Going Back to Work: Teaching & Mom-ing

Seven weeks ago today, I gave birth to my second child. Two weeks from now, I will be back at work. Granted, it will only be for one day (the last day of school) so I really can't complain... well actually, as a working mother in the United States, I most definitely CAN voice my thoughts on how high the expectations are for working mothers are in this country. Ironically, earlier today I came across this Time article by Kristin Gallent of Big Little Feelings & this tweet from Katie Gutierrez:

At 4 weeks postpartum I was: sleeping 3 *nonconsecutive* hours a night; breastfeeding every 2 hours for at least 30 min a session, so about 6 hours a day; and bleeding through everything I wore. If men did this, the whole fucking world would be structured around parental leave.

— Katie Gutierrez (@katie_gutz) October 28, 2021

Last week my daughter also had her first remote Zoom class of the year due to the Canadian wildfires and I got a tiny taste of parenting school-aged children during Covid, and no wonder moms are burnt out.

Yes, I will have to go back to work for the last day of school, in order to be put back on payroll for the summer and to clean & pack up my classroom and officially wrap up the 2022-2023 school year. It is also my daughter's last day of 3K and the first day I will be leaving my son with the same woman who watched my daughter when I went back to work back in January 2020.

Like last time, I am both looking forward to going back because being a math teacher is a big part of my identity, but I am also sad to leave my infant. Luckily being a teacher means I do have summer break (which teachers 1000% earn and deserve) so I will still get two more months with him before I have to figure out how to do this teaching and mom-ing thing with two children.

Right now, we have a good routine going and I although I do miss my students, I am so very grateful to not have to lesson plan, grade & do the hundreds of other things that teachers do in June. September 2023, like January 2020 will be another learning curve for me. My daughter will be starting pre-k at the same school she is currently in luckily, my son will have to be dropped of at the wonderful baby sitters apartment every morning, which is in the opposite direction of my daughters school and my school will actually be starting 20 minutes earlier, at 8:30 am, next year.

I completely acknowledge how lucky & privileged I am that: (1) I am able to walk to work, (2) my daughter has a spot to go to for pre-k at a school I am happy with that has after school care options, (3) the woman who watched my daughter and will watch my son is amazing. But I am stressed out about finding our rhythm and balancing it all. The fresh start of September is one of the reasons I love teaching, but it is exhausting, and balancing teaching (and the million things that come with being a teacher), being present as a mom (and the infinite things that come with that), and taking care of my own needs, it will be a lot to manage.

Right now, I will try my best to enjoy the time that I do have with my kids (both my children and my students) and take things one step at a time. It's not going to be perfect and it's not going to be easy, but I will find a way to make it work because that's just what moms (and teachers do).