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You're right about making extra work (and stress). Another thing I
noticed was the willingness (neediness?) of some people to be
available almost 24/7 (by technology) to kids and parents. This one
floored me. In no time at all these people, mostly newbies who had
been warned, were complaining about being taken advantage of. Hard
to put the genie back in the bottle.

On 1/04/15, David wrote:
> With many beginning report cards, it's interesting to see how
> teachers can cause stress for themselves. Where one teacher
> seeks five activities to help evaluate a mark, other teachers
> need 10 activities to get a mark (to cover themselves in their
> words). Some teachers use a variety of assessment tools like
> observations and checklists while others only rely on paper and
> pencil activities (which to me means more marking at home). If
> you find confidence in your program, hopefully the stress will
> diminish and a better work/life balance will occur.
>
> I liked the comment about eating with the staff. I find the
> most stressed people are usually those who stay in their room
> each day all day.
>
> On 12/31/14, mm wrote:
>> It is a demanding career, not just a job. I like your points.
>>
>> It takes good organization and self-discipline to shed what
> is
>> not working or necessary and prioritize what the bottom line
> is
>> as far as student outcomes.
>>
>> I kept 'hours' that worked out to about 9 a day actually in
>> school. I had anywhere between 40-75 minutes a day as prep
> too
>> (mostly 75). Always try to eat with staff and get out of your
>> room and department office. In a decent school, the other
> staff
>> are an emotional and social lifeline. I always left the
>> building each day with the next day's lessons and stuff ready
>> to pick up and teach. No frantic last-minute running for
>> copiers or prepping. I could do email checks or other calls
> and
>> contacts and referrals at that time. Abandon anything that is
> a
>> duplicate, do not be a slave to emails. Check them twice a
> day
>> and respond/file/delete immediately. Most never, ever were
>> important or ever came back to me.
>> If you've got kids, get good quality child care so that you
> can
>> keep 'office hours' at school, get everything done and then
>> spend your time with your family.
>> Also, force yourself to keep a course collection online or in
> a
>> binder or files of everything you do. And, force yourself to
>> organize it once a week or after each unit. Online
> collections
>> can be updated easily and really cut your work down for the
>> next semester or year.
>> Nothing works all the time. But that is true in most jobs as
>> well.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On 12/20/14, David wrote:
>>> Half the fun of teaching is having the opportunity to
>>> develop and find new resources and lessons. This age of
>>> blogs and Pinterest makes finding ideas so easy that
>>> sometimes textbooks are a waste of time. Many teachers
>>> would complain if they had follow a textbook.
>>>
>>> Many teachers struggle with finding the right balance
>>> between work and life. When it comes to work, you need to
>>> decide if the pressures are external or internal. There
>>> are many schools where principals put pressures on teachers
>>> and this leads to stress. In many other cases, teachers
>>> themselves are creating stress. I know many teachers that
>>> have taught the same grade for years but still stress more
>>> than a teacher brand new to a grade. What can you do to
>>> make your work situation manageable? How can you change
>>> your lessons and assessments so that you can work smarter,
>>> not harder? Also talk to teachers that have a balance and
>>> seek their suggestions for your own life. Best of luck.
>>>
>>> For some teachers, the challenge to separate work and home
>>> life often causes them to rethink career choices and
>>> sometimes leads them to a new career where they can leave
>>> work at work. Hopefully this is not an option.

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