The school year is coming to an early close this year for Mrs. Binder, high school Biology teacher, as she takes time off for maternity leave in preparation for her new child.

Mrs. Binder’s due date, November 27^th, 2013, is rapidly approaching. There are many factors that must be taken into consideration as she readies herself for the birth of her baby. In addition to personal matters, she had to figure out what would happen at school in her absence.

The first thing that she had to do is find a replacement teacher to cover her position as a Biology and AP Biology teacher. After the long process of finding a fill-in, Mrs. Binder and the administration narrowed their choices down to Mr. Porciello, who will make his first appearance on back-to-school night. Mrs. Binder will only be absent from school for about eight months, and plans to resume teaching next September. “The first day I’m not going to be here is November 11^th, and I’m going to be out of school until June,” she says.

As with all teachers who are anticipating a long-term leave from school, Mrs. Binder admits that she will miss her students during her absence. “I think I’m probably going to cry on my last day,” she said. “So yes, I am going to miss them a lot.”

Mrs. Binder’s cheerleading squad has been sad about her hiatus from coaching them this year, but they know that it is for a good reason. “We know that Mrs. Binder is going to be really happy with her child, but she definitely has been missed this past season,” said Sophomore Varsity Flyer Juliana Roddy.

These feelings are mutual, with Mrs. Binder stating that “I definitely miss [cheerleading], but I’m happy I’m a volunteer.”

This is Mrs. Binder’s first time becoming a mother, and she is very excited to have a child. “I’m looking forward to when the baby gets a little older. I remember when I was a little kid I couldn’t wait for my parents to walk through the door, and I’m really excited for that,” she says.

Mrs. Binder will be very busy over the next year taking care of her new child, but she still wants to make sure that she stays in touch with her colleagues. She says that “I want to keep in touch with the people here so that I know what’s going on in the school, so that I can go to games and things like that.”

As November 27^th draws closer and closer, we wish Mrs. Binder “good luck” with her new baby, and we say “goodbye” until next year.