Tuesday, August 20, 2013

How a teacher preparing to go back to school is like a mom preparing for a baby

As a teacher you are often mistakenly called "mom," "grandma" and sometimes even "dad." I know everyone has to already know how much teaching is like parenting, but as I have been setting up my classroom these last few weeks I've been pondering the comparisons between an elementary teacher preparing to go back to school and a mom preparing to have a baby...
ONE: You have to get your rooms ready. Everything has to be washed and everything new has to be wiped down. You spend countless hours debating what should go where and how high to hang things with your future children in mind.
TWO: You start rampantly trying to cross things off your list before the big day because you know you will have no time once the day arrives when your kid(s) come. You think about preparing meals in advance and even planning out clothes you will be able to wear when the kid(s) come because your style is about to change.
THREE: You start planning out events that you will do with your soon to be family. Songs to sing, games to play, activities and things to do on your first days together.
FOUR: You set out books and toys that are your favorites to share and you hope your children love them as much as you did as a child.
FIVE: They are under your complete control and supervision for a solid 9 months.
SIX: You go out and get your haircut, nails done, eyebrows waxed, etc. knowing you won't be getting pampered for quite a while since you will have people besides yourself who take priority.
SEVEN: Once the kid(s) finally arrive it's all about firsts and you document it all in pictures to put into a slide show to document the year. Routine also plays a big role and if a routine is offset your children will let you know!
EIGHT: When your new children arrive you are nervous, but excited. Your heart is full knowing how much they will love and adore you even if they don't always appreciate all you do for them at the time. It is worth it!

Good luck to all the new teachers starting another school year (and all the mom's starting their new journey). You DO make a difference!

*And no I'm not pregnant...at least not that I know of. :)

9 comments:

Brittany Kyte said...

I would imagine teaching is a LOT like parenting!! The beginning of the school year is always the most exciting!

Erica said...

Aww this made me miss teaching! So sweet, and so accurate! :)

Unknown said...

This is perfect. :)

Susannah said...

This is so great! There definitely are a lot of similarites! Also, I love the adendum you added. ;-)

Amanda said...

I agree with you 110%!!! It's exactly like that :) I'm loving being in my classroom getting it all set up :) Good luck with yours!

alison said...

I never thought about it that way, but you are so right! all 742 of my "children" arrived 2 weeks ago! ;)

Amanda said...

Ha! This is hilarious. I never thought about the 9 months thing before!

Anonymous said...

Love it! There are a ton of teachers in my family - including my mom, so I whole-heartedly admire and respect the teacher. Shaping lives! It's an amazing task.

Best of luck with your upcoming school year.

-Amy

Rach said...

I've never thought about this, but it's all so true!