Being a teacher is a tough job. It involves so many hours outside of the classroom to have meetings, respond to emails, plan, prep, grade, etc. The first few years I was a teacher I brought endless amounts of work home. I was the girl lugging the massive bag (or bags) to and from the classroom. I was feeling burnt out because I was always working. Around my 5th year in the classroom I finally figured out the trick that worked for me. Today I am going to share the reasons why I stopped bringing work home and what I do now. Does the GIF below look like you? Read on!
What Works?
The first step is to figure out what works for you. Would you rather get to school earlier in the morning or stay later after school is done? I use to go to school earlier in the morning. I had more energy in the morning, no one was there and I could get things completed rather quickly. This left my afternoons free and I could head home knowing my work was done for the day!
Designate Days
I assigned tasks to each day of the week. One day I would make all my copies for the following week, the next day I would plan, I tried to schedule meetings on the same days, etc. This helped me to be organized and efficient in what I was doing. I was also able to keep to task easier since I was focusing on one thing at a time.
Use Planning Periods Wisely
It is so tempting to bask in the quiet when our students are gone, but maximizing planning periods is extremely important. I divided up my planning periods into grading and planning for the following week. Then I batched my lessons by completing at least a week’s worth of science lessons before I moved on to reading, then writing, etc. Keeping on top of the grading was extremely important to me, but find a system that works for you!
Leave your Desk Tidy
This was huge for me! Coming in to work the following morning to a messy desk set the day off on the wrong tone. I would struggle to find what I needed and the visual clutter cluttered my mind. By leaving my desk nice and neat for the following day I was able to start my morning off on the right foot.
Want more organization tips? Check out this blog post.
Self Care
Teacher burnout is real! Take care of yourself. Remember you are human and need time to do things for you. Check out this blog post on self care.
How were you able to stop bringing work home? Share any ideas that worked for you in the comments below.
