Any teachers out there - need to ask about work life balance

[lavenderbongo]

I have just started back to work part time as a secondary school teacher after a 4 year break. My dds are 4 and 6.

I really want to make sure I keep a good work life balance. I found that working whilst dd1 was a baby it was impossible to keep work seperate from home life - it always seems to take over.

I really want to do most of my planning at school and keep my free time for my girls and DH.

So does anyone have any tips to keep work and home life seperate.

Is it possible as a teacher - has anyone out there managed it?

I used to find that working part time there is a danger that your work can still take up the whole week, while you only get paid for part of it.

If I had afternoon lessons I used to find that it overshadowed the morning because I would be tense and thinking about the lessons if not actually preparing them. Another trap is to spend longer planning your lessons than you physically are able to if you are full time. I was working a 50% timetable but it actually took up 4 days.

So in the light of my failure to manage this, I would say make yourself a timetable of how much time you are prepared to give to planning etc and stick to it, Sooner said than done I should say.

Thanks Renniehorta. I am hoping to use the gaps inbetween my lessons at school to plan - but I am sitting here in the evening planning lessons!
I am in NZ by the way.

I've been part-time ever since DC were born and I've always maintained that it's still preferable to fulltime even if you do expand your hours to fit most some of the time you're meant to be at home. Because as a full-timer you have even more lessons to plan, reveiw, assess etc.. and you're then inevitably working 7 days a week with no time for any home/family stuff.

Anyway, assuming you have no choice in the matter, I would say you're going to have to cut some corners if you're going to stay sane. So, lunch in the staffroom chatting with colleagues is the first thing to go - if you used to be one of the lucky few who ever managed that in the first place. I have no time for chatting - every minute of the school day is spent with my head down. Become more effective - I used to spend unnecessary hours trawling the internet for ideas; now I just pick something and get it organised. I cut down on marking by getting them (in maths, KS2) to self-mark initially, with me then checking and commenting afterwards.
Get a cleaner/ironing lady and it's vital that you have your DP on board and pulling his weight around the house too. None of this "helping out" business. It's split pretty-much 50:50, which includes covering when they're ill. Work when they're in bed, or get your DP to take them out for set periods of time whe you zoom through your to-do list. Try and keep school work away from the main living areas if possible - otherwise it's easy to creep in.
Accept that you can't do it all. So many teachers are perfectionists - that way lies a breakdown, in my book.

Thanks clam - thats a lot of detailed advice which I am going to follow

We are planning on getting a cleaner as I do not want to spend my weekends washing up and cleaning the loo!

DH is reasonably good but has a demanding job himself and has a tendancy not to see the mess!

This first week back has been a real shock to the system and I am beginning to wonder what I have let myself in for. But pre-kids I loved my job to I am going to plough on!

It will get more manageable once you get into a routine.
Good luck.

(DS ill today, so am on MN marking English books at home. Great excuse to catch up!)

I'm wondering the saqme thing OP. I've just started my mat leave and only teach pt anyway but always spent so much longer in school than I was timetabled/the equivalent of a ft teacher.

It's hard as you want to do your school work in school, but, I find if I stay in my room at breaks I get distracted by students/other staff popping in to chat or ask me things. Also, if I came in earlier than I was timetabled or later to get work done, FT staff didn't realise I was using my own unpaid time to madly get work done and didn't understand when I explained this really wasn't a good time to have an impromptu meeting about a students or whatever and to rearrange it when I was suppose to be in. I think I got taken advantage of quite alot in this respect.

Thing to remember is 'it will get done' (wish I could take my own advice so readily!). If you plan things a week or so in advance you will spend aot long than the day before. I do find it permenantly frustrating though as I love to get things done thoroughly and well and pride myself on some of my lessons that do take alot of time and planning. When I return from mat leave I know I will find it hard/impossible to cut corners as it's just not me - I want to do a proper job not a half hearted one.

Hi snowangels1. You have summed up my concerns exactly. The job is not really an hourly paid thing - its almost a lifestyle choice. I find that I am constantly thinking about lessons and schemes of work when I should be concentrating on my own kids.

I think I need to do as clam suggested and keep work stuff confined to just one room in the house and strict hours. Its just not very easy when I can spend hours fine tuning a lesson.

watching

I am 0.6 after returning following maternity leave.

DD is in nursery so I stay until 5 each evening to do as much as I can in school (less now we have a production on). I also make the most of break/lunch time.

