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Richelle - posted on 02/12/2010

I've been thinking of taking a leave of absence or going part-time...it's a hard decision when you need the second income, but really want to be at home raising your own child! The idea of someone else raising my son really bothers me!! I'm still very torn on what to do. I will keep my certificate up-to-date so that no matter what I decide, I can always teach at some point. If I do go back to teaching, my husband is a teacher too, we have decided that nothing comes home with us (no marking, planning, etc.), everything will be done at work, and we're not volunteering for any coaching or committees until years down the road. Our number one priority is our child, not other peoples children! Teaching pays the bills.

Catherine - posted on 02/11/2010

I agree with the other posters- if you don't need the benefits or income and you want to stay home DO IT!! But, if you need to work then remember that you can't be the same teacher you were before you had your baby because it is different now.

I have had the feeling of wanting to give up on teaching before having kids and now that I have my son- it is a roller coaster of teaching- some years are harder or more stressful than others. But usually the positive outways the negative in the whole picture of everything. (How long have you been teaching?) Find other moms with young kids at your school or district and see what tricks they have to get home to family fast and ready for family fun. Either way I would suggest to keep your credential current so that if you decide to go back to teaching later you won't have to retest on everything. Good luck with your decision.

Lisa - posted on 02/08/2010

I don't think I'd give up teaching. I just wish I wasn't so busy after school. Every time I turn around I am doing another training or committee meeting after school. The thing that makes it easier is that my husband is a stay at home dad so my 6 month old son is home with him all day. When I do have something after school (which has been a lot more recently) I have a great network of family and friends that watch him free of charge. I think another thing that helps is I teach in a small school (400 kids grades 6-12, 100 of them are high schoolers) so I am the high school math teacher. I know the kids really well being I had most of them last year. It makes it a lot easier and I feel like I have time to rest, relax, and play with my son when I get home.

Nichole - posted on 02/08/2010

Funny, I think I said the same thing to my husband just the other day... Unfortunately, my not working is not an option for us as my income is the steady one in our family and I am also the one with health insurance, etc.... I say, if you don't have to work and you want to stay home with your child - go for it! If that's not an option, know that there are others who feel the same way and can relate to what you are going through and will support you and walk with you!

Julia - posted on 02/07/2010

You didn't mention how old your child is, or whether or not you MUST work. If you have a choice, and your child is younger than 6, then I'd say stay home with her, but you need to think about if you'd be happy being a stay-at-home mom. If you MUST work, could you find a part time or job-share position? My sister did that for many years, until the school district eliminated job share positions to save money (they were giving benefits to both teachers in each job share position). After that, she decided to be a substitute teacher, which pays about half of what she was making, but she likes the flexibility. She doesn't work every day, and she can help in her children's classrooms and help with homework, etc. She has 3 boys, 14, 12 and 8, and this has worked for her, although she really misses the medical benefits because her husband is self-employed. Before you decide think about what will work best for you and your family, because the decision is different for everyone! Good luck!

Jeannine - posted on 02/07/2010

All the time, it's so not fair to my own kids. BUT I love the job that I have, since I have to work, it is the best job I can have with small kids... I just know that some days are better than others-for instance tomorrow I have a snow day=good day! It's not fair to our babies on those rough days, but think of all the benefits you can offer your kids that other parents don't have-teaching strategies, behavior plans, personal skills... good luck!