There are many different articles and stories written or talked about relating to motherhood. One of the things not mentioned is going back to work. There are a lot of mothers now who get to stay at home with their children, but some also want to get back to work or have to.
Here at Rochester, many teachers have had kids or are about to, and their lives are going to change very drastically. One teacher here at RHS that is figuring out her new normal with a baby is Mrs. D’Addario.
Mrs. D’Addario has a daughter named Adelynn, who is currently 16 months old. Although she is over a year old, she hasn’t been in day care for that long. After having Adelynn, Mrs. D’Addario took a semester off to enjoy all of the amazing things of being a mom. This year, being her first full year back to work has left her with some new challenges to overcome.
When asked about what the biggest difference she had to realize and overcome with becoming a working mom was, she responded by saying, “The biggest difference I’ve noticed for me personally is the lack of free time I have after school. I used to be able to do whatever I wanted after school without a care in the world! My day now consists of planning for the next day, grade, respond to emails and then pick up Adelynn from daycare. So, now I just have to be more intentional with any free time.”
She went on to describe the hardest part for her personally was the “mental load of everything I’m thinking about on a daily basis,” she proceeds to say that she is constantly thinking of so many things in her head like, “Did I pack all the right things for Adelynn’s daycare? What am I teaching tomorrow? Did I print off the notes? What should I pack for lunch? What should I wear? How should I respond to that email?” To help with all these constant things in her head, she agreed that staying organized at home with a family calendar has really made a big difference.
Finally, Mrs. D’Addario was asked what the most important thing that has helped her she responded with, “honestly, my support system, both at home and my RHS family has helped me get back into reality. My husband Nathan always asks me what I’m teaching throughout the week and about how things are going. My colleagues are RHS are always there ready to listen, give a hug, or offer advice. Overall, I try to be as fully present as I can when I’m at school and when I’m home with Adelynn. I’m extremely passionate about teaching, so the conversations I have and the relationships I build with students every day bring me back to the reality of why I love my job so much. And of course, going home to my daughter and seeing her smile and laugh brings me the greatest joy.
It is important to support working moms and their journey back into work. Here at RHS, many teachers are appreciated and there are plenty of mothers in our staff. Keep up the support! Go Falcons!
