English teacher Brooke Bradley had her first baby in February of 2024. When she returned to work, though, she was spending about an hour and a half away from her baby every weekday due to the fact she taught at Alton High School in Alton, Ill., which is about 45 minutes away from her current home. After having baby Zalaini, she decided Oakville would be a better fit for and closer to home.
“I came back to work after being on maternity leave for a couple of weeks and I was just like, no, no, this isn’t going to work, but I had always thought about coming back to Missouri to teach and it just seemed like the perfect time,” Bradley said. “She (my daughter) was definitely my deciding factor in coming back over on this side of the river.”
However, it was hard for Bradley to start at a brand new school after working at Alton for five years.
“Change is scary, but it was also a needed change to be closer to my daughter and be there for her, so it ended up working out,” Bradley said.
The environment at Oakville helped Bradley adjust to the change.
“The environment here is a lot more positive and welcoming then I am used to, which is amazing to have your faith in humans restored again,” Bradley said.
A lot of Bradley’s students adore her and think she’s an amazing teacher, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t face any challenges. Being a new teacher and mom can be a hard task to complete, and even with her challenges, she’s learning how to get into a new groove so she can be a better teacher for all her students.
“[My biggest struggles of being a teacher and mom are] Definitely time management, getting enough rest, balancing my workload as being a teacher and a mom — trying to find a nice healthy balance for it all, but we’re getting there,” Bradley said.
Although Bradley has faced challenges, she loves being a teacher, and she loves being a mother even more. She had a lot of family support to help her through this transition of starting a new job, which she believes was really good for her.
“I have a lot of family support and we have a good schedule worked out, so she’s (my daughter) always with somebody in her family,” Bradley said. “That gives me a really good sense of ease and comfort and helps me be able to be a teacher and come here every day.”
