Find the right work-life balance as a teacher can be difficult. I grade papers at home and work on the weekends - and it’s OKAY if you do too!
There are numerous blogs and social media posts with thoughts and advice from other teachers. While reading them, I feel the joy that emanates when they speak about being a teacher and their love for the students in their classroom.
I identify with teachers who feel this way because this is how I feel about teaching. I tell everyone I can that I have the BEST 👏 JOB 👏 EVER 👏!
Unfortunately, I also see comments from teachers who are overwhelmed, frustrated, and wanting to quit. While there are many reasons for this that I will not address here, it is evident that many are struggling to find work-life balance as a teacher.
The advice given to teachers feeling overwhelmed is often:
Teaching is just a job. Family comes first.
Only work your contract hours
No grading papers at home
No answering emails after hours
Say no when asked to take on extra responsibilities at work
YIKES! There has to be some happy medium between the joyful smiles and “teaching is just a job”.
As a veteran teacher, I can attest to the fact that finding balance is an ongoing struggle. In my 28 years, I have gone from a young teacher having no children of my own and plenty of extra time, to a crazy busy mom raising two boys with limited extra time to spend in my classroom, to an empty nest mom with an abundance of time.
During the years when I was raising two boys, how did I manage to fit it all in?
I found my work-life balance.
The thing to remember is that your life is almost NEVER in balance! There will always be times when you are giving lots of focus and energy to one thing and neglecting another. Therefore, it is important to make sure that you are constantly reassessing and shifting the priorities in your life to ensure over weeks and months you are giving equal attention to the important things. This includes your classroom and your students.
When I think about my own children and the teachers they had during their school years, it was my wish as a mom that my sons’ teachers give 100% effort towards building a relationship with them and helping them achieve, going the extra mile on occasion to create meaningful memories YET finding time for themselves beyond the classroom, as well.
I could tell when one of my sons’ teachers had the attitude of “this is just my job”. It was evident in the way my sons’ communicated information about their school day.
If you are a teacher that never takes work home and still manages to create meaningful relationships with students, effectively monitor student achievement for maximum proficiency, give timely feedback on student work, communicate with parents, maintain a clean and organized classroom, create memories for students that will last a lifetime AND only work from starting bell to ending bell you are a rare breed!
ADDRESSING THE ADVICE
Let me address the advice given above:
"Teaching is just a job. Family comes first."
Teaching is a career. I spent years in school earning my degree and credential to pursue a career that would be fulfilling for me as an adult. I am responsible for the academic and social-emotional success of 25-30 students every year. That is more than just a “job”.
Family absolutely comes first! But the teachers, parents, and students at my school are also my family. I want the very best for my students. Parents have put their faith in me that I will give my full effort towards meeting the needs of their students and prepare them for the next grade. I also want to be an excellent colleague that supports my teaching teammates.
My personal family AND my teaching family deserve my time.
"Only work your contract hours."
My contract hours dictate that I am on campus from 7:30-2:30. This is only 7 hours per day or 35 hours per week. The additional 5 hours of work time can be done on campus before or after school hours or at home. If your work day allows for a daily prep period then you may be able to leave at the end of your contract time. But we all know that not every minute of a prep period (and time before and after school) is spent taking care of the tasks that need to be done in the classroom.
If you are at a school like mine that works as a professional learning community with teacher collaboration, some of that “prep” or “release” time is spent in valuable meetings, discussing best teaching practices and student data.
In addition, before and after school, you may need to plan instruction with your grade level, attend IEP meetings, have arrival or dismissal duty, etc.
To find my work -life balance, I make a commitment to put in a full 8 hour day and leave by 3:30. There are days I leave a little early and days I stay a little later, but I do my best to make sure on average I am putting in a 40 hour work week and no more. There are times during the year (beginning of the school year, report card week, parent conference week) when more than 40 hours is needed to get it ALL done. Keep reading…
"No grading papers at home."
🖐️*hand raised* I grade papers at home AND work weekends! GASP! By committing to leaving school by a certain time to focus on my family, work can pile up. AND THAT IS FINE, but it is necessary to also find time to get caught up. I definitely do my best to work smart during the school day, but life happens and not every day goes as planned.
If I have papers to review, grades to enter, lesson planning, or curriculum to review and I cannot get it done during work hours, I pick ONE night each week to bring work home and give that my focus after the kids are fed and in bed.
I’ve been known to grade papers during baseball practices, read through future lesson plans while watching tv at home, and listen to podcasts while walking the dog.
None of this takes time away from my family and allows me to feel prepared for school. Note that this is not an EVERYDAY routine. Spending some time one day a week after school hours is reasonable.
In addition to allowing myself after-hours time one day a week (if needed) to stay on track, I also work on the weekends. Not every weekend, of course! There are times of the year when we seem to be in overdrive (report card time), lots of messy activities are happening (holidays), or our classroom needs a refresh (end of the quarter, mid-year). I get SO MUCH MORE work done when the students aren’t there. Imagine that! Every other month or so I commit to spending a few hours in my classroom cleaning, organizing, moving desks around, changing bulletin boards, etc. Sometimes I would bring my boys with me, put them to work and pay them to find staples on the floor with magnets 😆.
"No answering emails after hours."
Some teachers swear by not reading any emails while at home or delete their email app from their phones. I am not one of those teachers. If I waited to read emails until I was at school, that would be time I could spend preparing for my day. Prior to going to bed or first thing in the morning when waking up, I skim my emails. By doing this I know what issues I may need to address right away, questions to answer, or meetings to attend.
On occasion, I will have a message from my principal or a colleague and I will choose to reply. One less thing on my plate the next day. While I do not make it a practice to reply to parents after hours, there are extenuating circumstances: a family emergency, a sick student.
By skimming my emails prior to the next school day, I am mentally prepared to tackle the content in them.
"Say no when asked to take on extra responsibilities at work."
SAY YES! Within reason of course. Unfortunately I say yes too much, so don’t be like me. But, being a part of your school community by taking on some responsibility to lighten the load of others is simply being a good colleague. Just make sure you agree to tasks that are manageable. Feeling overwhelmed will not help you be an effective teacher.
In Summary: Work-Life Balance as a Teacher
You don’t need to be the teacher that stays at school for hours, grades papers all night, and spends weekends in the classroom. BUT when teachers give advice to only work contract hours, never do schoolwork at home, and don’t go above and beyond at school that may not be enough time to meet the needs of your students so that all students achieve at high levels. Not to mention, a constant feeling of being behind and unprepared is not good for your mental health.
Do your best to find work-life balance, but give yourself some grace and don’t feel guilty when you need to grade papers during soccer practice on occasion.
MY PERSONAL ADVICE
TAKE MENTAL HEALTH DAYS
As a teacher, I get 10 days each school year to use for sick time or personal time. Writing a sub plan when you are sick and need to miss school is TIME CONSUMING, therefore teachers often choose to come to school sick. I GET IT!
SO, every year I allow myself to take a couple of mental health days. USE THAT PERSONAL TIME! I select a day when I have an easy schedule, a favorite sub is available, or I just need a mental break to take a day off. I sleep in, run errands, watch TV, read, or whatever my heart desires.
YOU DESERVE A MENTAL HEALTH DAY!
GIVE YOURSELF SOME GRACE - YOU CAN’T DO IT ALL. EVERY DAY. ALL THE TIME.
In conclusion, life is a balancing act. Rarely is ANYTHING in life completely balanced.
There will be times when family needs your undivided attention, your personal needs are most important, or you need to get caught up at school. When giving extra time to ONE be sure to give that same time back to ANOTHER when you can.
Have a Perfectly Grown Week!
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