Mal's Art Room

Welcome to my blog!

I am so excited to start this blogging journey with you! I am going to start by sharing a bit about myself and why I have decided to start blogging. My “why” per se.

I have been an art educator since 2015. I had two different experiences as a long-term substitute and worked for a county board of developmental disabilities before getting my current position at an elementary school. I started in my district full-time and then had my first child. The following year was brutal for me. The guilt I carried only seeing him from 4:30-7:00pm on the week days wrecked me. My commute to work was 40 minutes at the time.

I am fortunate that my husband has always had a job with flexible hours. He works in the health/fitness industry. He was able to pick up my son in the afternoons and spend extra time with him. I am grateful for the good childcare we had and for my husbands flexible job. I know this is not the case for everyone. I know that some parents want to go back to work and that is great too!

That spring my district opened up the ability to job-share. Me and another art teacher jumped at the opportunity. We got approved and have now been job-sharing for 3 years. This means that I work the beginning of every week and she works the end of every week. We trade off Wednesdays. I will share more about job-sharing in another post!

I have since had a second child. I really love being able to work and still have extra time with my kids. The balance feels good. I have my own thing. And when Monday comes I am ready to go to work. To be honest, I find that being at work is a lot easier than being a parent. In my classroom, I have a lot of autonomy and control. The kids usually listen to me and once I get class going, they pretty much entertain themselves.

All the fellow parents know WELL that this is not the case with toddlers.

I wanted to make this blog to start sharing how I am making it all work. Teaching is no longer first on my priority list, or to be honest, even top 3. I have a lot of passions, responsibilities, and commitments outside of school. Whether you have children or not, you may be in the same boat.

So how can we teach with excitement, stay organized, and grow as educators while keeping the balance with our FULL lives? I have been seeking solutions for several years and am ready to share my solutions with you!