Originally Posted by
acmom
I accepted a new position about a month ago - a full time teaching position that will start in Sept. I have been working very part time (inconsistent hours) for the past 6 years in a non-classroom position and haven't had a full time classroom in about 10 years. My youngest of 3 goes to K in the fall so I was keeping my eye out for something with more hours and more consistency when this position popped up. I wasn't initially thinking of returning to the classroom at all or taking something full time, but this position/school seemed like a great fit so I applied. It is a private school, the people I met were great and I felt like its philosophy aligned really well with mine and I could send my daughter there for K (and I really liked their K program philosophically).
In the last few weeks, I have been growing more nervous about the jump to full time, as it will be a huge adjustment for me and our family...I have most of the responsibility for the kids/house stuff as my husband's schedule is really busy and not flexible at all. He is very willing to help and support me as he can, but there is only so much he can do with his schedule (he typically works 7-7ish, some evenings weekends on call and travels 1 day week). To add to that, I went to a few professional development meetings this week and got even more nervous and overwhelmed. It seems they are overhauling their curriculum and moving to all programs I have never used before. Plus it seems like they are experiencing a bit of a philosophical shift as they do it. Its not so much that the new programs are awful, but I was drawn to this job and school for my daughter because of fit/philosophy, which definitely seems to be changing. And the new programs all seem to have a fairly steep learning curve. I am now afraid that the leap to full time will be much harder as I really will be starting from scratch in a new school, new grade, and all new curriculum with a philosophical fit that doesn't feel good anymore.
So I am now rethinking this career move. But I am trying to decide if this is just nerves about returning to work that I need to push through or if I need to listen to my gut and change course. Any advice??
I suspect you would feel nervous and overwhelmed about returning to full-time work in any situation. Transitions are hard. Not only does it mean learning a new job, meeting new coworkers and performing professionally, but your home life will shift as well. It will be challenging at times and you won't have the flexibility you have now. But that's not a bad thing. You will grow as an individual and professional. As a parent, I've toured many pubic and private schools and found they all have a feeling, a pulse. It sounds like the school feeling was good initially and I would put a good amount of value on that. Professional development and reevaluating curriculum, especially after the last year and a half, sounds positive to me.
Since you accepted the position, give it a year. But set yourself up for success - hire a housecleaner if you don't have one, talk to your kids about the change, use sitters if it helps and don't be afraid to pick up takeout. The atmosphere at our private school is so caring and a good handful of teachers have kids there too. Turnover is low and support for the staff is high. I hope you have the same experience.
Mom to Two Wild and Crazy Boys and One Sweet Baby Girl