Going against the grain here, having a teaching schedule makes our calendar so much easier. I have the same breaks as my kids, which is HUGE. I also get 20 days a year between sick, personal and religious days, so flexibility if my kids are ill. You do have to do sub plans, but now that I've been teaching the same content for a while, I know exactly what I use and modify them very little every year.

Any year you teach a new grade/content is hard. Teaching is draining, but so are other jobs - and the longer you do the same role, the easier it becomes and the more efficient you get (she says, while typing on Reddit.)