Forgive me if this does not fit here, but I don’t know where else to look for solidarity, it feels like nobody else around me is feeling the same.
I’m a preschool teacher, have been for 5 years. I’m 24, I’m a man, and I live in the US. Before COVID, I was working 7:30-5:30 M-F with a 2 hour break from 12-2. 3 days a week, I’d go to an after hours program to teach from 6-9. I also babysat at least 6 hours a week for the kids in my class out of school hours. On top of all that, I didn’t have a car, so I was using Texas’ terrible bus system to travel 1.5 hours each way to and from work every day. For those who are counting, that’s approximately 80/168 of my hours a week doing work of some kind. I was tired and underpaid, but I made it through.
When COVID hit, I was unemployed for 6 months. I was being paid half time by my school, and the rest by unemployment. I was really the most free i’ve ever been. I got a car, went back to college, and got my shit together.
Went back to work in September 2020. The school I work for is amazing, doing everything in their power to help us. But it isn’t enough. Because of that long quarantine, I now can hardly get through 35 hours of my week without feeling burnt out as all hell. I am late on my bills, I haven’t taken my hormone replacement therapy in weeks because I cannot afford to refill it, and i’m starting to resent my job. I love kids and I love it here, when is this all going to feel better again? What do I do?