This turned into a mammoth late night ramble so long story short: how do you manage returning to teaching FT after maternity?
I’m on mat leave currently with my first baby and I’m loving my time at home with him. It’s every bit as hard and challenging as I thought it would be but I am really cherishing how much love and enjoyment he brings every day.
I am, however, also very much looking forward to returning to work in September! This has taken me somewhat by surprise. I was quite sure during my pregnancy that I would want to return part time but I find that, having weighed up my options, full time seems to be the way forward for me.
Partly the decision has been swayed by the impact going part time would inevitably have on take-home pay but this is not the only reason I feel the decision is right for me.
I teach secondary English and the only way I can guarantee a permanent classroom base is by returning full time - a fixed room would allow me to not have to lug exercise books, class texts and all my own paraphernalia across the school site. I have watched other teachers do this and feel that I would find this very stressful and physically demanding as we have a large site across multiple buildings and floors. Additionally, I would like as few class shares as possible (particularly when it comes to exam groups) and I still want to feel like a part of the department and benefit from the support that comes with being surrounded by colleagues, which is something that I think will be lost if I am constantly travelling across different buildings and not in for half the week.
All this being said, I am still apprehensive about managing workload and home/life balance with a 1 year old when I return so I would really love some advice and helpful tips!
What does a typical day look like for you? How do you organise your day and workload to minimise interference with home life? What can I do over the next couple of months to make my life a little bit easier come September? Any and all survival tips welcomed!