Tuesday, January 5, 2010

I think I'm gonna make it...

Today was my first REAL day back at teaching after maternity leave. I didn't know if I would survive. But I did. I'm very lucky to have my hubby and my mom to take care of Carolyn while I'm working. It really makes it so much easier to be away from her knowing she's in the capable hands of family.

Yesterday was a teacher work day, which means no students. It was awful. I was weepy and emotional all day. I had a break down every time someone asked 'how's the baby?' Of course those poor souls were just making polite small talk, not expecting a 28 year old woman to start sobbing right before their eyes.

I was really afraid that I'd do the same thing today when my students started with the baby questions. But I didn't. It was a belated Christmas miracle.

And it was fortunate too, because they sure did lay it on thick with the questions. Here are a few of my favorites (BTW, I'm a bilingual second grade teacher, so my students are native Spanish speakers 7 and 8 years old):
  • Does your baby drink milk from your booby?
  • Where is your baby?
  • Does she drink milk from her grandma's booby?
  • Does she speak English or Spanish?
  • If you're white and her dad is black how come she's Mexican?
  • Why didn't you have twin babies?
  • If you had twin babies could one be white and one be black?
  • Was she naked when she came out of your tummy?
  • Do you have another baby in your tummy?
  • When are you going to have another baby in your tummy?
  • Will that baby be black or white?

Then after school at the faculty meeting, in front of a mixed group of coworkers, a TEACHER asked "What did it feel like when the baby was coming out?" Not wanting to top my embarrassment from yesterday's public wailing, I said "Oh, it's not so bad."

5 comments:

  1. hahahaha, I am glad your class is giving you good things to write about!!
    hang in there!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Umm, was that co-worker a man? Just curious.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Since when did you start crying? This confuses me. Maybe you are making up for lost time or something.

    I am sorry to welcome you back to the real world of working.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love the booby questions! and who was the teacher? really, who? because they obviously are clueless as to the fine art of timing. and privacy.

    ReplyDelete
  5. It was a woman!

    Mer, I started crying at about 6 months pregnant and haven't stopped.

    ReplyDelete