Last October, I attended a teacher conference and the keynote speaker gave us each a copy of his book:
His advice was to savor the book and read it over the course of a full school year (or season as he calls it). Baffled, I resisted my binge reading impulse and have been slowly reading a chapter or two per week. There are lots of thought-provoking questions and reflection space,which does hinder the speed reading.
I'm glad I've taken my time. I've had quite the range of emotions this school year, ranging from excitement to disappointment to exhaustion. I've been able to pinpoint why I'm experiencing those emotions and examine my teaching practices through a critical and empathetic lens.
Today's chapter focused on time. The one thing we never seem to have enough of as educators (and well, people in general). It focused on getting rid of the glorification of busy and talked about the negative impacts of multi-tasking.
I pride myself on my ability to multi-task, but maybe that's not such a good thing.
The chapter's call to action was to truly examine how time is being spent. By constantly toggling between various tasks (and social media), we (teachers) spend day in and day out feeling distracted, disappointed, overwhelmed, and juggling a lot of tasks, yet never really completing them.
I found myself agreeing with the author's description of the because I can syndrome.
"Loehr refers to this multitasking tendency as the "because I can" syndrome. Why do I check emails while on vacation? Why do I text during family dinner? Why do I interrupt a conversation to take another call or return a text message? Why do I work every night until after midnight? Why do I answer my cell phone during my daughter's concert? Why do I skip my work out? Why do I miss breakfast?
Because I can." (HEART, p. 72)
The author goes on to state "everyone I know has this issue I suspect that, at one time or another, you have taken on too many tasks and become overwhelmed. The demands of managing work, family, and your personal health (and energy) make it impossible not to skirt the edges of faulty assumptions. Eventually, one of these areas, if not all three, begins to suffer." (72)
As a teacher, there's always more work that can be done. Being aware of this is the first step. However, life can't be all work. Instead, I should focus and fully commit to three goals per day instead of attempting everything with varying levels of focus.
Even as I write this post, I had to make a conscious effort not to have Netflix on in the background, not to be checking my phone, not to be texting, or not to be on social media.
Newsflash: It was difficult. I was uploading some pictures to dropbox, so I checked the status of that. My phone went off a few times, so I checked the social media updates. It was nothing crucial or important. I also listened to music. B's at a softball tournament, so it means I can listen to the Wicked Soundtrack without his sassy comments. My mind started to stray about the laundry I could start, or the errands I could do, or the chores that could be started, and as a result, this post took a while to write.
This is exactly what the author is talking about: the superficial tasks and the "simpler, better, faster" mantra.
The blunt truth of this chapter really resonated with me:
Except in rare circumstances...you will never be as good as if you focused on one thing at a time. Period. That's the bottom line. " (71)
He goes on to quote The Way We're Working Isn't Working with "We create plenty of distractions for ourselves by juggling tasks, making ourselves perpetually available to others, opening several windows on our computers, and focusing on whatever feels most urgent at the moment without regard to whether what we are doing is really important." (71)
The book suggests thinking about 3 goals per day. So, that's what I'm going to try.
I found this while cleaning:
And it seems perfect for this new strategy.
My goals for Monday (the first day back) are:
1) Plan my smart notebook for the day and gather necessary materials
2) Plan for Tuesday (lay out copies, etc) right after school
3) Plan with Ms. H (we were supposed to plan over break, but family time was more important)
My going into Monday with my goals in mind makes it easy to grasp. My day is planned. My 3 goals for the day are laid out (and written down in my goal setting planner).
However, I don't want to wait until Monday to try this new strategy. I've started today's list of my top 3 goals:
1) Go to Target for a few items
2) Spend 45 minutes in the garage organizing and going through teacher boxes
3) Nail appointment with two coworkers (It's been a month)
What are your top three goals for today?
I hate that question because there's no right answer.
If I talk about the work I did, I get attitude.
If I talk about the relaxing I did, I get attitude.
So, here was break:
My hubby, our pets, and I headed down to Arizona for five days. We enjoyed time with my momma, brother, his gf Leah, my bestie, her family, and met my bestie's boyfriend. We played lots of board games and I helped my mom set up her {Etsy Quilt Shop}.
We also prepared for our new roommate.
Ms. P, my second student teacher, is moving in for a few months while she subs in CCSD. She's not sure if she wants to teach here or in Utah, so this is a short term solution for her while she figures out her next steps.
We cleaned out the far guest bedroom and got ready for her arrival.
