When I went on maternity leave I was Head of House and Head of Music, with an NQT who was only 1 term into her career. Thankfully she was an excellent NQT who will be an excellent HoD one day.
When I returned from maternity, 7 months later, I was no longer Head of House & Music but Head of Faculty for Performing Arts with my now-RQT, a new NQT and a part-time, unqualified teacher. And I was still breastfeeding.
There were no other middle leaders in my position at school - everyone else's children were now teenagers or those with babies had stepped back from leadership or TLR roles.
My Head was very supportive of my return to work and my husband would collect our daughter and bring her to school for a feed if I was staying late for parents' evening and wouldn't be home for dinner, but many people didn't think I was doing the right thing.
I generally leave school at 5.30pm, I am home for dinner and bedtime stories and then I generally take to my bed with my iPad to sketch out some lesson ideas or create iPad quizzes for my students. This works for me, but it wouldn't work for everyone.
There seems to be this unwritten rule that once we are mothers we should cease to be anything else. "Ok, if you must work, then work, but you must not be ambitious! You must not try to improve yourself or seek promotion." There are those who think that any sort of leadership position is incompatible with parenting.
I disagree. Being a teacher is who I am. It's all I ever wanted to do. That's why love being leader and parking with beginning teachers - I get to teach my students and, hopefully, teach my colleagues something too.
If I wasn't a teacher, and I stayed at home to care for my daughter every day, I don't think she would be getting the best of me. I need the experience of being in the classroom and the buzz of rehearsals and choir which fuels my enthusiasm for the day. When I get home I know that my daughter has had a brilliant day with her friends and I am genuinely excited to hear what she has been up to.
Also, I worked 4 days a week last year and I promise you, there are only so many baby play groups you can go to without losing your mind!
I think it's quite fitting that I am writing this whilst snuggled on the couch with a sickly toddler after rushing home straight after duty to be with her today.
So, are you a teaching mum? Do you have one in your department? How do you find the balance? Let me know on twitter @teach_music_ldn
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