Back to School

Today was my first day back at school. The kids have this week and then finals next week, and I felt that it would be wise to go back before summer break so that five and a half months wouldn't pass before I had to be away from Lydia. These two weeks provide a nice ease into the real deal that will be next year, largely because Lydia is home with my mom (and aunt and brother) this week and with Robin's mom next week. It is a lot easier to leave your baby with family than at daycare.

Today went well. It was hard to see my classroom running differently than when I left it, but that's a simple result of a different person teaching. It also felt strange when a student told me it felt like I was the sub because I had been gone so long.

The sheer logistics of today went smoothly. I figured out that I prefer to pump in my classroom as opposed to the bathroom/"lactation room" upstairs, as I wasn't a huge fan of coworkers walking in to use the restroom and seeing me with breast pump attached. I then stashed the bottles of milk in a paper bag and put them in the lounge fridge (a lovely surprise for someone looking to snatch pretzels or a sandwich), since I didn't have a good cooler ready to go. I have a glimpse of the stress that accompanies working and breastfeeding, as I am really nervous that during the next two weeks, Lydia will plow through the milk I pump at school, as well as my freezer store. As with many things, I had heard stories of how difficult the balance of work and feeding can be, but I didn't really believe it until today.

It was wonderful to see co-workers that I have missed a lot during my leave, and I enjoyed seeing (most of) my students. I was able to tell 90%(!!!) of them that they passed their ELA TAKS (the big Texas Assessment), as well as explain to those who didn't pass the things they did well and not so well on the test and give them a little hope for passing next year. The next couple days will be spent reviewing for the final and hopefully getting some assignments in so their averages will go up a bit.

All in all, I'd say it was a successful return. I got there on time, I finished the work I needed to finish, I didn't have a meltdown, and Lydia did not run out of milk. We'll see how tomorrow goes.