What's your work/life balance like as a teacher?

Question

I've been thinking about switching careers to being a teacher, but I've heard such conflicting stories about the profession. Some say it is rewarding and leaves time to pursue other interests, and others say that they spend so much time being a teacher that they don't get to spend time with their own family.

Answer 1

I think the first person who answered made a really good point. You must learn to separate your school life from your home life. I teach in the inner city where there is a lot of poverty. The sad stories can really weigh you down. You have to develop a thicker skin. You can't rescue them all. If you are single it can be easy to let it consume your personal life to the point of having none. The principal, of course, likes that but it isn't healthy in the long run. If you have a family, depending on your personal values, it can make it very difficult to give enough to one side of the other. I have seen teachers neglect their own children for their classroom responsibilities and the other way around. The former happens a lot in the business world. You have to learn to balance your life. Sometimes you'll have to give more to school, other times, in the times of personal stress, the classroom may have to take a backseat. A lot can also depend on the type of school district you work in. Teaching in the inner city can be very stressful and draining because of discipline problems and low academic achievement. Schools in the high-achieving districts or private schools can be stressful because of unrealistically high expectations and parental demands.

If you teach in a traditional calendar school district (most of the summer off) you do have more time to do other things. However, the trend is going to demanding that teachers spend more and more time taking additional training. That can limit your summer free-time.

If you teach in a year-round schedule, that limits long chunks of time in the summer to pursue other interests.

Then there is the pay issue. Before you make any decisions, you need to investigate the pay scale of your local school districts. If you will be taking a drastic pay cut, you need to ask yourself if you can live on it financially and emotionally. Check with the retirement system to see how it compares to what you may have now.

I would also encourage you to spend some serious time volunteering or observing in classrooms. Visit different grade levels to get a feel for reality. It isn't what you remember from school. If you can, consider substitute teaching for a while. Many states allow a person with any degree or even most of the credits for one to substitute on a temporary basis.

Hope these thoughts help you. Good luck.

Answer 2

Music Junkie had a good answer.

I have been teaching for 5 years in Special Education, and I have found that if I plan properly and use my time wisely, stay organized, and do work at work and family things at home, I will be fine. Sometimes there are big things that come up (IEP meetings or finals) and that may take more than just time at work. But I will usually not stay more than 30 minutes late each day. I am ready to go home when the bell rings too!

Also, I am a single mom with a child who is entering kindergarten this year...so I don't have a husband to help out!

Answer 3

My first year of teaching, I was consumed by everything that had to do with school. I probably worked on school stuff from sun up to sun down! I learned QUICKLY that it cannot be done that way. What you need to do is realize that school stuff gets done at school, and when you're at home, focus on your family and the things that need to be done at home. There MUST be a separation of the two. Simply set up those types of boundaries so that you do not over work yourself as a teacher.

As for teaching being rewarding. IT IS. When you truly care for, and pour your life into the students that you have under you...it's amazing. There's nothing better. And this is coming from a person who in college swore she'd never be a teacher! God does have a sense of humor, and he knows best!

I hope you make your decision wisely, and have a rewarding career no matter what you choose.

Answer 4

If teaching is your passion (as it is mine) then the work/life balance really doesn't matter.

Here is a typical work day for me. At school around 7:00 to get things ready for the day. This gives me time to prepare mentatlly and physically for the day ahead. Teach 6 classes with 4 different preps. This means a lot of planning and organization. Stay at least an hour after school to put things away and run off copies needed for the next day.

I also sponsor the senior class, one club, an academic team, and am department chair. On top of that I am a member of a variety of committees. What this all means is there are days that I have meetings until 9:00 at night after working all day.

I love to support the students in all of their extra-curriculuar activiteis, so several evenings a week I attends games, band, choir, and academic meets.

Any evening that I go home from school with no meetings to make me return, I take a bag full of papers to grade. I cannot sit and watch TV without a stack of papers to grade - it doens't feel normal anymore!

Over the summer I spend time rewriting lessons, adding new information to my lessons, and going to school to work on things in my room. I must also take classes to renew my certificate every 5 years.

I don't make much per hour when you factor in all of the time I spend on school-related work. However, I love to teach and can't imagine having any other job.

Answer 5

I'll be beginning my 4th year of teaching in a few weeks. I find that I have enough time to see my friends, family etc, however, I don't eat lunch in the teachers' room and I go in at least 35 minutes early every day. I don't normally stay too late unless I have students staying for extra help. I usually have to spend an hour or two during the weekend doing work too. So...I'd say it's easy to balance but you can't spend your free time (lunch, prep, etc) at school socializing.
BTW- I teach 7th and 8th grade Spanish

Answer 6

Really all this depends on your philosophy and work ethic. There are times when it does get a bit crazy. The first couple of years are the worst because you are approaching every lesson/issue for the first time. Once you get a few years under your belt you have a wealth of resources to fall back on.

One thing that is hard to do is separate your classroom relationships from your homelife. I know my husband gets sick and tired of hearing about the classroom and my worries for my students. Those things weigh heavy on you if you let them. Ex. I had a student whose home burned down. While they did receive assistance, I couldn't help but worry about him constantly.

As far as the general work load, this will depend on what level/subject you teach. In elementary there is a lot of preparation for your lessons/daily activities. Fortunately there are teacher assistance at the lower levels.

I would never take my decision to teach back. Every job is going to have its issues. The rewards are so worth the time in teaching though.

Answer 7

I just finished my first year teaching and while it is time consuming, I find it easy to balance my time. I go to work about 7:30 and leave around 4. I try to do lesson plans and things over my plan period or while my family is busy with their own things. It does seem hard at first to find a balance but I think it is very possible! Best of luck!

Answer 8

I have seen it work both ways. Since I am in a new city (I don't know too many people) and I am single, I allow work to take up a ton of my "free" time because I enjoy it. Also since I am a high school teacher, I try to go to as many sporting events, plays, competitions, etc. as I can. I think supporting them helps me develop a good rapport with my students. However, I know many teachers have families and not nearly as much free time as I do, and they only attend a few events and do more planning in their free periods than I do. I think you can prioritize any way you want to.

Answer 9

Time administration, prioritizing goals and agendas, and artwork balancing are all interconnected. Trimming the fat off of the time you commit to specific events can actually shop up a number of hours in a week, or maybe each and every so often interior of an afternoon. in case you opt to spend greater time with your little ones and your companion then you definitely do no longer want to spend a number of night hours at homestead interfacing with the workplace, zoning out in front of an digital gadget, or miraculous at your prominent water hollow with your acquaintances. Priorities are needed to help direct us in the direction of the behaviors which will help us in the direction of the perfect purpose of balancing artwork and kin.