Category: Working Mama

As much as I haven’t posted about it lately, I still have a “real” job–you know, in addition to being mom to MAM and so forth, I am a teacher of young children. This summer I worked in the school office, and it was fairly uneventful. But now, it’s that time of year–school is starting next week.

But really it isn’t.

Really, the building that’s being built for us, isn’t ready yet.

Really, every day the schedule for completion changes. Every day I go in with an agenda, and every day, it is curtailed and put off another day.

Really, we will be at an off-site location for at least three days next week. Not having school, because you can’t just up and move an entire Montessori school for three days.

Really, it will be a summer camp of sorts.

Really, if I wanted to be a camp counselor, I would have continued as one at Girl Scout camp.

Really, now my teaching partner and I have to plan a week of summer camp, and also set up our classroom environments also.

Really, I’m tired of smiling and saying, “it’s OK’.

Really, it’s not OK at all.

It’s another. Like having to switch around my schedule to help cover at school* because someone has quit. And my boss is in Europe. And now I’m working til 6pm every night. And trying to place ads everywhere I can think of so that we can hire someone to do be here unitl 6pm every night. Can’t you hear tiny violins weeping for me???

Fortunately, I can break it down into a list of pros and cons. Well, mostly cons. But there are a few pros:

Pros: the Babe will have a shorter daycare day, because I will bring her in at 9:30am and BgK will bring her home at 4:30pm

Cons: I will be here until 6pm each night.

Pros: It’s only till our fearless leader returns, then I bug out on vacation and won’t return til July 9th.

Cons: Have I mentioned that I’m here til 6pm?

Pros: Another staffer has graciously offerred to work open-close on Monday and Friday so that I am still only working 3 days per week.

Cons: Ok, there’s no con there. If she wasn’t willing to do that, I’d be screwed.

*you might be thinking, “It’s summer? Who goes to school during the summer?” Well, fifteen of our students do in our “summer program”.

It’s done for 9 weeks or so. The children attending that is. There’s still 2 days worth of packing, and well, 20 more children to recruit and enroll, and a facility to relocate.

We all survived the picnic in the hot noon sun. There were more antics by disgruntled employees, but I ignored them and just enjoyed the really nice lunch they demanded (and then boycotted).

There were lots of hugs and thank yous from parents and children. Then I loaded up M and my friend’s daughter and we came home for quiet time. I like quiet time.