Category: Working Mama

So work is moving right along. You know, it’s called work, so it’s not all rainbows and unicorns, but really, it’s not that bad. I do have to say that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE working in the room next door to MAM. I LOVE seeing her on the playground for a few minutes before lunch. I LOVE seeing her in the hallway and seeing her wave, and hearing her say, “Hey! It’s my mom! Hi Mama!” I LOVE peeking in on her during the work cycle through the classroom observation windows. It really is the best job perk ever.

Friday was the first staff development day I’ve attended this year, and we spent the day discussing and working through the book Strength Finder 2.0. It is a personality type test sort of book, that has identified 34 traits of successful people. You take an online test, and it comes up with your top five strengths. The idea behind it is that instead of focusing on your weaknesses, focus on what you are good at, and channel your strengths into helping you accomplish what you need to do.

Since there are 34 traits, apparently there are over 33 million different possible ways to order your strengths. Each ordering is fairly unique, and in our little group, there was quite a range of strengths, with a few strong themes. Six of the eight of us came up with “learner” as a strength, which is probably fairly commoner in a group of educators and career-changers.

My top five were not surprising at all–I told a good friend of mine (and former coworker) what the were, and she replied, “well, I could have told you that!”

My top five strengths are:

Communication Strategy Adaptability Learner Responsibility

Communication: No shocker here. I like to talk. The only thing I ever got in trouble for in school was talking. I have a blog. I freaking update my Facebook status via cell phone so my friends know what I am doing. Yeah. I’m a communicator.

Adaptability: I go with the flow. No surprise.

Learner: I’m a teacher. I’m constantly picking up new information. No surprise.

Responsibility: I’m the oldest daughter. No surprise.

The only surprise for me was the word Strategy. Well, it was a surprise until I read about it, and then started talking about how I might prepare for an event…and when people around the table started looking at me a little funny, well, I knew I was a little different. Apparently, I strategize more than your average bear.

I told them that I get everything ready for the next day the night before. The weekend I went out-of-town, I made lists of what needed to be ready for Monday morning….the Thursday before hand. I plan to go to the store before we are down to the last 2 1/2 gallons of Rice Drink (and match coupons to sales as much as humanly possible). I really, really plan my errands so there is no back tracking. I try to plan out our weekends for the month at the very beginning of the month, so I can see whether or not we can fit everything in. I think through the whole day before I leave the house so that I have everything in the car.

Is this so very different from you, friends who live in my computer???

So my first week back to work has been going well. In a way, it’s like I never left…..what I am noticing however, is how the time outside of work spent not sleeping is so incredibly limited. 

Ok, party is probably the wrong word….but regardless, it’s time for me to go back to work. Tomorrow. All things considered, Junior being born right after school got out (thanks for waiting for us to get back from Florida, sweet boy) was perfect timing for us. I had all summer at home with him, and with MAM, and then I got to take some family leave when the school year actually started. Had he been born in August, I’d still be going back to work now, but he’d be that much younger.