Middle school teacher Caitlin Lombardi sure can peg ’em. The aspiring basketball star who feels compelled to “shoot” papers into the recycling bin. The chronic pencil forgetter who mooches supplies off classmates. And her young cousin, the compulsive sharpener who uses grinding graphite as an excuse to stroll around and check the scene.

Yet Caitlin, 32, who teaches eighth-grade science at Thomas Edison Middle School in Meriden, CT, wouldn’t trade a moment’s stalling or sharpening for any other job. “People think I’m crazy, but I love the middle school age group,” says the mom of Owen, 4, and Nora, 11 months. “It’s this amazing developmental window. They’re separating from their parents and becoming their own people—and I get to help guide them.”

For Karen Fletcher, second-grade teacher at New Eagle Elementary in Wayne, PA, satisfaction also comes after school, when her glee club belts out Katy Perry’s “Firework.” “I’ll see the shyest kids get up to sing and dance,” she says. “I would have loved a club like this when I was a kid.”

You probably won’t get rich. But do something important? Know you’re needed? Yep. Ah, the teacher’s life.

There’s no feeling quite like running your own classroom, says Lily Eskelsen, vice president of the National Education Association, a union representing three million educators, and a former teacher in Utah. Adds Carolyn Rivas, 38, a kindergarten teacher at PS 29 in Brooklyn, NY, “You get completely immersed in children’s lives, their needs, their dramas. It makes the job challenging, joyful and fun.”

Not every career produces a legacy, but teaching does. Of all the things you’ve forgotten, it’s likely you still remember your high school physics teacher, bad glasses and all.

“A” for Effort
What irks teacher moms (in fact, all teachers) most is the assumption they work only during school hours and bask in summers off. The reality: long hours and little glamour. Okay, sometimes there’s summer basking, but on the flip side, you’re engulfed by the job for nine months—more if you teach summer school.

“As a new teacher, I could easily spend an hour prepping a 30-minute lesson,” says Karen. “If it’s your first year teaching, you basically have no life except for school.” Even now, she and husband Dennis, a high school math teacher, have a calendar stuffed with school events: She runs glee club and an afterschool book club. He oversees chess club. They’ve scooped ice cream, bowled, called bingo numbers and rapped for fundraisers, as well as chaperoned dances. To juggle it all, plus 2-year-old son Brody, they plan and prep meals on Sunday and split chores.

When she taught fourth grade, Joy Flanders, 43, would often be up until midnight devising lessons, then back at John J. Shaughnessy Elementary in Lowell, MA, by 8:30 a.m. Now a math coach, Joy still tows her laptop to her own kids’ afterschool activities, multitasking while twins Lily and Michael, 9, and Arianna, 7, are dancing, swimming or playing ball.

The prep is one thing; the school day quite another. The buzzer sounds, says Karen, and you’re on your feet, moving between desks, hustling down hallways between periods, maybe even supervising the playground. Every year, Caitlin buys two pairs of comfy shoes (black and brown) and washable clothing that can stand up to bleach, goo from a chicken wing dissection, lip gloss, whiteboard marker and “misplaced” gum. There’s an element of training to it, Caitlin jokes. Your body adjusts to bathroom breaks and lunch at set times—even odd ones, like 10:47 a.m.

In her kindergarten classroom, Carolyn ties shoes, sanitizes hands, wipes noses and—it happens every year—cleans vomit off the rug. The kids keep her entertained and definitely real, as do her own children, Maya, 8, Nina, 6, and Sophie, 4. Carolyn still laughs over the time her class was trying to track down the source of a stink and one student suggested it was Carolyn’s breath. Nope. Someone stepped in dog poo.

It’s not all smiles, though. Teachers deal with tough issues like kids who cheat, who get pregnant, who bully or are bullied. They’re legally mandated in many states to report to authorities any sign a child has been abused or neglected. “I tell would-be teachers, ‘I guarantee you’ll never have a boring day,’” says Lily. “Some days, you may long for boring.”

A Work Life Match
Yet there are few careers where skills needed at home and work are so parallel. “Being a teacher helps me bring structure into my home life, and being a mom helps me bring flexibility into teaching,” Karen explains. Teaching means “I have a lot of skills in my toolbox,” says Caitlin, who finds the “we’ll talk when you have a calm head” approach she uses to deal with an angry middle school student also works to defuse son Owen’s tantrums. Motherhood also helps teachers maintain perspective with class parents who are demanding, critical and anxious. You understand the intensity firsthand, says Loren Scheck, 52, a third-grade teacher at Marlboro Elementary School in New Jersey and mom of twins Jake and Josh, 8. “Once I became a mom, my teaching reached another level because I became more empathetic.”

Beyond the life lessons, there are, of course, the literal lessons. Need a quick review on fractions or Français? Fantastic if that’s mom’s subject area. “My kids have always returned to school after summer vacation right where they left off, if not a little further,” says Joy, who has raised butterflies for a science project, practiced reading fluency and much more to keep her three kids sharp.

But because the jobs (teaching, mothering) are close, teachers admit they have to guard against burnout. “It can be quite taxing when you get home after a long day and your own child’s homework hasn’t been done well,” says Loren. Carolyn agrees: “I’ve learned I can’t leave it all on the field,” she quips. “I need to make sure I retain some patience so I come home able to listen to my own kids.”

It means, too, that certain things that are appealing to other working parents—volunteering as a class parent, participating in the PTA or chaperoning field trips—may sound, well, more like work than fun.

Perks Beyond Paycheck
It’s no secret that teacher salaries aren’t stellar, especially considering many schools require certification and a master’s degree. In 2010, the median income for U.S. public school teachers hovered in the mid $50,000s, with salaries starting in the $30,000s. But there are other compensations. Security, for one, and often excellent benefits, for another. Health care, paid sick time and a pension (usually 60 percent of salary after 25 years of service) are standard. Some school districts offer added benefits like a 401(k) or vision and dental insurance.

You have the same vacations as your children, and summers off if you choose, which teacher moms say is a joy—and also saves a bundle on child care. After the school day ends, you have flexibility to do prep or grading from home.

Most public school teachers are union members. Even if you decide not to join, if a majority of teachers in your district are union members, you’ll all be covered by the same labor contract. Of course, this can be frustrating: Stars and underperformers alike take home the same, often modest, blanket percentage increase that the contract stipulates.

At the end of the day, it’s a career people choose for reasons other than money. “Every year, I get to relive being a 7-year-old,” says Karen. “The lost teeth, the birthday parties. Teaching brings back every memory of childhood you have.”


Lessons from the Front
Arrive early.
Thirty minutes before the bell buzzes gives you time to take a breath, organize last-minute items and check email—a cushion that can help in many jobs.

Save some energy.
There are always papers to grade and displays to hang, but it’s important to leave enough reserve so you can go home and enjoy your own children.

Communicate, communicate.
Newsletters, a website, emails…the more you tell parents about your class’s content and goals, the more likely they’ll get on board.

Stash supplies.
Extra pencils, eraser tops, Kleenex, hand sanitizer, Band-Aids, sticky notes. An age-appropriate reward like scented stickers doesn’t hurt. Good advice for moms at home, too!