Balancing The Work Load

Tuesday, 15 January 2008

I am currently reassessing this back to work thing. At least back to teaching. It's only Day Two, and already I am thinking that, I know. But, it's an adjustment for sure. The hours are fine, but for the amount of work my job requires (as all you teachers know, you always put in more hours than you are actually teaching!), I'm not sure it's worth it. In fact, I don't know if I can even get things done. By waking up at 6 am, getting myself ready, making breakfast and eating, then getting Chase ready and nursing him, then trudging all of our bags up the 85 stairs to the car (and today when he spit up all of his milk all over me and him at around stair # 65, that didn't really help..I was just frantically looking at my watch wondering how late I was going to be as I changed his shirt before I put him in the carseat...forget that I had milk all over me too, but there was no time for me to change.) , then dropping him off to either his Nana yesterday and Miya today, orienting them on when he was last fed, and then getting in the car again and driving off to school, competing for a parking stall (because now all the parents are there trying to drop off their kids), I end up walking into my classroom right before 8 am (which is when school starts!). Then I have to go to the office to check my mailbox and sign in, today I managed to make it to the library to borrow some books for read alouds, but I kept thinking, "Nobody talk to me or stop me because I don't have time" and "Gee, I kinda have to go to the bathroom, but too late now, I don't have time." Then, I have to walk to the other side of campus to pick up the kindergartners to promptly start class at 8:15 am.

I have classes back to back...Drop off those kindergartners, then another set of kindergartners get picked up at 8:45 am and then dropped off at 9:15 am. First graders come next (and today we had a whole class of them which made things a little hairy), and then at 10 am, RECESS! Whew! But, although I would like to go to the bathroom, I'm trying to get these kids to finish up their writing, plus I need to go over to my desk to pump or I will be engorged. I end up "teaching" students from my desk while I'm pumping under my 'hooter hider' into the next period (when one child asks me, during our writing conference, "What's that noise?" and I just claim ignorance.)

I have to go wash out my pump stuff and get the milk put away while the second graders and fourth graders are doing their thing, and then fifth and sixth graders come at 11 am, and then the last set of kindergartners and first graders come at 12 noon and the second recess bell rings at 12:35 pm, indicating I'm now done for the day! But, today, I have to go talk to the principal and talk to a couple of teachers before I leave. I don't end up leaving until close to 1 pm (and I still don't have time for the bathroom) and now I'm already late to pick up Chase.

I get to Miya's at 1:15 pm and Chase is happily playing with toys and Taiga's cars. She says he was really good, didn't fuss, ate poi and squash and some milk, pulled Taiga's hair once, scratched his own face (so she cut his nails), took a nap, went for a walk, and was good in the baby carrier, and was happy-go-lucky and smiley. Sounds like he did much better than yesterday, though he did sleep better last night that's for sure!

So, although Chase is doing well with the sitters, I don't know how I'm supposed to prep for teaching and get all of my stuff done (xeroxing, etc.) unless I go to school at 5:30 am or go back after I pick Chase up at 2 pm. On my half-time salary, I don't think so! All I'm ready to do when I leave school is go to pick up Chase so I can nurse him (so I won't be engorged), use the bathroom, eat lunch, and take a nap. In fact, it's a good thing that Taiga and Miya tired Chase out today because he's sleeping now that we've gotten home, and I'm about to do the same.

Am I supposed to cook dinner too?! Wow...balancing work (especially teaching) and caring for a newborn is hard work. If only I could teach from home. When am I supposed to plan?? In my sleep? (Actually, while nursing in the middle of the night, at about 3 am, I WAS thinking about what I was going to teach each class today!) At least I am an experienced teacher, but I really shouldn't wing it everyday! My goal: To get through the week.