The United States of America is ranked fifty-five in Maternity programs worldwide despite being the “Greatest Country in the World.” Mothers of all professions experience the struggles that go hand-in-hand with returning to the workforce, yet America continues to provide inadequate treatment and aid. Returning to work is no easy task; some teachers and staff members at San Dimas High School know it all too well. It is difficult to deal with these struggles first-hand and find the balance between work and home life, but it can be done.
Although it may seem out-of-reach, staff members and teachers have dealt with these issues, and their stories deserve to be heard. Rumors speculate among students, and snide remarks are made. Students don’t know the truth about teachers’ time off.
During pregnancy, California teachers are allowed to leave work four weeks before their expected due date while getting paid; however, pregnancy is forty weeks long. That means that pregnant women are expected to work for thirty-six weeks while experiencing every side effect that being pregnant brings, which includes fatigue, nausea, swelling in hands and feet, leg cramps, back pain, heartburn, indigestion, occasional mood swings, or other heightened emotions.
Some teachers like Mrs. Ruiz, have stayed at work long into their pregnancy. However, on the other end of the spectrum, Mrs. Lehrmann took as much time off as she could when pregnant last year because “her daughter was sitting very low,” which worried her doctor since her child could be coming sooner than expected. Also, “due to a fight that broke out, near me and my classroom, my doctor put me on medical leave for having an unsafe work environment.” Every expecting mother is in a different situation, as we can see by the differences between these two women.
After the baby is born, regardless of gender, parents in education are given up to twelve weeks of paid maternity or paternity leave. They get to be paid while not attending work to form a bond with their newborn child whether they are a mother or father. Mrs. O’Connell, the newest mother on campus, said the time off was “_____”. Speaking on his paternity leave, Mr. Feola “took two weeks off when my son, Luca, was born because my wife just had a baby, which takes a lot of you. I wanted to be able to help her and see the first moments with my son that I could have never gotten back.” He also mentioned that he doesn’t regret taking any time off and that he wished it was longer, but teachers, “get docked sick days when we’re out, so the time was enough for me I guess.”
What many fail to recognize is that a mother’s struggles do not end after the baby is born. Their struggles only become greater as they now battle postpartum partnered with other after-effects and try to care for a newborn child. Despite its rewards, being a mother is the hardest job in the world. There is simply nothing to prepare you to become a mother, and dealing with most partum is a pain that not all face; however, those who do struggle greatly.
To put it simply… teachers aren’t simply not coming to work just because they feel like not showing up. Becoming a mother is a struggle that students do not understand and won’t understand until they have kids themselves. It’s easy to brush their struggles under the rug and be upset that your teacher or counselor isn’t at work, but it’s important to recognize that these women are going through a life-altering experience. The least of their worries should be what kids think and say about them while they are on maternity leave. Mrs. Lehrmann explained, “You really cannot get the valued time back with your baby, but you are so replaceable at work. I’m glad I took every second off that I did because I would’ve never got the time back with my kid.”