I did a lot of grading. I saved my retakes and semester exams for the last week of school because I wanted to maximize Ms. P's teaching opportunities in my classroom by letting her actually teach, not just
Yes, three whole inches of grading! All of that had to be done and entered before I could write 25 report card comments. Don't worry, all of those got done too!
With help, of course.
I made copies for the first day back, wrote lesson plans for the month of January, prepped new books,
and fought with curriculum engine (the online tool where we write our lesson plans):
I also enjoyed lots of pet snuggling time,
got my teeth cleaned, went to the orthodontist, took Crooksie to the vet, watched Season 1 of Stranger Things, got my eyebrows waxed, got my nails done, took down Christmas decorations, enjoyed several lunches with friends, had Starbucks time, wrote, reflected on the new year, watched a lot of Netflix, napped, and did some reading.
I look forward to a restful weekend and doing no school work until Monday. #balance
As a teacher, one of my biggest struggles is finding balance between my personal and professional life.
I could easily work 12 hour days and still feel behind. That, unfortunately, is the culture of education. We are constantly asked to do so much with so little in return. Every time I blink, it seems "one more thing" is added to our plates. I don't hold admin at fault because they too are accountable to higher ups.
But being a work-a-holic is not sustainable. It's not healthy. There's no medal in working twelve hour days all the time. Fellow colleagues seem to enjoy bragging about their long hours, as if staying at work until the late evening is a badge of honor.
News flash, it's not.
There are days when long hours are unavoidable. They seem to exist around the beginning of the year (setting up classrooms is time consuming), parent/teacher conference time, report card time (writing comments takes a while when each one is three individualized paragraphs about specific strengths and weaknesses), carnival time, or end of the year (again, report card fun).
In an attempt for balance, I start each day with a to do list. I write out the items that absolutely must get accomplished that day and then leave space for additional tasks that are needed, but necessarily time sensitive.
At the end of the day, I remake the list for the next day so I can come in with a purpose.
I also keep my door shut from 7 until 8 am. I prefer working in silence because it's when I'm most productive. Our start time is 8:26, so I'll open my door around 8 if others want to come in to chat, problem solve, etc. I try not to seek out others before school unless it's absolutely necessary because I know I easily get caught up in chit chat.
I don't bring work home unless I absolutely have to and stop responding to parent messages after 5 pm. I know all my students' parents mean well, but I don't appreciate frantic messages on class dojo after 7 pm wanting to discuss grading. There are boundaries.
(I have gotten middle of the night texts about family emergencies and hospital visits. That I understand. I don't respond until I wake up, but it's good to have the heads up about things that are happening.)
My weekends are for me, family, and friends. We've had some rather full weekends this year. In the first seven weeks of the school year, we attended three different weddings. B was in one of them as a groomsman. Another weekend brought hosting out of state friends who were in town for a wedding (that we weren't invited to). Weekends are for movie marathons, Netflix binging, lunches with friends, and dinner dates.
Without balance, individuals are at a much higher risk of burn-out.
What are you doing to promote balance this weekend?
I've shared earlier that one of my {goals} for this year is to have more of a work-life balance.
Having a social life doesn't mean I'm not an effective teacher. It means that I realize there are more important things than work.
Last weekend was jam-packed with a friend's wedding festivities.
Friday night consisted of happy hour with friends from work.
B was working on his fantasy draft, so I brought him home pizza.
Saturday we saw friends, went out to dinner, and went dancing.
Sunday we set up for her wedding at Mount Charleston and celebrated her magical day.
Monday we dropped our friends off at the airport and then I headed to another friend's bridal shower.
A magical four days of teaching ensued and then it was the weekend again!
Friday night was low key with laundry and laminating new centers:
Saturday brought a lunch date at Olive Garden, grocery shopping, a nap, then a friend's birthday celebration.
Sunday brought putting the finishing touches on an upcoming baby shower, another nap, football, walking the pup, and a relaxing evening.
A busy week lies ahead, but next weekend is full of craft plans, family time, and more naps.
In the upcoming weeks, we've got a baby shower, 2 more weddings, friends in town, and an all day teacher conference (but it's close and paid!).
Earlier this month, I shared about my desire to {reclaim my weekends}.
Working all the time doesn't make me a better teacher. It drains me. It doesn't make me a good wife, a good partner, a good (pet) mom, or a good friend.
There needs to be balance and this is something I've struggled with for most of my career.
I'm getting better at this balance.
