I have been debating about whether or not to go back to work since Zelda was born. As a teacher with tenure in the NYC public school system I could choose to take up to three years unpaid maternity leave to be with my baby and THEN I could choose to go back to my original job. This September will be the start of my second year off and I will notify the Dept of Ed about whether or not I will take a third this May. Once the three years are up I no longer have that job saved for me.
Honestly, this was a great perk of being a teacher. The fact that I had a choice of returning to the same job I had pre-Zelda was very satisfying. That is until last night I discovered the job I had no longer exists. With budget cuts and teacher layoffs my full-time job as an ESL teacher at a great public school no longer is full-time. It may be cut to a part-time position, 2 days a week.
If I were to choose to go back for the 2012- 2013 school year I could be placed at another school full time or given my old job working just 2 days a week or given an entirely new job within the school (one that I am not qualified for and may not want). This makes me anxious, confused and scared. I liked thinking (especially on days when Zelda was particularly challenging) that maybe this full-time mommy job might be temporary. Now I am a bit out of sorts, but I remember I felt that way about parenthood before we had Zelda. Sometimes life just makes decisions for you.
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