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Collective Wisdom: Finding Work/Life Balance
By Teachers.Net News Desk
Veteran teachers counsel exhausted new teacher.
Posted by first year teacher
Do you have any advice for a new teacher on how to achieve that so-called work/life balance? I know that this job will run my life if I let it, but it’s with me all the time, I have trouble shutting it off, even for an hour or two. I am absolutely exhausted. Please advise!
Posted by Michael
If you are a first year teacher I’m not sure it’s possible to have that balance right away in your career. It should take you a good 2-4 years before you see yourself getting really comfortable and able to cut back. But until then you’ll have to put in long hours a before and after school every day in order to survive and then thrive. Teaching is not an easy job, especially at the beginning. Hang in there, have fun once in awhile but continue to work hard. For at least my first year I was at school nearly every night until 9 or 10 p.m. I even went in on Saturday mornings that first year.
Posted by MM
Limit your extracurriculars to two or three key areas. Keep your eye on the general objectives for each unit so you don’t overdo the smaller ones–you cannot cover everything in minute detail. Invest in planning. Then work your plan. Remember, the kids should be working. Are you doing too much talking or spending all period teaching? Also, you don’t have to mark all achievement categories in every assignment. I find that it is best to set hours so that you come in well ahead and stay to make sure you are ‘ready to go’ next day. Then you go home and lead your other life. Do not neglect a quality diet, eating throughout the day, including right after class. If you’re not eating properly the temptation is to run home, take a break, eat and then be an evening slave to school work. Be sure that you get out of your area and meet and mingle with the other staff, especially the newer ones who are your peers. And, ask the vets who teach in your area for tips. Many of them will be only too happy to give you advice. It will really make a difference to how you see things.
Posted by fran
Dear First Year,
Congratulations on getting your first position. Yes you’re totally correct saying that this job will totally take over your life if you let. I know because it was always a dominant force in dictating what I did and when I did it. I’m afraid there are no easy answers, some people tend to handle the division of school and home life with greater ease than others. I have to agree with Michael that the first few years are very demanding in time and effort. For me there was no other way, my first priority was to establish my career and get my permanent contract. If you can set aside personal time for yourself. I knew of teachers who did all there work Friday night to leave the rest of the weekend free for themselves. I preferred to unwind and relax Friday night and would do my work Sunday morning. My schedule varied from year to year depending on the whatever life situation I was in. I am forever amazed by the teachers who begin their career with a young family. I honestly don’t know where they find the time or energy. Good luck do make some time for yourself. Fran
Posted by Old Teach
Listen up – I would never want my own children taught by an exhausted, stressed teacher. You need to carve out time for yourself. I don’t think teachers who go in on the weekend are fabulous teachers (I am not criticizing just my opinion and for the record I have done that when moving classrooms) You need to have a personal life and down time to just relax and enjoy yourself. You need to connect with friends and family and have fun otherwise you will just burn out.
Believe me I do remember my first few years of teaching (don’t remember where I’ve put my ALP but that’s another story!) Make sure that you are not using an abundance of photocopied worksheets as busywork. I always stay late on Fridays (just my preference) and plan the week. Once that’s done I find my week flows well and I am home by 5 weeknights. DO NOT STAY LATE EVERY DAY! Reach out to more experienced grade team members. We are usually happy to share but don’t want to make younger teachers feel as if they are not capable. Ask for assistance in planning if you need it.
Please don’t make the mistake of thinking that staying late equals better teaching. Not always true!
Posted by cheryl
If you think some Planning would help out you can approach your principal and see if s/he will give you a day or half-day to plan to get your feet under you. I know it is done sometimes.
Another idea is job shadowing where you observe in a class similar to yours and get ideas from another teacher.
Do you have a mentor?
Our board gives each new teacher a mentor to help them through. Maybe if there is nothing official you can arrange with someone to be a mentor for you and help you through the rough spots.
Another thing – not everything that the kids do needs to be marked. Some things are stepping stones to more important concepts. Good luck – and be good to yourself!! You’re worth it!
Posted by HST
I’ve been teaching more than 20 years and I still think I spend too much time doing schoolwork. I just make sure to enjoy July and August to the max.
My husband is an elementary teacher, and the parking lot there is almost full every Sunday.
If you’re to the point where you’re so exhausted that you’re not doing a good job, taking a sick day might work wonders.
Posted by You don’t have to stay late!!!
Don’t chase your tail to find resources. In my classroom we have 7 different math programs – my teaching partner (a 30-years-in-grade-1 teacher) picks and chooses the bits she likes form all of them; I use just one and follow it pretty closely, unless my students really need review in one area.
You do not have to stay late. Even in my first year teaching French which I was not qualified to do I still worked an 8-hour day 4 days per week, and a 10-hour day once per week – even during report card time! BUT I worked ALL DAY and only gave myself a 15-minute lunch. I took on extracurriculars only in partnership with another teacher and only one at a time. Relax and best of luck!
Ten steps to teacher sanity – Posted by LBW The first year in your own classroom is daunting. I found the switch from LTO’s and casual exciting and yet overwhelming too. Setting up routines that work for you both with the students and your own schedule are critical. Being flexible enough to change these routines when they are not working is just as critical.
My ten steps to personal sanity are:
#1 Ensure that you get enough sleep! It sounds so simple and yet we all clip an hour or so off either end of the day just to find the time we need.
#2 Eat healthy foods, and never forget breakfast. If you are running until lunch on coffee/tea and a high fat muffin or whatever, you are depriving your body and brain of what it needs to focus and work effectively.
#3 Make sure that you schedule time that is untouchable for your loved ones (family, friends, significant other, children, and/or spouse). This is the easiest to let slide and yet it is from these supportive loved ones that we get the passion and energy to face whatever life throws at us.
#4 Just as you plan your year for the curriculum and student work, so too plan your year for yourself. Knowing that you will spend extra time during report card season and conferences, it helps to have scheduled in some personal time, too. Also, schedule a little more down time for the week following these hectic times.
#5 Remember to use valid perspective when you feel harried and unfocused. Ask yourself whether whatever you are worrying about that critical. I can remember spending over an hour one night looking for a theme-based poem at the appropriate reading level for my poem of the week – a waste of my time. Now I have about 60 poems in my file that I know work and I just pull one out. I have them organized by monthly themes.
#6 Be as foiving of yourself as you would be to a colleague. We are often our own worst critics and drive ourselves to silly extremes to have everything just so.
#7 Be a regular on this board, borrow and submit ideas that work to build up a usable collection. On those days when you are rushed for time – pull a lesson lesson that is already prepped and give yourself a break.
#8 Remember that the students have times when they are tired, too. Just as we wouldn’t push them to the point of exhaustion and expect great things, so we can’t push ourselves.
#9 There is no award for being “SuperTeach”, nor are the curriculum police going to be watching your every lesson.
#10 Don’t listen to negative groaning in the staff room. Negativity feeds on itself and just getting caught up in it can leave you tired, discouraged and less than motivated.
Hope it helps, hang in there and be kind to yourself.
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