The (less obvious) reasons why going back to work really is OK

Stephanie C - 17 Feb 16

My 11 month maternity leave is coming to an end.  In just over 4 short weeks, I’ll be back at work, drowning in unmarked books, planning poetry lessons at all hours and stressing about pending data entry deadlines.  It sounds like hell and it can be, probably will be, but right now, I. CAN’T. WAIT.

Don’t get me wrong, maternity leave has been a blast and despite the many, many challenges of owning a tiny person, it’s been a breeze compared to teaching secondary English.  It’s been an overwhelming experience of countless laughs, tears, horrays and boos and I’m very aware of how fortunate I am that I could take almost a whole year off, but now, I’m ready to start the process of learning how to manage life around work.  And a learning curve it will be.  I’m anticipating tough days when I have to do a day’s work on 3 hours sleep, or times when I have to sneak off to have a cry and scroll through all his photos on my phone just to get through the afternoon, and I’m trying to prepare myself for the very possible horror of picking him up from nursery one day only to find out I missed a major milestone – his first word or his first step.  I know I’m going to miss the lazy mornings of cuddles and playtime and I’m fully aware that I won’t see my very lovely mum-friends – who’ve been a complete life-line – anywhere near as much.  Going back to work will present its challenges both practical and emotional but despite my declaration to my husband at the start of my maternity leave that I very well might leave teaching altogether to become a full-time mum, I know now that I want to work and more specifically, I want to be a teacher.

In preparation for the big comeback, I went into school last week for a keeping-in-touch day.  I wasn’t especially desperate to go in to be honest; I’d had my first and only other KIT day back in October and I left feeling confused and scared and a little bit incidental so I decided that for the rest of my time off, I’d take a head-in-sand approach.  Going in last Wednesday, I was expecting to feel the same – I even wondered if I’d end up feeling worse.

Happily though, I couldn’t have been wrong.  I got home from work with a smile on my face and excitedly told hubster all about my day; how much fun I’d had spending time with people I think so highly of, how much I’d learned about many, many (cheers, Gove) changes to the exam courses, how the kids hadn’t forgotten me – and I was buzzing.  It felt good for all the clichéd reasons (brain still operational, no nappy talk, sense of purpose) but there was more to it than just this.

So in anticipation of my – and maybe yours, or maybe someone you know’s (excellent grammar) return to work, here are some of the less obvious reasons why going back to work really is OK.

1 – Compliments From Colleagues

When you have a kid, people seem to think you’re going to look rough as all hell for the rest of time.  They probably picture you as the 8 month pregnant, bloated, exhausted mess that you were before you finished work pre-baby. So when you turn up partially fresh-faced (because adrenaline is good for your complexion), with aaaallll the make-up on and not bursting out of maternity wear, they are shocked to say the least.  The amount of people who told me “you look AMAAAAZING!” was, quite frankly, amazing – because I didn’t.  I just looked like the old me.  Alright, not 100% the old me but my ankles have definitely got their figure back and hey, I’ll take that.

2 – The ‘Other Colleagues’

Ok so this one is unique to teachers or those of us who work with young people in some capacity.  Teenagers are beautifully/brutally honest and offer an incredible amount of insight into the world, and often, yourself.  So when a former student runs up to you, hugs you and tells you “Miss! I’ve missed you!” then asks “can you be my English teacher again?”  it’s time to feel really bloody good about yourself.  And when you overhear another student saying to his friend “ugh, Miss C is back – I hate her” you just need to remember that young people don’t have a clue about anything and they mostly saunter through life with their trousers round their arse, chatting complete shite.

3 – Work Talk

No I don’t mean talk about work, I mean the talk you can talk at work that you can’t talk at home because little person might just start copying one of these days.  In short; swear words.  I love swearing, probably a bit more than I should but honestly, I get so much pleasure from it and I’m almost certain my stress and anxiety decrease significantly with the dropping of every F-bomb.  Back amongst my colleagues who know me and have no problem (I think) with my penchant for swearing, I let loose – I got almost a year’s worth of naughties out in 8 hours and I’m sure this was a big contributing factor to how good I felt at the end of the day.  And no, I didn’t slip up in front of students.  Or management.  They’re probably less enthused about my theory of the positive correlation between swear words and stress levels than I am.

4 – Work Wardrobe

Before I had my son, I used to bemoan the process of choosing what to wear to work and trying to look professional everyday.  It conflicted with the real me, the one who likes baggy jumpers, dungarees and trainers and has no problem with greasy hair.  But after a year in ‘me clothes,’ (read: looking like shit) I’m looking forward to investing in some nice threads so I can go to work feeling all sassy and what-not.  I’m not going to go whole-hog and start ironing or anything but I am planning on dressing up and looking nice every day I’m at work.  I might even wear heels even though I’ve completely lost the knack of walking in them and might very well end up with bunions.

5 – The Commute

Lots of people dread their commute and admittedly, I used to be one of them.  But despite the crowded train, the angry silence of a hoard of people who’d rather be in bed, the less than favourable scent of the armpit my nose was squished into (#shortpeopleproblems) my jaunt to work for the day allowed me to see commuting in a new light.  Rather than an opportunity to elbow a complete stranger in the back, I now realise it’s a chance for some quiet ‘me time,’ to read up on the FTSE 100, to listen to some of the most sophisticated classical music of all time.  Or you know, logon to your favourite, most ridiculous celebrity gossip website and catch up on the lastest scandal.

On that, can we talk about the fact that I just found out that the one from One D broke up with the one from Little Mix and now he’s gone solo and dating a supermodel??  Not that I care of course, I just need to know what my students know cos they care about this stuff and having something in common with them will make my return to work easier, I’ll have something to talk about with them and I’ll be a better teacher with better relationships with my classes and therefore, better exam results.  Or something…

6 – Coffee

There’s a coffee machine in the staff room.  It’s free.  Nuff said.

Stephanie C

Two boy mama, Irish, Londoner, secondary English teacher, runner, occasional climber, pun enthusiast, laugh-out-loud-er, insta-addict Follow me on Instagram: @seppicino Intersted in contributing to my personal blog? www.dearstupidparents.com - all writer's welcome

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