I left work at 4:15 on Friday. I stayed after to quickly grade their math quizzes, prep Monday's smart notebook, and run copies for language. More importantly, I was having dinner with a friend and couldn't arrive too early, so I kept myself busy with some small tasks.
Friday night we went to the craft store to get stuff for her daughter's upcoming baby shower. I'm making a scrapbook and wanted her input on the album. We stopped by Target for some very exciting items (batteries, carpet cleaner, and command hanging strips) before stopping by Panera.
She just completed her second week of teaching and needed to process the events. She's subbed for me before, she completed her student teaching, but now she's in the classroom full time. It's an adjustment and there are lots of growing pains when starting at a new school with a new team.
We had a nice long dinner and it was nice to catch up. The rest of Friday night included going to bed early because teaching is hard. I did come home to these:
Saturday brought about sleeping in and then attending a friend's bridal shower.
We met up with friends for dinner and then played games at the house afterward. I clearly made great choices at dinner:
My hubby did very well at picking out a birthday cake:
Sunday meant more sleeping in, lunch with family to celebrate birthdays (his mom and I are two days apart), a Target run, a nap, a bubble bath, decorating for fall, and talking with my momma on the phone.
I did manage to squeeze in a little school work this weekend. I cut out photo booth props (shout out to Teach Create Motivate and her cute {freebies}), graded one of their beginning of the year math probes, and finished grading their diagnostic Words Their Way spelling inventory. In total, this all took maybe an hour out of my weekend.
I'm ending Sunday night with reading, touching up my pedicure, and heading to bed before 9 pm. I'm walking into Monday with lesson plans done (for Monday), materials prepped, and no meetings. I'll spend before school and prep getting ready for the rest of the week. I have happy hour plans with friends after work (because it's my birthday) and plans lined up for next weekend.
After school on Friday, I stayed late to hang my bulletin board. It's a two person job and I'm grateful my hubby came in to help. We tackled a few other chores (labeling books, stapling letters to the wall, setting up folders) before calling it a day and picking up take out food.
I took very little work home with me this weekend and it felt great.
On Friday's prep, I finished the lesson plans for the next six days. On her prep, Ms. H finished the copies. Team work there.
My weekend tasks for school included:
1) Purchase a new book bin from Joann's. I had coupons and already needed to stop by the neighboring Bed, Bath, and Beyond for a wedding gift.
2) Put names on clothes pins for the data board. This is easily (mindlessly) accomplished while watching TV.
3) Put washi tape on the bottom of markers and colored pencils to color code by table. Annoying, but necessary for keeping order. Full disclosure, I only did the markers this weekend. Oh well. We aren't using colored pencils today anyway.
4) Make a new seating chart. I let them sit where they wanted the first week and now it's time to make some adjustments. I have 2 tables of 6, 1 table of 5, and 1 table of 7. It's been bugging me for a week. I have one student at the back of the room that I just got a medical alert for that states the student needs to be up front. Oops. Another student was having trouble with a neighbor and told family, who then told me what happened. And some boys just got too cozy with their best friends and while school should be fun at times, they were having a bit too much fun. Time for some changes.
I do have them write to me about where they'd like to sit. For the first time, I had them tell me a classmate who might help them learn and if they speak Spanish (I have a very new to country kiddo who is just learning English and needs translations).
That was it in terms of school work. I'm okay with this because I'm reclaiming my weekends in the name of work-life balance.
I'll have a late night this week to get ready for Open House (which is Thursday) but am looking forward to my classroom being fully set up so I can leave around 4 each day.
So what did I do instead of work this weekend?
Friends marathon with my hubby
Slept in while he made a breakfast casserole
Went shopping and got some jeans and wedding gifts. Lids also had a buy 1, get 1 half off sale and since B couldn't find a second Broncos one he liked...
I got a new Cardinals one! I also practiced making funny faces while I spent more time than I cared to looking at cleats at Dick's Sporting Goods with the hubs. He suggested we get a kayak. I am horrible at kayaking.
Had date night at Dave and Buster's with 2 other couples.
This drink was too overwhelmingly Fireball, but I got to keep the sea monster.
Took a dear friend out for a champagne tea for her bridal brunch. She gets married in 2 weeks!
It was fun to get dressed up and have girls time.
I feel as well rested as I can be and ready to start another week of school. Next weekend is already planned, so it's nice to have something to look forward to at the end of a long week. But to be totally fair, I'm also looking forward to the eclipse mayhem being over.
This is a lesson I continue to struggle with.
We had a busy weekend...as it should be.
