And the subtext behind the title is: have you regretted making these sacrifices?
Though I anticipate that your answer to my second question is a resounding No!
Anyway, I now work in a middle school and teach teenagers. But because my son will enrol in an elementary school in 2026, I am doing up my resume because I plan to teach at an elementary school next year.
The plan is for him to study at the primary school I will be teaching at.
(No, I haven’t entertained thoughts of homeschooling. The Singapore education system isn’t perfect, but I think it has its heart in the right place.)
The epiphany came to me last December while I was having lunch at Mister Donut with my wife and children. I was thinking, what would make my life easier? The idea of taking my son to my workplace and bringing him home at the end of the workday struck me like a lightning bolt. ⚡️ Fellow parents will understand how much less friction my days will become if I streamline my life and reduce the amount of things I need to low through every day.
So I decided to pursue it like a cheetah chases after its prey. 🐆
Last week, I met up with my current principal to tell her of my career switch. She was understanding about it.
To the extent that she declared my intention as a demonstration of love for my family, even if I just wanted to make my life easier.
That was unexpected of her. So I found that rather sweet.
In an ideal world, I would have loved to pivot to become a career counsellor at a university. I have always connected better with older kids. But I don’t regard my decision to move down to an elementary school as a sacrifice. I just know that even if I land up in my ideal job, I won’t derive much joy from it if I have to expend cognitive energy strategising when to leave my office to fetch my kids. Keep It Simple, Stupid.
I think fellow Stacker parents will dismiss my decision as something that just has to be done rather than laud it as a sacrifice. Haha.
Do you think you have sacrificed something important for the sake of your kids and spouse?