Lynn’s Recollections and Reflections #37 – Going Back to Work

A Full-Time Job

Emma was just in 1st grade; an opportunity presented itself that I couldn’t pass up.

Scholastic Book Fairs

Being a professional volunteer meant that I had my hands in everything that went on in our community.

My favorite thing to do was volunteer work at the book fair. I loved the book fair and thought it was the one fundraising event at our schools that I could wrap my head around.

As a volunteer, I worked with a book fair rep, who told me that the outside field rep for my area was leaving the company.

I wasn’t planning to return to work as Emma was so young. However, I knew that this opportunity might never be available again. I also knew that the person with this job worked from home and set her own schedule to meet with customers.

The other big plus was that working for a major corporation would offer me benefits that we were paying dearly for as a self-employed family. We would be making money with the benefits alone.

Going Back to Work

I threw together a resume on a Friday afternoon. I had an interview the following Monday and was working two weeks later.

The whole thing was a whirlwind. I had to quickly buy appropriate clothing, find child care, and transition from stay-at-home mom to working girl in a very short period of time.

For the most part, this was a perfect job for a working mom. It allowed me to start my day at home and get Emma on the bus. Then, I would be out visiting schools and could typically be home close to when she got home from school.

When your busy time coincides with the school calendar, it’s ideal when your kids are young.

Corporate America

I worked for Scholastic until 2020, when COVID-19 eliminated thousands of jobs.

To say that I was elated when I got the call that I knew was coming was an understatement.

While everyone would think that working for Scholastic Book Fairs must be the best job in the world, that wasn’t the case for me. It’s a corporation that answers to stockholders, so it wasn’t about a child getting a book; it was about trying to get families to buy all the books.

I had been unhappy for years, and while I sometimes regret not leaving sooner and pursuing my passions, that isn’t what happened. I also would not have gotten the sweet severance package that allowed me to jump into the unknown fearlessly.

Peace & Love,

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