Say hi to Abby. She just turned 8 weeks old today! Abby came home with us this past Saturday and has been the best puppy ever. Just take a moment to look at how adorable she is...
No matter how cute she is, puppies are hard work. We are in full fledge potty training mode, teaching her what to chew and what not to chew, and playing with her as much as possible. While teaching Abby not to pee inside, did I mention that I have a full-time job and am currently attending grad school?! I am living off coffee. If I could put coffee into an IV I would. This is five days in with a puppy. She will quickly grow up, learn to go potty outside (letting me know by ringing her bell!), and will sleep through the night. As much as people say "puppies are like kids," I think that they cannot even compare. This past week has given me so much more respect for my coworkers who juggle work and families. My job is not only 8:40 - 4:00, like most people think it is. I stay late, come in early, and take work home with me... every single day. But, I don't have kids at home waiting on me (Well, I do have a fur-baby now).
I have the utmost respect for teachers raising families and working crazy hours, being involved parents and involved teachers. The biggest struggle that teachers have to face is time management. I do not mean during lessons. I am talking about managing home life and work life. There are major expectations in both areas. Not only are many teachers parents at home, but some must provide support to their students that these children do not receive from their own parents. How much is too much? When do you say this can wait?
It is all about setting your priorities. What has to be done and what can wait? My grade partners and I struggle with this. Lesson plans need to be done, but one of their son's has a baseball game. The choice should be obvious, but sometimes we don't have time to make that realization. Will we regret missing an event or have we fallen into the routine of choosing work over those family experiences? I know that this is a challenge that many teachers face. I want to do it all. I want to be the best teacher I can be, but also be the best I can be outside of work, as well. I need to continue to prioritize, find ways to work smarter and not harder, and find peace with how I allocate my time. Will the exhaustion go away? Probably not, but that is okay.
Looking for tips? This post provided some good ideas to help find a balance between your home life and school life.
I have the utmost respect for teachers raising families and working crazy hours, being involved parents and involved teachers. The biggest struggle that teachers have to face is time management. I do not mean during lessons. I am talking about managing home life and work life. There are major expectations in both areas. Not only are many teachers parents at home, but some must provide support to their students that these children do not receive from their own parents. How much is too much? When do you say this can wait?
It is all about setting your priorities. What has to be done and what can wait? My grade partners and I struggle with this. Lesson plans need to be done, but one of their son's has a baseball game. The choice should be obvious, but sometimes we don't have time to make that realization. Will we regret missing an event or have we fallen into the routine of choosing work over those family experiences? I know that this is a challenge that many teachers face. I want to do it all. I want to be the best teacher I can be, but also be the best I can be outside of work, as well. I need to continue to prioritize, find ways to work smarter and not harder, and find peace with how I allocate my time. Will the exhaustion go away? Probably not, but that is okay.
Looking for tips? This post provided some good ideas to help find a balance between your home life and school life.
Thank you Abby for helping me to realize that I need to improve on my time management. Not only making me realize my flaws, but forcing me to make immediate changes. Otherwise, I would spend every afternoon cleaning up accidents rather than playing with my new pup. No thanks.