Peer and self assessment is a must.

I missed what subject you are but my planning is easier as I teach RE across the year groups so one plan with necessary tweaks for individual classes.

The fact we can't do everything was a hard thing to learn so I prioritise, my day to day planning comes first, my HOD duties next then assessment. Anything else is done when I have time.

So far, touch wood, the work I have had to take home has been minimal.

I get in half an hour before school starts and leave an hour after my last lesson and use that and my frees (I have a few trapped frees as I am 0.6 spread over 5 days) to do all my planning, photocopying, admin etc, and try to get marking done then too. I don't have any textbooks at home so I can't do any planning at home, which focuses the mind. The only thing I take home is marking and I do that after DS is in bed. It means that when I'm at school I'm manic, but I don't even think about school when I'm spending time with him and my weekends are free.

I work FT as the head of a core subject department. I have no work-life balance

I am not a teacher but this does strike a cord with me.

I think sometimes you just have to say .. I'm part time for a reason.. ie to be with my family

You need to figure out how much non contact time you would need full time... then pro rata it to your pt hours.. ie full time you need 8 hours .. part time you should do 4 hours

If (and I strongly suspect in a teaching position) that the pro rata'd time is not enough then you need to sit down with your line manager (head , whatever) and have a conversation

Snap FallenMadonna :) I wouldn't change it though. I have one day a week off; Mon - Fri I'm always checking school email and thinking about work but weirdly you do kind of find a way through. You have to have a cleaner and have a relaxed approach to ironing. meal planning and getting Ocado to deliver has also been really helpful in saving time. I work like a crazy lady in my PPAs but I alays take my lunch break - in my role I need to connect with my colleagues and they need to know there's always a point in the day they can see me. One night a week DH is able to be home in time to take over from the CM and I work very late at school - until 7pm usually and this really helps clear the decks. Once a week I usually get up very early to do things which will enable me to have a free weekend marking wise. I hardly ever work at the weekend although it is sometimes on my mind.

Most of what I do has been very articulately presented by Clam. The only thing I would add, is to give yourself an easy day every other week, where you try and set the kids work which they can mark, or independent work that spans two lessons, so you don't have to mark it straight away, or even plan to watch any relevant DVDs on this 'easy day'.

The other thing I try and do is only mark non core subjects every 3 weeks. I work 3 days a week, and so mark one day's worth of books over the course of one week.

I also set h/w that they actually need to do in order to complete the following lesson, eg 'bring in a list of powerful adjectives/ descriptive phrases to go in your free form poem next week.' That way I don't have to mark them, as they are soley for the kids to use in the lesson.

The thing is, in teaching we have PPA (which would be pro rata), directed time for meeting etc (also pro rata), and then all the rest of the stuff we have to do. PPA is not enough time to do all the planning and marking, so the rest of the time is off the clock. And the conversation with a line manager would be about pro-rata non-contact and directed time, not all the other hours.

Great thread, some really useful tips so thought I would share mine.

I work 0.6 (three days) and manage by doing the following:

DH does the morning routine and childminder drop off so I go in early and have at least an hour before school starts to get stuff done - usually admin/organising photocopying, form tutor stuff (whoever said having a supportive DH/DP is essential is soooo right!)

I stay for an hour after the bell goes (can just about manage 1h10mins if needed) before picking up DD. This takes care of planning and some marking.

I then work if needed once DD is in bed BUT only on Tues, Wed or Thurs evenings (I work Wed-Fri).

I am really strict with myself about only working at these times and only ever do work at the weekend if absolutely nec such as coursework/internal exam marking deadlines are looming - I shut my schoolbag away from Friday evening until Tuesday so I'm not tempted otherwise as others said, it can encroach.

I have always remembered something one of my PGCE mentors said to us at the beginning of our course: 'if time is precious and you value your health, good is good enough'. I have taken this to heart as when I decided to have DC the decision was made that my family come first. Once DD (and DC2 coming in May) are at school full time, I'll think a bit more about progressing my career for me (although will prob stay part time if I can :o)

Frasersmummy: I don't think any teacher could reasonably expect to get all their planning / marking / admin etc done in their PPA time. We do generally send the kids home at 3.30pm and it's not unreasonable to expect to do a bit more when the young people aren't there. (As well as meetings, clubs, parents eves)- but I get the gist of what you are saying i.e if you work ft the expect to spend 5 days a week doing prep at the end of the school day but if you work less than that reduce it accordingly. You do have to be firm with yourself but I'm sure it's the same in any other salaried career.

