New parents can't return to teaching without guilt

“My husband was the teacher and was emailing lesson plans the night before my C-section. He went back to school the day After I got home with kid #2 and 3. No paternity leave then and too stressful for lesson plans as a multi prep newish teacher. Our first baby he was in a career switcher program for teaching so not stressful but still doing homework. [re: Is it frowned upon to take a week off for an important wedding]”

“I am coming back from maternity to my 4th grade classroom. I did not start the year with my students, so I don’t know most of them. I am so excited to get back into a routine and do what I love, but I can’t decide how to run the first week. Should I jump right into the material and see what the sub did with them on the go or do some get to know you stuff and fluffy stuff the first few days. I already know it is a tough group of kids and they are about a week behind. I don’t have concerns about g”

“When did you start feeling confident back in your role? Did you reach a point where you were so happy you didn’t decide to quit? Day 1 back from maternity leave and I miss my baby already. I just loved having all that uninterrupted time with her and being able to go on walks with her, stare into her eyes smiling, you name it. Will I regret working and missing this time? Or will I look back in a few weeks and months and be so glad I still have my career? I love the team that I work with and my co”

“Hi. I have about a month left of maternity leave before I go back to work. I’m a teacher and I’m fortunate to have a good schedule with amazing breaks but I’m still starting to feel so much guilt about baby going to daycare. I would love to hear from moms and positive stories about your babies loving day care and when it got easier for you. 🥲 I also feel like a bad mom became I can’t stay home with my baby and I feel like everyone else is a SAHM - I know that’s just what I see and it’s not true”

“I did this with my first! Luckily I was essentially just working as a sub at that point, not my actual classroom position. The night before I lost my mucus plug and in the AM could tell I felt something . Went to work and started having contractions. They weren't painful. I checked in with the school nurse who had me call my OB and they were like yeah you're fine 🤣 stayed the whole work day and actually stayed two hours late to help with the school musical auditions. Went home that nigh”

“3rd year teacher here (career switcher in my mid 30s). Just had my first baby 6 months ago. I had to go back to work when he was 8 weeks old (I ran out of sick time) and finished out last school year. I’m back at school this year and my baby goes to an in-home daycare 2 days a week and my mother in law the other 3 days. It’s really hard and I miss him like crazy but he is doing amazing at both places and I am super happy to be back at work. I leave all of my work at work, I don’t grade at home a”

“I taught for three years before having my first child. I worked part time as a tutor, substitute and aide in the last 10 years. I've maintained my teaching certificate. I was planning on returning part time next year while my youngest was 3 so he could be in preschool. I really miss teaching and feel like it's my calling. My husband got a huge raise that essentially doubles our income. He thinks it would be a benefit for our children for me to be at home, available when they are sick, to”

“I am thinking about going back to school this coming spring semester. I am 22 years old, currently pregnant, but by the time school starts my baby will be about 2 months old. I am just wondering if anyone else has done this before or am I crazy? I’ll be a first time mom, I won’t have to worry about working for a while, and I have lots of support from my parents, grandparents, and my husband. I will just be taking one math class to ease myself back into school. I have wanted to get an education e”

“This is the first week back to school and my baby is almost 5 months old. I taught for 9 years, left the classroom and worked at a nonprofit and then college for a while but when I was pregnant, I decided I wanted to leave my miserable higher ed job and go back to the classroom. I really missed teaching, I missed the curriculum planning, and even missed the structure of the school day (I learned I’m someone who doesn’t do well in a remote role). I also really want next summer off with the baby a”

“I’m a kindergarten teacher and also a mom to a 3-year-old and 1-year-old, and I genuinely feel like my nervous system is shot. 😅 I love teaching, and I love coming home to my babies, but kindergarten is SO much sensory input all day long!! 21 little voices needing you, constant questions, noise, transitions, behaviors, touching, decision-making, etc. Then I come home and immediately switch into mom mode with two very little kids who obviously also need me in the same exact ways. My husband is a”

“I’m back at work, my baby is 2 months old and I have a 2 year old at home too. I’m missing them both like crazy. It doesn’t help that I’m fairly new at my new job so everyone still sees me as a rookie, even though I’ve been certified and worked a higher level job for years. Plus I’m the youngest one in the group so I feel a bit left out of conversations and such. I switched jobs because this new job is a better fit for my family but I’m missing my old job so much. I’m working full time and unfor”

“I am returning part time to an elementary school after 6 years as a SAHM. This year has been challenging, we lost multiple pregnancies and money has been tight. I’m so excited to go back to the classroom where I can make my own money and feel better about myself. I remember the challenges of teaching very well and I hope it doesn’t get too overwhelming. Right now I just want to tell you all how excited I am about being a teacher again. submitted by /u/Pangtudou [link] [comments”

“I am a teacher so I have been off for the summer. We return in September (after Labor Day). I have one baby (really a toddler now-15 months). Any other teachers out there feel sick thinking about returning to work? Last summer oddly was difficult returning for a reason of stress and a lot on my plate. This summer however has been unbelievably fun with my toddler and her now big personality. My sadness at returning is ten fold what it was last year. I just can’t imagine not being with her every d”

“Baby is 9 months, but I went back to work when he was about 3 months old, so I've been "back" for a while now. I just had one of the worst work weeks of my career, so much so that my boss called me after a meeting to talk about my performance. I notice it too. My writing is word salad dribble. I re-read the same sentences over and over without understanding them. I can't regurgitate anything in meetings and frequently forget words. The only thing I can think of is that it's”

“To start off I have always wanted kids and I worked with young kids with developmental disabilities for a long time and throughout school my plan was always to be a teacher. I absolutely love helping and hanging out with kids and always have. I was one of the kids at family gatherings always wanting to play with the littler kids and hold the babies lol. When I was pregnant I was very happy and excited but I didn’t feel that strong maternal bond everyone talked about. I remember when I was pregna”

“I took snacks in my bag... I was so hungry. I wore pads because I needed to pee, and I felt secure knowing they were there. I went to bed really early. I told a few closer colleagues that I was nervous and asked for help. As for setting up your class, ask the sub to come in. I'm sure they'd love to help and set it up, especially as it'll be their class for x amount of months. And you said about being private... Stay private. You don't need to tell anyone anything, I didn't. I”

“I’m looking for advice from anyone who’s taught right up until delivery. I’ll be 9 months pregnant when teachers report back this upcoming week (but seriously, where tf did summer go???) Thankfully, I’ll realistically only be working for about 3 weeks before starting maternity leave, but I’m already feeling anxious about it. I’m a 4th grade teacher, so I’ll have 25 ish kids to manage while also being very, very pregnant. I’m not sick (thankfully), but the exhaustion has definitely kicked in. I a”

“not going back to work at SIX WEEKS does not mean she has to be a stay at home mom”

“Congrats on the new baby. I’ve had 4 kids, and felt the same pull back to work/classroom. Actually around the the 3 week mark. Now they are older, I wish I could get those first months back. They only stay small for a little while. There will always be people to teach when you come back to the classroom. Just my 2 cents! Find joy in what every you chose.”