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Teachers on Paternity or Maternity Leave: You Are Not Alone

Supporting educators with newborns is a wellbeing issue, and one organisation at least is there to support you

Emma Sheppard
by Emma Sheppard
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Since its inception in June 2016, The MaternityTeacher PaternityTeacher has taken a somewhat unconventional approach to supporting teachers on parental leave.

We believe that ‘wellbeing’ can mean different things to different people, and for some teachers, a network that inspires, empowers and connects them with like-minded colleagues choosing to complete professional learning on parental leave is a lifesaver at a time when they are experiencing a huge transition in their sense of identity.

The project was born out of the optimistic belief that there were ‘people like me’ out there who were hugely grateful of the time they were granted to spend with their new babies, but also needed more than nappies and breastfeeding blogs to get them up in the morning.

At first, responses ranged from hesitant to openly outraged that I would be suggesting that parents – especially mothers – do ‘more work’ when on parental leave.

What’s more, all the research about mother-teachers seemed set against me: women with two or more children are more likely to earn less, less likely to be in leadership positions and more likely to drop out of the classroom altogether when compared with their male counterparts, or women without children.

This, however, only deepened my conviction that a loud and positive voice was needed to promote choice amongst parents and teachers, whatever shape these decisions took.

I was confident in my commitment to my new baby, and believe very strongly in Piaget’s Early Year’s theory: ‘what is good for the primary care giver is good for baby’. I was also very clear about what gave me a sense of purpose and made me happy, and Baby Yoga simply did not do it for me!

Through a simple blog and Twitter feed, I started by documenting my online learning during cluster feeding sessions; trips to free museums with a thermos of coffee to stretch out my statutory maternity pay; attendance at conferences and networking events with my baby strapped – dribbling, sleeping and screaming – firmly to me.

Over 16 months, this has grown into an organisation giving voice to the many parent teachers transforming the ‘gap’ of parental leave into a personal and professional opportunity.

In response to our over-zealous Tweeting, Dr. Elizabeth Mackintosh told us, “You’ve inspired me to undertake a visiting Research Fellowship at my local university and to go for promotion whilst on my second maternity leave.”

Leanne Shaw, one of the teachers involved in our Pilot Accreditation process said, “Improving my personal confidence through looking at this [CPD] inspired me to take up running, and join an orchestra, as well as making me into a better, more refreshed parent. It gave me the independence and self-pride that I wished for, and boosted my confidence at home and in the workplace.”

Blogging as part of her own CPD journey before the start of her maternity leave, Kat Howard wrote, “Finding @maternityCPD via Twitter… was an absolute Godsend, helping me to answer some of my questions… [it] has really developed into something special.”

This individual impact, however, has greater ramifications. Every parent teacher sharing their parental leave CPD experiences through our website, word of mouth and social media, has a ripple effect, inspiring others to make decisions that are appropriate for them and their families.

Our network builds confidence and helps parent teachers return to the classroom on terms that work for them and build a more sustainable workforce in the light of a teacher recruitment and retention crisis. For every passionate, empowered teacher that returns to the classroom or to their leadership position, we improve the wellbeing of all staff by outlining expectations that enable us to balance our professional and personal commitments.

We know that the majority of teachers enter the profession because they love their subject and their hearts are set alight by working with young people, and we know this doesn’t stop when they decide to become parents. By starting with this often-overlooked 4-12 months of parental leave, we hope that The MTPT Project will support the evolution of teaching as a sustainable career choice for all.

Emma Sheppard is a lead practitioner in English and founder of the The Maternity Teacher Paternity Teacher Project (MTPT), which seeks to inspire, empower and connect teachers choosing to complete CPD whilst on parental leave. Follow MTPT on Twitter at @maternityCPD.

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