To Work or Not To Work?

That is no longer a question! I never thought that I would be a stay-at-home mom. I guess growing up in a house where both parents worked full time and where my sister and I were raised to be independent women, it never really entered my mind that I would be at home with the kids some day while my husband was the sole financial provider. But here I am! I have decided to stay at home.

I made this decision earlier in the year, after having Fletcher and planned my pregnancy and his birth with this in mind. I wanted him toward the end of the school year so I could use the sick leave I had earned, but have the summer ahead for more time at home and time to decide what to do. However, as the pregnancy advanced, I found myself considering the home option more and more and after having him, there was no question, although I hesitated to make it final. I only had to return to work for two weeks to finish up the school year. I felt like I could round off my career for the time being and begin a new chapter in life at a good stopping point.

This past week is when teachers in my former district returned to work. I didn't miss the return in the least bit. Which is a good thing. I thought I might have regrets or second guess myself, but being with Fletcher every day is so much more meaningful to me than being in a classroom right now. Maybe some day I'll return or maybe I'll pursue other interests.

I love teaching children and working with children. However, anyone in the education field these days can tell you that teaching has changed. It feels that data collection and standards and accreditation have taken over the student-teacher dynamics that used to make teaching and learning fun. Having to overtest and analyze every student in every standard every day makes for a lot of distraction from the true tasks at hand: teaching, learning, and growing without Big Brother pressures breathing down your neck. Which get stronger and stronger as they make their way down from district heads to the classroom. Making students feel comfortable in the classroom to learn without having this constant pressure to perform well at all times is quite the balancing act and does get awfully tiring.

So, this week, I thought of this...data collection and testing...Do I miss it?



Or would I rather be doing this? Hanging out with my son in Arlington, VA and touring a bit of Washington, D.C.? More on this trip in another post, but here are some pictures to enjoy for now. I said a prayer of thanksgiving this morning when I woke up to work at home rather than having to wake up earlier to get to work on time, leaving him behind. I keep saying, I'd like to try it if we can afford it and see how it goes. Right now, it's going great and I feel lucky to have the chance to try!