Are you having a hard time finding a balance between being a mom and teacher? As a new mom I was struggling to find this so called balance between working as a full time kinder teacher and being a mom. My mom stayed home with me growing up, and it was something I always hoped I could do as well. BUT, I also love my job as a Kindergarten teacher and did not want to give that up! It was the grade I always knew I wanted to teach, and to walk away seemed impossible. I knew I would miss it and not feel that fulfillment of having a career. (Anyone else never know what they want?)🙋
That is when my principal at the time approached me and asked if I had considered job sharing. This sounded too good to be true, but was something I looked further into.
Sure enough, our school district allows two teachers to share one position and work opposite days. My job share partner, Jeanne, (the cherry on top of our scoops 😊 ) was interested in doing this with me! Our kiddos are only 2 months apart, so this was perfect for us! Her sister also job shares, so she knew how it worked!
For the last two years I have been part time and job sharing with Jeanne, and it has been great! She works Mondays and Tuesdays and I work Thursdays and Fridays and we rotate Wednesdays. I feel an awesome balance at home, and when I need a break it is time for me to be back in the classroom! (Although I'm still never caught up on laundry, but that's a different story) I did not give up the profession I love, but also did not give up time with my daughter as she grew!
Tips for starting a job share
1. If you are interested in job sharing definitely look at your contract first. It was not necessarily something they advertised, but we had to do some research to find it. We also had to write up a proposal together, detailing everything from how we would handle SIP days to parent teacher conferences. We wanted admin to know we had figured out all the nitty gritty details!
2. Find someone who you know you could communicate well with. Jeanne and I write in a log daily on the days we work to fill the other in on how the day went. We also often call/text each other to fill each other in as well. This would NOT work unless we were good communicators and kept in touch often!
3. Stay organized! Have a spot for the other person's mail, papers, etc. Make sure everything has a spot so it is easy to locate for the other person. Jeanne is DEFINITELY more organized than me 😂, so she helps me with this.
4. Talk to your principal. I did not think my principal or any principal would be on board, but sure enough both principals we have had have been awesome with it! Express your thoughts and if this is a structure that would work for you!
If you have any questions you can contact us!! We are lucky to have a constant teacher in the room, Gloria, who can also fill us in on the day we missed etc. But, even if you aren't in a team teaching situation, a job share could definitely still work for you!
Good luck!
That is when my principal at the time approached me and asked if I had considered job sharing. This sounded too good to be true, but was something I looked further into.
Sure enough, our school district allows two teachers to share one position and work opposite days. My job share partner, Jeanne, (the cherry on top of our scoops 😊 ) was interested in doing this with me! Our kiddos are only 2 months apart, so this was perfect for us! Her sister also job shares, so she knew how it worked!
For the last two years I have been part time and job sharing with Jeanne, and it has been great! She works Mondays and Tuesdays and I work Thursdays and Fridays and we rotate Wednesdays. I feel an awesome balance at home, and when I need a break it is time for me to be back in the classroom! (Although I'm still never caught up on laundry, but that's a different story) I did not give up the profession I love, but also did not give up time with my daughter as she grew!
Tips for starting a job share
1. If you are interested in job sharing definitely look at your contract first. It was not necessarily something they advertised, but we had to do some research to find it. We also had to write up a proposal together, detailing everything from how we would handle SIP days to parent teacher conferences. We wanted admin to know we had figured out all the nitty gritty details!
2. Find someone who you know you could communicate well with. Jeanne and I write in a log daily on the days we work to fill the other in on how the day went. We also often call/text each other to fill each other in as well. This would NOT work unless we were good communicators and kept in touch often!
3. Stay organized! Have a spot for the other person's mail, papers, etc. Make sure everything has a spot so it is easy to locate for the other person. Jeanne is DEFINITELY more organized than me 😂, so she helps me with this.
4. Talk to your principal. I did not think my principal or any principal would be on board, but sure enough both principals we have had have been awesome with it! Express your thoughts and if this is a structure that would work for you!
If you have any questions you can contact us!! We are lucky to have a constant teacher in the room, Gloria, who can also fill us in on the day we missed etc. But, even if you aren't in a team teaching situation, a job share could definitely still work for you!
Good luck!
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