Back to Work

August 24 is the day I would have gone back to work teaching if I wasn’t on maternity leave. Today is the day I would have been meeting the students that I would have had in my class this year.

Even though my little one is only about 3 and a 1/2 months old, it still feels weird not going back to teaching this year and feeling all the excitement and nerves that the beginning of the year brings. I would have been using some of my summer to prepare my classroom for my students.

Preparing my classroom last year.

It feels odd to me that I won’t get to see multiple students each day, to visit with other teachers in the staff room, and to have the structure of a school day that I used to have.

Instead, I will get to see my daughter’s face each day, see other adults here and there (other than my husband of course, who I will see daily), and have to mostly forget the schedule and structure that I had last year.

I began my maternity leave in May 2022, and that actually seemed easier than how I am feeling now about not going back to work. Of course there are still many things to look forward to now, but when I began my maternity leave there was a lot more excitement and anticipation of my child soon to be arriving in the world. I feel like I “should” be going back to work, and I struggle with not providing as much financially during this time.

I know that if I was going back to work that I would be sacrificing a lot of milestones with my daughter, and I know that I am the primary person needed to help her develop through those milestones. So although this year is going to look a lot different in terms of work - because I fully believe that raising a child is a full time job and more - I am grateful to have some time off of my career to help and watch my baby grow.

How do you feel about returning or not returning to work?

Remember, whether you are a working mom or stay at home mom, you are amazing and are exactly what your baby needs!