What it's like being a Teacher Mum

When you become a parent, you are on duty 24/7. That new little person is 100% your responsibility and your life is utterly consumed by their existence. However as they grow, you might return to work and spend the hours of 9-5 in an office. 8 hours of kid free time…

Not teacher mums! We go back to work and are still surrounded by little people with no escape. 24/7. At the start of this year I went back to work part time after having my second child, and here’s a little insight into what life is like as a teacher mum.

• First and foremost naming your child will be extremely difficult. Your partner will come up with suggestions to which you will reply “no I taught a kid with that name.”
• You usually get to work feeling like you’ve already been through a war. Whether it was the getting dressed tantrums, dealing with nappy changes, wrangling them into the car when they do the pelvic thrust, or tears at the child care drop off, you arrive at work feeling like you already need a break. But you can’t because you have to have a fight with the photocopier, make a coffee (because you wont survive your day without it) and head to your classroom on time to greet the students and their parents. 
• Patience. Patience is the key to being a good and successful teacher, and when you have children of your own this patience can be hard to find. But you do, because you see those 28 smiling faces looking up at you saying “Good morning Miss” and they are in your care for the day. And because it’s your job.
• You usually work through your recess and lunch breaks, eating on yard duty or at your desk because you want to try and get your marking done rather than leaving it all piling up to do after school. Because after school there are little people waiting to see you. You are much more efficient with your time than you were pre-kids.
• You’ll have a new found compassion for children. Your maternal instinct will kick in if they get hurt or someone is being unkind to them. You’ll think to yourself “what if that was my kid?”, “what would I want the teacher to do”… This also goes for the separation in the mornings – if one of your students is teary – you can say to the parent “I totally understand, I have been where you are myself this morning, don’t worry, they’ll be fine”
• You know all the cool TV shows like Paw Patrol and Octonauts - those teacher types without kids have no idea!
• If you’re doing a particular unit on sea creatures or bugs, you probably have a whole stack of toys at home that you can bring in to school!
• You know how to teach your own kid. Not to boast, but my 4 year old can write her name, colour in the lines and draw pictures that actually look like things!
• You’ll be that parent at your kid’s day care or kindy – the one who’s on the parent committee and volunteers for things. Yep that’s me.
• After school you will feel completely exhausted from your day of teaching. And pre-kids you would have just collapsed on the couch to watch The Bold and the Beautiful. But as a teacher mum, once you walk through the door all of a sudden the requests for food and drink start rolling in. And there’s more mess to clean, more toys to tidy, baths to run and children to put to bed. 
• At about 8pm when all is quiet and you finally have a minute to yourself, you suddenly realise that you’ve planned a science experiment with the class the next day and you need to round up some materials from home, and find a worksheet printable from the internet. You check your emails to make sure you are all up to date with everything for the following day, perhaps there’s a yard duty to be swapped or a lesson needing to be covered. 
• And then if you’re anything like me you’ll have dreams about being late to school!

There will be days when you’ll feel that a day of teaching is easier than a day at home with the kids. At school when you’re in “teacher mode” you’re in control, you’re doing your thang, you’re doing your job which you do very well.

But then when you’re home you can stay in your PJs for a few extra hours, your toddler will take a nap and your 4 year old will watch a movie while you scroll through Instagram.

Each job has it’s pros and cons.

And I love them both.

Lauren x