My maternity leave expired last week, so in honor of my time off, I'm blogging all the things I learned the past 13 weeks. I'm starting with one of the most profound lessons I learned:
*Affirming my Calling/Those Who Love Teaching, Teach
By the time I started my maternity leave, I was mooooore than ready to LEAVE. After all, I had already planned a year’s worth of lessons and teaching while pregnant is exhausting (doing anything while pregnant is exhausting!!). I was convinced I was walking out the door for good. I was done.
Then a surprising thing happened – I missed it. A LOT. I missed lesson planning. I missed setting clear expectations and watching my students rise to meet them. I hated just seeing their grades and not knowing how they earned them or how I could help them improve them. I missed my coworkers and committees. I missed my students and the adorable things they say. I missed their laughter and their growth. I hated missing teachable moments anytime something happened in the news. I missed school dances and field trips.
I know with 100% certainty that I belong in the classroom and that’s where I’ll be come fall. However, I also know it can’t be the same as the previous years. I either need to change to a part-time position or just naturally learn to cut back (good luck with that!). I can’t work 50 hour weeks anymore. Baby Girl will make sure of it.
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