While I’m working on other longer posts in the meantime, here’s a post about how I’m experiencing my job by now.

I have now worked 4 weeks before the holidays and 3 weeks after the holidays. The last 3 weeks went by so much faster than the first 4! It has been a rollercoaster and baptism by fire, but I made the right decision 2 months ago. So here’s the current status.

My kiddos

I LOVE my kids! They are awesome. They tell me that I’m the best teacher, that they are happy they have me, they give me gifts and drawings, and they hug me every day. Last week, someone had to replace me for 1,5 day because I had to take individual tests with all the kids. They kept asking how long it would take before I would be back, and a few of them wouldn’t leave without a hug at the end of the day. If I know someone is having a hard time, I compliment them and hug them and tell them they are awesome. I feel SO much love for them. I feel like a lion; touch my kids and I’ll come after you!

Me as a person

I’m very glad I don’t have to do it all over again, but I’m very happy I made the decision to do this. Some things have been quite tough, but they definitely made me a stronger person. I proud of myself for doing something SO scary (even though I got a lot of help, let’s not forget that). I usually have a hard time with criticism, but I’ve had a few parent issues that I took responsibility for. I think I’m doing ok with this! It’s funny how parents treat me different now that I’m a lot older than before.

Parents

Parents can be tough. Or weird or stubborn. Last week, I got a visit from a parent. This parent is known for not leaving because she loves to talk about herself and her kid. She explained to me how she was teaching her kid math strategies and formulas and chemistry at home. I noticed that this kid had been quite absent in class lately, and I now knew why. He can’t even I first intended to get on with my own work asap, but as soon as I heard this, I did my very best to explain that this was a very bad Idea. We talked about 45 minutes (well we almost shouted because she talks SO loud) but she wasn’t going to leave before I had made my point. And although it wasn’t easy, I think I did. 🙂

This working environment

For real, the positivity here is beyond awesome. My colleagues are the BEST, seriously. We all work hard, and some are working way too much. We tell each other to go home on time, and everyone looks after each other. They keep on telling me how happy they are I’m there. They are funny and hilarious and sometimes I almost pee my pants because I’m laughing so hard. And everyone has the same focus: our kids. They all go through fire and water for their kids. Never ever before have I been in a more positive environment than this.

My health

So I’m exhausted all the time. I work 4 days a week, and I work about 10-12 hours on these days. I’m not in the best place physically, and I forget things all the time. But oh boy it couldn’t be more different from the other jobs I’ve had. Yes, I experience stress all the time, but this is completely different from stress caused by feeling an outcast or hating your job. I’m still getting used to this new busy schedule, but it’s getting better. The plan is to work 3 days a week in the short term. However.. although I don’t like the workload, I do like the job!

The future?

I still don’t know.. I have to say, working at home was the best thing ever, but getting an income out of this within a few months wasn’t realistic. So then I thought: I’ll work until the summer vacation, and in the meantime, I’ll set up my business. This way, I would have a steady income, and work on the unsteady one at the same time. But to be honest.. I love my kids and my colleagues so much..! I actually don’t think I want to leave anymore! However, I really wanted to improve my art skills and make art for a living. But to do this, I’ll have to reduce to 3 days of teaching so I’ll have 4 days left for art.

And also…

Two more things I would like to mention. Ever since writing my post about kids I’ve had a different mindset. I don’t know if it’s because of my school kids, or because I feel so much better mentally, or because of the things people have said to me after I wrote the post, or because I set something in motion by writing this post. Or maybe it’s a combination? But I do feel different about it. More about that later.
Another thing is this: I had no idea working environments could be so different, and I didn’t know it could have this effect on me. So if you ever get the opportunity to try something completely different: do it. You never know where it will bring you.