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Motherhood

I’m a Teacher, But I’m Also a Mom

  • 2  Minute Read
Three children in leaves, black-and-white photo
Image via Kate Lambert

They say being a parent is best described as your heart walking around outside your chest. Being a teacher is often very much like this, except multiply that by 25. But with the big love, also comes the stress, the worry, and the mental fatigue so many mothers are carrying. Not only are we running through the never-ending checklist of our own children, but now we have an entire class of kids to think of.

Most days it seems impossible, but somehow, we press on, trying to find that delicate balance of getting it all just right.

For each activity and every assignment we do with our kids, we also think of yours. Were there tears during math homework, did she finally land that starting position, and is he completely devastated about not making honor choir?

RELATED: Dear Teacher, I See You Struggling But Never Giving Up

Being there for your kids means missing the big moments of our own precious people. The first day of school drop-off, watching their faces light up during a surprise visit from the Easter Bunny, and hearing the lines of the spring music program they practiced so diligently at home.

We know this is true for many working moms, but some days it stings a little more because it feels like we chose someone else’s child over our own. The guilt is real and it is heavy.

But, at the end of the day, we wouldn’t change a thing. We cherish those relationships built with our students and recognize the huge responsibility and privilege it is to care for another mother’s whole world.

RELATED: So God Made a Teacher

No one cheers harder or smiles bigger (except you, of course!) when your child wins the football championship, stars in a local play, or shows kindness even when they don’t realize someone else is watching.

We are a team, mamas, and we are always in your corner.

So, if we don’t answer the first time or email back right away, rest assured we will, just as soon as we snuggle and hold our own babies just a little tighter.

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Articles by Kate Lambert

Kate Lambert

I'm a Kentucky mom to three wonderful boys and a wife to my husband, Chase. I teach fifth-grade writing and hope to inspire my students, one published piece at a time.

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