Hey y’all and welcome back to more of me blabbering about my life.😜
I mentioned in my last post that outlined some updates from the last year that I went back to teaching full time and then I quit. Well… let’s dive into that a bit more.
I had Andee in the summer of 2020 and was off for probably the hardest year of the pandemic in terms of schools opening, closing, being online, etc. It was time for me to go back to work in the fall of 2021 and I was incredibly anxious about it, but not for reasons you might think. My anxiety came from the fact that I simply did not know if I was going to enjoy a job I loved so much prior to having Andee now that I had her. I had always been the type of teacher who did way more than just the standard teaching job. I constantly chose to partake in as many things as I could and created as many programs as possible. This is partially because I am passionate about so many different things, and the school I worked at was set up to let me explore those passions with students.
Well, it goes without saying, that once you become a parent your priorities change. I was worried that because I had Andee I wasn’t going to be able to participate in all the things I previously had at the school, and that my students would see that and feel like I was no longer there for them in the same way. THAT was the scariest part for me.
Well fast forward to about a month into being back to full time teaching, and I was finding my groove. If I thought I was productive before having Andee, welllllll I blew it out of the water with productivity after having her. I stuck to a strict schedule of being at work from 7am – 4pm instead of 7am to sometimes 7pm like I was beforehand, but even with these shorter hours I was still able to do most of the things I had previously done. In fact, I even did MORE things like starting a mentoring program that spanned between all grades K-12. I simply learned how to manage my time better and delegate tasks when need be. I said yes to things that were important to me, and was honest with saying no to things I did not have additional time for.
I also worked really hard to not bring work home with me, which in the past was a common thing I did. Before having Andee, I was so dedicated to my job that I didn’t have any clear boundaries on work life and home life. After having Andee, this dynamic drastically changed for me. For one, I was too exhausted keeping up with her basic needs and working full time to even begin to do anything extra at home. And two, I wasn’t about to miss out on spending quality time with Keenan and Andee. My family became my number one priority, as it should, and I wanted to make sure I had the time and energy to be present and all in when I was with them.
From everything I’ve written, it probably sounds like I had found my stride, which I did, and like I was loving my job, which I did, and that I was set to continue teaching in the same school for years to come, which I was. I truly felt like I had the best of both worlds – teacher and mom. I was so proud to have figured out how to make it work as a working mom. But then I quit. So what happened?
Hmm… wouldn’t you like to know. 😉
Stay tuned for another post coming soon on why I quit and what I’m doing now.
Chat with ya soon!