waiting for me. No students. No chalkboards.

Instead, I walked into the colorful, messy, magical world of Early Childhood Education—a space where the learning is louder, softer, stickier… and full of wonder.

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🧸 From Formulas to Finger Paint

For the past 3 years, I’ve been working as an ECE in a daycare—reading stories, singing songs, wiping tears, holding tiny hands, and yes, scraping dried playdough from every surface imaginable.

This wasn’t part of the original plan, but it has become part of my heart.

In this unexpected classroom, I’ve learned:

• Patience that define logic
• That giggles are as important as grammar
• That hugs can teach trust better than words
• And that every child holds a universe waiting to bloom

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🔄 This Isn’t a Step Back—It’s a Step Inward

Do I miss Physics? Sometimes.
Do I miss being called “Ma’am”? Yes.

But I’ve come to see that I’m still a teacher.
Only now, my lessons are sung, my rewards are smiles, and my purpose… feels even more personal.

I’m no longer chasing prestige—I’m nurturing presence.

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💡 A New Definition of Purpose

My shift from Physics to Playdough wasn’t a fallback. It was a rebuilding.
Of my identity. Of my confidence. Of my joy.

I’m still growing. Still learning. Still giving.
But now, I also laugh louder, feel deeper, and wear my softness like a strength.

Maybe one day I’ll return to science in some way.
Or maybe—just maybe—this is exactly where I was always meant to be.

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🌼 If You’re In Transition Too…

I hope you know this:
You are not starting over. You are starting fresh.
You are allowed to evolve.
You are allowed to change directions.
You are allowed to become something new—and still carry all of who you were.

With all my love,
Poonam