Yesterday, I returned back to work after a 6 month maternity leave. As it turns out, the anxiety leading up to my return date turned out to be harder than the actual return. Yes, it was extremely hard leaving my three little loves. I was so fortunate to have all that precious time home with them in which I soaked up every moment of every day to its fullest.
The month leading up to going back I started to mentally prepare myself. I reconnected my work email account to my phone. (That really made it seem official to me). I reviewed the curriculum, read some of my favorite teaching blogs, pinned hundreds of pins on Pinterest. I even bought myself a new "teacher bag." All of these things got me in the right mindset to return to work but nothing could prepare me for the task of getting all three kids fed, dressed, and packed for a day away from home at their preschool and babysitters. It took three days of practice runs but we streamlined our morning routine to the point where I even get to work 45 minutes before the students.
Surprisingly, the most popular questions I was asked on my first day back was, "How much do you hate being here?" "Are you just counting down the days until summer?" "How hard was it to leave your kids?" Hmmm. Not sure how to answer that? If I say I hate being back I'd be lying, but if I say I like being back, then it seems like I don't enjoy being with my kids??? Truthfully, it did feel good to be back. I don't feel guilty admitting it (well maybe a little). I truly love my job. Teaching is a huge part of what makes me who I am. So, although leaving my kids was hard I felt like a big part of my puzzle was back in place.
Now, let's revisit this next month when the "newness" of this life change wears off, and I may have a different opinion of it all. We shall see.
The month leading up to going back I started to mentally prepare myself. I reconnected my work email account to my phone. (That really made it seem official to me). I reviewed the curriculum, read some of my favorite teaching blogs, pinned hundreds of pins on Pinterest. I even bought myself a new "teacher bag." All of these things got me in the right mindset to return to work but nothing could prepare me for the task of getting all three kids fed, dressed, and packed for a day away from home at their preschool and babysitters. It took three days of practice runs but we streamlined our morning routine to the point where I even get to work 45 minutes before the students.
Surprisingly, the most popular questions I was asked on my first day back was, "How much do you hate being here?" "Are you just counting down the days until summer?" "How hard was it to leave your kids?" Hmmm. Not sure how to answer that? If I say I hate being back I'd be lying, but if I say I like being back, then it seems like I don't enjoy being with my kids??? Truthfully, it did feel good to be back. I don't feel guilty admitting it (well maybe a little). I truly love my job. Teaching is a huge part of what makes me who I am. So, although leaving my kids was hard I felt like a big part of my puzzle was back in place.
Now, let's revisit this next month when the "newness" of this life change wears off, and I may have a different opinion of it all. We shall see.
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