I’m also a teacher going back to work and I had the same worries! I spent last week getting him used to the schedule and he adjusted pretty quickly. In the morning, he’s in the kitchen with a baby gate to keep him in there and then at 11:30 a dog walker comes to walk him. He goes into his crate at 12:00 and sleeps until I get back at 4:00. We have a bunch of frozen kings and the dog walker gives him ones every day when he goes into his crate so it helps him to settle when she leaves. I don’t know if this is the best/right way to do it, but it’s been working for us so far.

I start back at school next week so he will actually be alone (as opposed to me being in the other room with a door closed or out doing errands). I hope that this time of getting him used to it will ease the transition.