I did spend the day in kindergarten today, so I could put together a few hilarious stories for you ("how come I can't hear the baby?"), but instead I'm going to vent. Anyone else in teaching right now will identify I'm sure.
Over the past months I have been hopeful about getting enough hours together to qualify for mat leave. I need 600 hours. That equals an average of 3 days per week. Sounds reasonable right? Not too much to ask. If I get 600 hours before the baby is born, I get 55% of my income for a year. If I get 599 hours, I get 0% of my income.
At the beginning of this year I was only taking calls from Niagara, making it a priority to make connections here and be available whenever a school here called. Then I began to realize that that really wasn't getting me enough work. So I recently started taking calls from KW as well, driving there either the night before or the morning of. It made for a lot of driving of course, but the mentality was that I needed to take whatever I could get!
The weeks have been unpredictable, going from 5 days one week, to 1 day the next. Very frustrating. I decided this week to take matters into my own hands. I was rarely getting random calls from Niagara, and often getting them from KW. So I decided I would go with Nathan to KW (he commutes 2 days a week for work) and call the "fail to fill" phone line at the board if I didn't get a call. You call this number and if they have a job that did not get filled through the usual automated system, they will call you to fill it. There have been a lot of fail to fills this year in the WRDSB. And you are basically guaranteed at least a half day of work if you call.
Here's how the Monday went:
6am: wake up and call the fail-to-fill line. Leave a message. Fingers crossed. Get ready to go.
7:15am: get in the car to go to Waterloo. Believe that you will get a call.
7:20am: get a call from the WRDSB. The school starts at 8:20am. Although Nathan is a fast driver, it would be impossible to get there in time. Turn down the offer of a full day of work. Get a promise from the woman that she will call you if she has something that starts later. Curse yourself for not knowing that schools started that earlier, for not getting up earlier and not leaving earlier.
8am: get a call from the DSBN. Roll eyes repeatedly. Turn down the offer of a full day of work. Curse yourself for not staying in Niagara.
8:05am: cry yourself to sleep in the car as you realize that world is against you and there is nothing you can do about it.
8:30am: arrive in Kitchener and spend the rest of the day bumming around feeling like the biggest waste of time in history.
Through this ridiculous experience I have realized that I am genuinely stressed out about this. I think constantly about it: am I going to work tomorrow, did I miss a call for some strange reason that is completely out of my control, is my cell phone on, should I stop in and say hi to the schools I know to remind them that I exist...and on and on and on. I am completely consumed.
As a pregnant person I read again and again that I am to avoid stress. It's not good for me (or anyone for that matter), and of course, not ideal for the baby. So, upon my husband's advice I am giving up. I am giving up on going crazy to get mat leave. I realize that having the ability to give up is a luxury - I really don't want to think about how much money I will not be getting. But I must conclude that it is not worth spending the last three months of this pregnancy as a stress ball. Sigh.
So my goal now is to enjoy the next few months (less than three to go!), and work as much as I can, but without turning into a crazy person.
Wish me luck.
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4 comments:
as a mom, i wish i had some very wise words right now and that they would make it all better; but that's not actually happening. just to say, i think you made the wise decision and that in the end it will be ok. you're still the best teacher and its everyone else that's really loosing out. love you darling.
Oh Rose,
I feel your pain! What a ridiculous Monday, and what a tough decision to make. No, there are no easy answers here.
Why don't you talk to some of your friends who are also teachers and see if they can get you on their school's list of OTs to call?
Like, perhaps, ME! :P
Oh Rose,
This was an unfortunate day indeed but I agree that you made the right choice. This pregnancy is going to be over before we know it, and so it is better to enjoy it while it's here instead of stressing it away. I'm here for you Rose. You can do this.
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