How to keep your work at school

Certainly there are professions where, when you leave for the day, the rest of the day belongs to you and your home life.  That seldom seems to be the case with teachers, with lesson plans, grading, and posting taking up most of the time spent at home.  Here are a few ideas to cut down on that time that interrupts your time spent at home:

1. Plan to grade while students test.  When your students are busy taking a test, you can grade the previous assignment.  Post the results during your prep period.  Repeat the process, and you'll only be one test behind at all times.
2. With the exception of the required essay-style tests that seem to need more grading time than other tests, make it easy on yourself when you grade them.  Even if your school isn't in the 21st century and uses online testing regularly, learn to place the answer column on one side of the paper so you can line them up and grade many at one time.  The one Answer D in a sea of Answer Bs will let you know that there is a wrong answer in the group. And regarding those essay tests, make a rubric that will make your life easier to grade them.
3. Assign numbers to your students.  Then put clear plastic holders on a bulletin board.  When the students come in with completed homework, you'll know at a glance which papers are missing.  Note the missing assignments and you can enter that later during a prep period. With this method, you'll also be able to tell which students are missing!  This can be a system where you put missed assignments for absences.  
4. Now what about those lesson plans?  Unless you are a brand new teacher, you'll likely have used your plans in previous years.  There's no shame in re-using the plans. If you want to upgrade the plan, do it in small steps so you aren't overwhelmed by a huge plan to implement.  If you ARE a new teacher, then have fun making plans that will last for several years.  Your first year will be the most difficult and will involve bringing most of your lesson planning home, but in the long run, you'll be able to re-use them for many years to come
5. Another lesson plan tip: Don't plan for just one day.  Plan for a whole week. And plan to let the kids take control of their learning. How? Develop a project-based learning unit where students take control of their education.  All you need to do is monitor their progress.  You don't have to stand in front of the room all the time!

These are just a few of the ways you can cut down on the time you spend away from your family and friends on weekends and evenings.  With a little advance planning and your own ideas on how to cut corners, you can have more time for family fun!

Check out my Middle School Social Studies project-based learning resources on Teachers Pay Teachers on these topics:
Ancient Greece
Ancient Rome
Ancient Egypt
All state histories - here is an example from NJ

Great January resources: Weekly 5 under $5 resources

Do you have enough "me time"?

The holidays were hectic.  Your family came to visit.  You had entertaining obligations.  All of these demands equal a stressful time when you were supposed to be "on vacation" from school work.

Then, on the last day of vacation, you crammed your lesson plans, handouts, and grading into a few short hours before bed.

Do you feel relaxed? Of course not!  You didn't plan "me time" - that special period of time that can last from 10 minutes to 2 hours when nobody wants your attention, nobody needs your opinion, and nobody knows where you are.  No, the bathroom visit does NOT count!

Here are some ways you can capture some valuable "me time" so you can emerge rejuvenated and ready to take on the demands of home and work:

1. Maintain a relaxation ritual.  That might mean you need to get up 10 minutes earlier when everyone is still asleep to meditate, read a book, give yourself a facial mask, or whatever you enjoy doing by yourself.
2. Keep a happiness journal.  Find a happy little journal, as Bob Ross might say.  Then every evening, record the wonderful things that happened to you. Make sure you block out the family by posting a Do Not Disturb sign on your den or bedroom door.  When you find yourself getting overwhelmed some time in the future, go back to your journal and relive the wonderful moment when your spouse surprised you, your kids did chores without being asked, or a student gave you a thankfulness note.  
3. Schedule lunch with a friend once a month.  Your family will be just fine without you for one meal and you'll feel much better about returning to the daily grind after your enjoyable afternoon.
4. Look at soothing pictures.  Scour Pinterest for beach, lake, or mountain scenes.  Picture yourself there, enjoying the sunshine and warmth.  It's not as good as being there, but with enough concentration, you can imagine that you are having a fun time there. 
5. Take your "me time" outside once in a while.  Hike, fish, swim, boat, or simply sit.  The sunshine will help you create valuable Vitamin D, and nature is, well, a natural, healer!
6. If all else fails, hire a wellness coach to adjust your diet, lifestyle, and other ways to make your life easier to handle.  

You're probably wondering where I'm going with this list of ways to relax, rejuvenate, and revive yourself.  Check out my book, My Peaceful Place - A collection of stories to comfort and heal.  Each of the short stories has a happy ending, but not without a few twists and interesting plot elements.  Each story also has a painting or photograph that you can focus on while reading the story.   So, give yourself a gift and read one of these stories every week - you'll be glad you did!