By Joy at the Southern Schoolhouse
I will start this article by being really transparent. Setting boundaries between work and home is not my strength. I am a work in progress and each year with a little more organization and wisdom, I get better. Last year alone, I had many evenings in which I would come home, make dinner and then write IEP’s until 11:00pm. My husband would say “Just stop, you are not getting paid to do this now.”
Our system is not designed for teachers to have a work life balance. We do not get enough built in time through the week to do all the tasks that are needed. Special Education and the binding laws add another heavy layer of urgency to our tasks. Nevertheless, we are here in this place and need to create our own boundaries. Below you will find suggestions that I have implemented with success. This hasn’t been perfect and I reset frequently, but these tips have had a positive effect on my work/life balance.
Work Boundaries Routine:
Teachers know kids thrive off routines. Why are we any different? For the last few years I have established work routines. My routine consists of staying after school to prepare for the next day. I have set a boundary of no more than one hour. This allows me to feel prepared and in turn calmer about my day. Sometimes this hour is filled with meetings, but when it is not, I use the time to create and lay out my needed materials or review my manuals. Just like with the kids, set a timer on your phone for one hour after the bell. Make sure you leave when this goes off.
On Friday, I stay a bit later. I chose Friday because it is quiet and rarely do I have a meeting. Again I set a boundary of no more than 2 hours. This time is set aside to prepare lessons for the following week. I review my manuals, make my copies, gather materials, and create my weekly plans; even laying out what I need for Monday morning. This helps me to keep the work at school and feel calmer Sunday evening. Friday time, paired with the weeknight prep, enables me to feel prepared and enjoy my weekends and evenings.
When I have a week with lots of paperwork, I will often shorten my time at school since I know I have to work from home. I prefer to write my IEPs on the couch where I am more relaxed and can think about what is needed most clearly. This law binding paperwork and preparation (see the article on holding an IEP) can be difficult to set boundaries around. The work boundary I place with paperwork is to try to get it completed within my work week, even it it spills into the evenings, so that my weekend is “my weekend.”
After these routine preparation times, my lessons are usually set and I feel calm about my weekly plan. Once home for the weekend, I make sure I do not open up my laptop until Sunday evening to check emails.
Response Boundaries:
I can go down a rabbit hole checking my emails and texts. Boundaries for checking emails and responding to your families should be put in place. First of all, do not give out your personal cell phone. I use a google voice number for texting and calling if I cannot use my school phone. Dojo is also a platform used by our school. Secondly set specific times to answer and look through emails and communication. For me this includes Sunday evening and during my after school office hours. I do try to respond promptly but that doesn’t mean instantly.
Just Say No; Draw Your Boundaries:
I am terrible at this one but am getting better. I read a book once that said it is easier to say a “little no” at first, then a “big no” later. This to be very true. It is so much easier to say no to begin with, than realize you cannot fulfill the obligation and back out. You don’t always have to decide right then either. Taking some time to think through the obligation is also important.
If asked to serve on a committee, help a colleague, or tutor after school; take some time to think it through prior to committing. If it conflicts with your family priorities, a “little no” at the beginning, although sometimes hard to say, is better than not being able to sustain the extra commitment or sacrificing your personal goals.
Work Smarter, Not Harder:
This tip is constantly evolving. The longer you hold a position, the same caseload, curriculum, or team, the easier this gets. Shannon and I have developed forms, class routines, and materials that we can reuse with minimal updates. For example my sight word center. This center has the same activities but the sight words are updated with each new unit. Think through your lessons and groups. Where could you develop reusable routines and materials? These little tweaks can take off hours of preparation with the goal of more time at home. This makes your work boundaries possible!
For special education teachers, create tools to help with paperwork. For example, when creating progress reports, I set up a cut and paste template for each group. The data that you are presenting is generally the same but the values are different. I paste this template in adding each child’s individual values. I then add individualized observations and a positive for the nine weeks. This template saves me from retyping the same thing all while still creating an individualized report for each student and their goals. When you find yourself typing the same paragraph or sentence into paperwork, consider a template. This will save you tons of time in the long run.
Now Set Your Family Priorities:
Work boundaries are set in order to fulfill the true priorities of our lives. This summer, Shannon sent me a quote that stated “You can be replaced at work, but you cannot be replaced at home.” I marinate on this a lot. My family, health and well-being should be a priority. We say this a lot to one another and ourselves but we really need to practice what we preach. Schedule in time daily to connect with loved ones. Again, make this as routine as possible.
For me this has been having nightly family dinners, walking with my husband each evening, date night on the weekend, attending church service on Sunday, and prioritizing my kids’ academic and athletic events. Our family doesn’t always make it happen, but these are goals we have established using our family values.
Think through your family values. Create some “family must haves” for your week. Include your whole family in the conversation so that everyone has a say. These priorities will serve as guardrails to help you maintain set boundaries
Then Set Your Health Priorities:
As you think through your family values, also think through your health values and establish attainable weekly routines. This will look different for each individual and they may overlap with your family values. For example, healthy family dinners and walking with my husband have positive effects on my relationships but also on my health and the health of my family.
Other attainable small steps to include in your health routine could be to consistently take your vitamins/supplements, cut out extra sugar, and go to bed on time. These paired with exercise will help not only your health but your mental health.
Exercise can be tricky to build in for working families. My husband goes to work early so he is sure to get to the gym after his work day. I garden, walk, and do my yoga on the weekends. The point is to get moving however you can and build consistent health routines. Other ways I sneak in health and movement include the following:
- park far away from the grocery store to add steps.
- limit desk time at work.
- wear supportive shoes to aid your core and posture.
- when walking, run up the hills.
- stretch and deep breaths throughout your day.
- arm curl your work or grocery bag, then switch arms.
- use a weekly pill case for your supplements, saves time and you see what days you skip.
- when waiting on kids for practice, etc, use that time to walk or stretch.
What Now?
So what are your work boundaries? Begin to think through what you can do to have a healthier work/life balance. Mine include setting priorities, not working on the weekends, and saying a “little no”. Take a minute to brainstorm ways you can create your balance.