Friday
In a constant struggle of me vs my allergies, they won. There was a ton of dust and pollution in the air on Friday, which wrecked havoc on my sinuses. So while he went out to softball, I graded all that I could, worked on school work, did laundry, and tidied up the house.
Saturday
The morning started with a walk for Waffles and trying our new yoga work out DVD. I like it so far! We picked out his groomsmen attire, had a relatively healthy lunch at Sweet Tomatoes, and went to the craft store and Target. I did a little more work before headed out to a dear friend's daughter's sixth birthday party. There were copious amounts of sugar involved. Afterwards, me and B met up with some family members to see the Spazmatics, which are an 80s cover band. It was a fun show with super cheap drinks, but I wasn't used to being up til 2 am.
Sunday
Without much sleep, we got up and took Waffles up to the snow. We met up with some friends at the Mt. Charleston lodge and drove up from there. We had only one minor skid issue, but found a nice chunk of unaltered snow to play in. Once Waffles discovered she could eat the snow, she was in heaven. It started gently snowing while we were up there, which was nice and relaxing.
We stopped by his parents' house to return their tupperware (from Thanksgiving...sorry Mike and Kathy!). We picked up lunch on the way home and spent the afternoon half-heartedly working and watching Netflix. Tomorrow is the 100th day of school and while we don't do much in fifth grade, I wanted to set up a selfie station with props in the teachers lounge, which required a gathering of random supplies from my house. I completed one state in the next region (slated to start this week?), but then a nap occurred...and then the dilemma hit.
Do I plow through and conquer another state? Or do I enjoy my evening?
I chose the later. I put forth a good five hours of work between school ending Friday and now. That's enough. That's more than enough.
Am I 100% ready for tomorrow? No. I know what I'm teaching, but I have copies to make and lesson plans to copy & paste into the online server.
However, instead of stressing, I'm going to take Waffles for a walk with B, paint my toes, and swap out my nails for a new Valentine's themed jammicure. I'll pack my lunch for the morning, toss my water bottle in the freezer, and get lots of beauty rest.
I struggle at times with finding balance between my personal life and my professional life. Sometimes I put more emphasis on the teacher part of me and neglect the rest of my life. Making sure I strike that balance is becoming increasingly important and I am proud of myself for prioritizing me this year.
I get to work early. I like the quiet time before most teachers are there. I like having that time to collaborate with other early risers and not have to fight for the copy machine. I like to have my day fully prepared before any morning meetings start.
That being said, I am trying to leave shortly after the kids do each day. We dismiss around 3:30, so I aim to leave by 4. That thirty minutes gives me enough time to save my documents, shut down my technology, tidy the room, and make sure the parking lot is clear before I start my ten minute drive home. Some days I'm there longer, but most of the time I get home before 4:30 and that's a wonderful feeling.
I've recently fallen in love with Jamberry nail wraps and am excited to be an independent consultant during my free time. I like that there is NO drying time and that these last through my real life. Over fourteen days of teaching, cleaning, cooking, laundry, and actual real life activities, these wraps stayed firmly adhered to my finger nails.
I've gotten compliments on them from teachers and parents alike. I keep my nails short so I think it's completely professional to have fun colors and prints (like this cheetah one!). It provides me an opportunity to bond with my students (the ten year old girls notice my nails and want to talk about them).
I've also started using DoTerra oils as a natural way to ease my aches and pains. I love the calming effect of lavender scent before bedtime. I'm trying to make healthier choices, so I am flavoring my water with drops of wild orange (instead of reaching for soda).
I'm also taking time for friends and family. Whether it's hour long phone calls with my mom or texting my Florida pals, I'm trying to put more time into those lasting relationships. We are having gorgeous weather, so I sat on my patio with tea and talked to my mom for a while this morning. Then I did some yoga and snuggled with my kitties.
I feel more balanced. I feel happier. I am proud of myself for prioritizing my personal life as well as my professional life.
And as for my relationship with B? He had a rough day at work, so I made him cookies. I coincidentally timed it perfectly because as he walked in, I was taking them out of the over. Score for girl friend points! We are seeing his parents later today, have a date night planned, and are meeting up with friends tomorrow to watch football. Our teams are playing one another, so the losing team does dishes for the next few days!
I like that I'm happier after my change. I like that my new grade level (and whole school really) is incredibly kind and supportive. They recognize that teachers are first and foremost people with lives outside of our school. That's important to me. I need that balance and at my new school, balance is encouraged.
What have you done for you lately?
