It's the evening before school starts back after winter break, and I find myself reflecting on how I can do my job more effectively. How can I use my intellect, experience, and resources better? How can I use my time more wisely?
Selfishly, I want to free up some personal time that I feel has been sorely lacking in my life. It's a sad fact that I have read very few books, written very few blogs, and have been too exhausted to help my own children with their homework in the evenings this past year. That has to change.
I know there are some routines that I could put into place to help me achieve a better balance. I just need to figure those out and start implementing them. As someone who loves my job and has a tendency to be obsessive about it, cutting back on my hours will be difficult. Yet, I know it is something I have to do. Somehow I need to find a way to do my job well without sacrificing my personal life.
I spent a couple days over break researching ways to be more efficient in grading and organization. I had many virtual chats and read several others' blogs about having a work-life balance. Many colleagues mentioned the guilt of the school bag. If you are a teacher you know what I am talking about. It's the bag that we stuff full of work--unfinished lesson plans, papers to grade, or notes to write--and then drag home after we leave our classrooms at 5 p.m. We plan to get caught up in the evening, only to find that our family needs us to be present, so we lug the bag back to school and feel utterly exhausted and guilty.
Several teachers mentioned that they stopped taking the bag home each night. They found that it forced them to be more productive during the day. At the very least, they stopped feeling guilty when they brought the untouched bag of work back to school.
I find the idea of leaving the bag at school intriguing. At the same time, this idea makes me a little squeamish. That is why I know I need to do it. I know it sounds ridiculous to some, but for me this will be a true New Year's challenge. Leaving the bag will force me to stop working when I leave the building. That is tough for a type A overachieving teacher, but I feel it is necessary.
This first week back from break, I am going to leave my school bag at school. I'll check back next week and let you know how it went.
In the meantime, what do you do to set parameters on your work time? I would love to hear your tips.
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