Working teacher contract hours may seem like an impossible plan, but with some strategic changes, you may recapture your out of school time. In this post, you’ll get 11 easy to implement changes to help you develop a better work-life balance.
The third blog in my Back to School Series is by Katrina, also known as the Animated Teacher! Katrina is a multi-award winning teacher from Australia who specializes in creating resources that support teachers and engage students. Read her blog for teacher tips and hacks, and fresh ideas for engaging your students.
Hey overworked teacher. I see you. I hear you. I was you.
From lesson planning to grading, meetings, extracurricular activities, and everything in between, it’s easy to get swept away in a whirlwind of work. I would work all day at work, then take home hours of lesson planning and marking.
At the time, I believed this was just the norm.
I believed that all teachers worked extra hours outside the school day.
I believed that we had to because there was not enough planning time during school hours to get all the things we had to done.
I believed that to be a great teacher I had to have amazing lesson plans, which meant I had to work long hours.
But this is not sustainable. And these beliefs were actually not true.
At the end of the day, we all need to find a balance between work, family and personal life. While this may look different for each individual, there are some key ideas that all teachers can adopt to help find this balance.
How You Can Stick to Working Your Teacher Contract Hours
So grab a coffee and find a comfy space as I give you 11 tips to only work teacher contract hours so that you can finally get back to some leisure time that bring you joy.
- Batch planning: By batching as many processes as possible you will save so much time when lesson planning or doing admin tasks like photocopying. By batching my lesson planning, I found I saved hours of time per week.
For me, this means planning all year 7 lessons for the week at the one time, then moving on to year 8 and so forth. This means I spend less time making my brain switch between different topics and I’m able to get a flow going in my lesson planning. This is now one of my best habits when lesson planning.
You may also like my blog post on 49 time saving hacks for teachers. - Time Blocking: Block out specific chunks of time for different tasks throughout your day. Whether it’s planning periods, grading sessions, or meetings, assigning dedicated time slots helps you stay on track and avoid getting sucked into endless tasks. For example, if you have a planning period, plan in advance what you are going to use that prep time for. This stops you from wasting time when you finally get to that period.
Don’t underestimate the value of having good time management.
- Say NO: This is one of my biggest tips for new teachers. Say no to anything and everything that is additional to your contracted role. It’s okay to politely decline additional responsibilities that don’t align with your contracted hours or goals. Your time and energy are precious, so don’t be afraid to set boundaries and prioritize self-care.
- Buy resources: Sometimes buying a ready to go resource is worth the few dollars for the hours of work it saves you.
- Have sub lesson plans already prepared: There is nothing worse than being sick and having to plan all your lessons anyway. Have a few lessons on hand you can use at any time of year to leave for a sub teacher. You can even purchase them if you need to such as these science sub lesson plans.
- Have students mark their own work: Not all grading needs to land on your plate. Have students mark their own homework or peer mark quizzes to save you taking it home out of work hours.
- Prioritize: Take a moment at the start of each week to identify your top priorities and write them as an ordered to-do list. What absolutely needs to get done? Focus on these tasks first and tackle the rest as time allows.
- Set boundaries: If you are wanting to only work the actual hours you are contracted for, then it is a good idea to set boundaries that you will stick to. For example, give yourself a time that you want to be out of school at each day. If it is to leave by 4pm then make sure you leave at 4pm.
- Have someone keep you accountable: Have your teacher bff or colleague keep you accountable to the boundaries you have set. If they see you working past the hours you set yourself, ask them to give you a gentle nudge to get out the door. It can be helpful to have a colleague who wants to set similar boundaries so you both can help each other with accountability, and also remove the teacher guilt for leaving before others.
And just a moment on that teacher guilt – I get it. You care about your job and your students. Even now, I still can feel that teacher guilt – that I’m not doing enough for my students. But the reality is, if you don’t find balance and spend time on your own hobbies, then you won’t be able to be as good a teacher as you want to be. So please don’t give yourself a hard time. Being a good teacher does not mean living at school!
- Only do professional development during school hours: There are some amazing professional development courses and conferences out there. While I would love to attend the weekend ones, I also know that if I do I will be shattered for the rest of the week. I’m also not paid for any PD I do outside of school hours. So now I try and find PD that is held on school days rather than on weekends or during school holidays.
- Make plans: Book in for a massage, organise a coffee date with a friend, or join a new dance class. Give yourself something to look forward to after the school day as this will help you stick to your boundaries and take some much needed rest time after work.
Conclusion
Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is a well-balanced teaching schedule. Be patient with yourself, and don’t be afraid to ask for support when you need it. With a little bit of planning, prioritizing, and boundary-setting, you’ve got this!
Here’s to reclaiming those precious hours, only working a contract day, and thriving both inside and outside the classroom. You’ve earned it!
Katrina’s Links:
- Website: https://www.theanimatedteacherblog.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theanimatedteacher
The back to school series will return in 2 weeks with engagement strategies and building positive relationships in the beginning of the year. If you missed previous posts, check them out!
- Updating Curriculum
- Preparing the Classroom
