I recently participated in a #mnlead Twitter chat, and the topic was Balance. How many people think about this on any regular basis? By not addressing it, or even acknowledging that we need balance in our everyday life, our life between work and home turns upside down.
How many of you bring work home with you? If you're a teacher, my guess is at some point you have answered yes. Here's the more accurate question, how much work do you bring home? And how often? And how much time does it take away from your family or personal interests? One hour's worth of grading vs. 4 hours are two entirely different things. When do you start this work and when do you stop? At some point in an evening there needs to be some down time, time to connect with yourself, your family, your spirit, your soul, or maybe the TV to catch up on current events. For me I need time to not concentrate on anything important, a brain dead activity like watching TV or playing solitaire on my iPad. This allows me to relax, unwind, and gear up for the next day.
If we do not take time every day to find a balance between work and everything else, we become engulfed in our jobs, and ultimately we suffer. Many people in this chat shared that because their children were young, it dictated their time at home to center around family and not work. That's Great!! Recognizing that your children need you, and being there for them, is the best choice you can make. Looking at life through the eyes of a child can bring everything into perspective. Others said they set aside time during their day to walk or work-out in some manner for their own health and to clear their minds. Most stated they had to schedule it and make it part of a routine or it wouldn't happen. One person even said they went for a walk around campus after lunch just to step away from their desk and refocus for the afternoon. Myself, I get my workout in before school. I know my job and routine and if I don't do it then, it most likely doesn't get done, something will always seem to come up. If it happens I have time for a physical activity after school, then it's just a bonus!
While it's easy to set aside a textbook or stack of papers, and go to the store or shopping, out to eat or a movie, how easy is it to walk away from work when we are connected so closely through technology? How many of you check your school email on your phone? Do you get Social Media updates regarding school, classes or students that you check regularly? Are people texting you with school "emergencies"? With technology advancements, and integrating them into our courses, have we made it virtually impossible to disconnect from work? This became a hot topic because we were all over the place.
Some continuously check their phones because of notices they receive, some are trying to stay on top of emails (ever feel like you are on email overload?) most are checking devices throughout the evening & weekends, barely able to put it down for a family meal. STOP THE MADNESS!
What message are we sending our students & families if we don't care enough to have interests outside of our jobs to bring something personal back to the classroom? Don't we encourage our students to have other interests and hobbies besides what they learn in our class? I know I do, I want the kids to have time away from my course so they come back refreshed. I want my students to be kids as well, spend time with their families. I'm not going to give them some big project over a long break, I want them to have down time just like I do and I need that at times. Everyone needs balance, not just teachers. How are you going to encourage balance for your students?
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