I'm also 0.5 and I too find it difficult to 'not plan all the time' I love my job though and as snowangels said I want to do a job properly, not half heartedly.

All the extra hours was worth it last night at parents' evening when all 60 Year 9 students that I teach said that they want to continue their studies at GCSE and the parents want me to teach them as I make the lessons interesting.

Then again I do teach Geography so it's not difficult to make it interesting and relevant

0.6 over 4 days here and I wish I was as organised as you lot!

Prior to DC2 I worked 3 full days and put DD in nursery. I could stay a bit longer after school then to work.

Now DD is at pre-school so I juggle drop-off for her with drop-off at the childminder for DS and then pick-ups. They've given me a lovely timetable in terms of the DC which lets me walk DD to school almost every day and finish after P5 twice a week, so I can't complain about that. BUT that means that I have bugger all time in school to get anything done!

I think a supportive department really helps - I hope you have that OP! I've moved jobs from a department full of experienced mothers to a department where no-one has children and everyone works late. With the best will in the world I am always going to come up short against them and they are never going to understand what my life is like. I got the distinct impression they weren't too impressed when I haad to be off to look after sick DD, for example even though DH takes equal time off when the DC are ill.

Maybe I haven't settled in properly yet but I'm just feeling guilty about everything and seem to be chasing my tail a bit. One thing I would say is make super-sure you're kept informed about everything that is going on in school (I miss morning briefing due to my timetable and it's a nightmare!).

Sorry, that was more a rant than advice wasn't it? I do actually like teaching, believe it or not! Going to get off MN now and plan some lessons / clean the kitchen...

Problem is, I think teaching often really is a vocation for loads of us so it's really hard to not put your heart and soul into it. I'm actually already worrying about returning from mat leave as I know I won't be able to do as thorough job as I did and I'm not sure if the stress of not doing anything properly will just be so bad that I'm better off not returning. I want to go back but feel quite confused] as to how I'll cope. Sorry for rant OP.

I work full time. I am trying to work in the evenings for 2-3 hours each night after bed and then nothing at the weekend. I am fortunate I am allowed to take my PPA at home for one afternoon a fortnight and also we finish at 2:45 some days so I leave straight away work at home for a couple of hours and then pick up DD at 5:15ish. This means I get to do bath and bed etc cook tea and have the whole weekend with her. I have a cleaner and quite often make dinner (slow cooker) and/or prepare veg before I leave in the morning. I am determined not to work at weekends!

Im 0.5 too and one thing Iheartking thistle said really strikes a chord with me. I always miss briefing and I struggle to know what is going on in school half the time.

I work a couple of evenings a week but try to get all the rest done in frees, lunches, before school etc. I am lucky in that I teach a practical subject so there is less marking, although it means lessons can be manic- and I have been known to stay in school clearing up for hours before...

Family comes first, I really make an effort to ensure my kids have time with me after school/ weekends- although there are inevitable times when they watch cbeebies and I am planning.

Our briefing messages are emailed out to all staff by 9.30am as staff are missing if they are on duty or in assembly for instance - it is worth suggesting this at your school johnthepong.
Our student messages for registration are passed on this ay too.

I used to do a 0.533 (don't ask...) timetable, and found it incredibly hard. I never felt like I knew what was going on at school, and also felt that I was doing a half-arsed job with my DTDs. They started school in September, and I went to FT teaching. I'm actually finding it MUCH easier being FT rather than PT. I do an hour at school every day, after the bell, then pick the girls up from their after-school club. I tend to do 2-3 hours 2 evenings a week after the girls are in bed, and some work on a Sunday evening (or morning when the girls are at their swimming lesson with DH).

We have a cleaner (bliss) and get the supermarket shop delivered. DH cooks dinner as often as I do. I always drop and run at parties and playdates, and use the gained time to get on with stuff (not always schoolwork - sometimes the important business of drinking coffee, eating hobnobs and catching up with Glee...)

I think teachers can let the job take over, but if you insist on prioritising your family, it is possible.

Wow - Thanks everyone. Its really helpful to know that I am not the only one trying to do part time and trying to get the best of both worlds.

Lucycat - as a fellow geography teacher, I agree it is the best subject.