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Twice as Gainfully Employed as Before
Jan. 7th, 2011 10:36 amLast year, I reentered the work force by taking a job as a preschool teacher. I taught the 2 1/2 year olds, and our school had one class in that age group, meeting twice a week. Our school is growing, and we are all very happy that this year we have enough in the age group to offer two classes (each meeting twice a week).
My boss probably would have offered me both classes, but because of my daughter's Health Issues (hear the capitalization?), she felt it best to hire another teacher for the other class. She reasoned that the other teacher would (A) substitute for me when my daughter is hospitalized and (B) make my job easier by sharing the job of writing lesson plans, planning projects, etc. We shared the same classroom (on alternate days), the same aide, and the same curriculum.
I know my boss was just looking out for me and my students, but the situation still made me very nervous. Last year was a real learning year for me. I'm a former secondary school teacher learning how to teach preschoolers. I relied upon my more experienced boss for guidance and worried that she'd get fed up with me. New Teacher, on the other hand, worked in a preschool before and has a master's in speech therapy, quite useful for a preschool teacher. (My master's, in English lit., not so much.) I felt very replacable, and now the school had someone in place to replace me.
Things didn't unfold that way. In a meeting between them in December, New Teacher offered to resign, but Boss said that things weren't at that point yet. Yesterday, Boss told New Teacher, "If you are still willing to resign, I think that would be best."
I was offered the class and accepted, so now I'm teaching four days a week instead of two. I assured Boss that I can handle that and Daughter's Health Issues unless she has another long hospitalization.* Boss assured me that they would work things out and handle it if that happens.
*I also learned yesteday that Daughter's PELD score has remained at 25, and she isn't likely to get a good liver unless it goes higher. Her chances of getting a new liver this school year are low.
My boss probably would have offered me both classes, but because of my daughter's Health Issues (hear the capitalization?), she felt it best to hire another teacher for the other class. She reasoned that the other teacher would (A) substitute for me when my daughter is hospitalized and (B) make my job easier by sharing the job of writing lesson plans, planning projects, etc. We shared the same classroom (on alternate days), the same aide, and the same curriculum.
I know my boss was just looking out for me and my students, but the situation still made me very nervous. Last year was a real learning year for me. I'm a former secondary school teacher learning how to teach preschoolers. I relied upon my more experienced boss for guidance and worried that she'd get fed up with me. New Teacher, on the other hand, worked in a preschool before and has a master's in speech therapy, quite useful for a preschool teacher. (My master's, in English lit., not so much.) I felt very replacable, and now the school had someone in place to replace me.
Things didn't unfold that way. In a meeting between them in December, New Teacher offered to resign, but Boss said that things weren't at that point yet. Yesterday, Boss told New Teacher, "If you are still willing to resign, I think that would be best."
I was offered the class and accepted, so now I'm teaching four days a week instead of two. I assured Boss that I can handle that and Daughter's Health Issues unless she has another long hospitalization.* Boss assured me that they would work things out and handle it if that happens.
*I also learned yesteday that Daughter's PELD score has remained at 25, and she isn't likely to get a good liver unless it goes higher. Her chances of getting a new liver this school year are low.