I can hardly believe it but this is the last week of term which means I have been back at work now for a whole half term (that sounds like an oxymoron!). It has FLOWN by. Working two days a week is splendid in a lot of ways: the working week is over before you know it; the preparation time is much reduced; I have a lot less marking. And even though I am not there every day, I still get the benefits of work including time with my wonderful colleagues, time in the classroom with the kids, a bit of money and a break away from being Mama Kate by being Mrs B instead.
I still don’t have the balance down yet. I still haven’t worked out how to transition smoothly between being an at-home mama with an indefatigable one-year-old and a six-year-old who is busier than all of us put together and being a teacher who is on top of it all (I honestly thought this would be achievable when I am in only two days and perhaps it is, just not immediately – I am really trying to work on being kinder to myself and not expecting too much).
I am waiting to be really tested at work, emotionally. I worry about that. I still find things more difficult than usual – I keep telling myself that it is the lack of sleep because I am too scared and tired and busy to dwell on it.
The most surprising thing of all, though, is that I am actually really enjoying being back at work (Wednesday night anxiety aside). We may have a ridiculous amount to do and we may have to do a lot of tasks that are soul-crushing but teachers do get to work in an environment which is ever changing and rarely boring. And as for the kids, it might surprise you to learn that, for the vast majority of the time, they are a source of amusement, inspiration and delight.
Notes From My Day 