How to Balance Teaching and Life: Strategies for Educators
Welcome to Brain Fusion with Mr. Van Dusen! Teaching isn’t just a job—it can easily consume your entire lifestyle. So, how do you avoid burnout and create a sustainable work-life balance? Let’s break it down.
Why Teaching Feels Overwhelming
Teaching is one of the most demanding professions. Between lesson planning, grading, meetings, and managing a classroom, it can feel impossible to step away. Many teachers, including myself in my early years, constantly bring work home, staying up late grading at the kitchen table. Over time, I learned some key strategies to balance teaching and personal life—without sacrificing effectiveness in the classroom.
Strategies for Time Management
1. Set Boundaries
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is to keep work at work. If I need extra time, I stay late or arrive early, but I don’t bring papers home to grade. Some teachers, however, struggle with this, grading papers at sporting events or meetings. The key is to establish boundaries that work for you.
A major boundary breaker? Your phone. It’s easy to check emails and messages at all hours. If possible, disable school-related notifications outside of work hours. A phrase I use often is:
“Be where your boots are.”
If you're at school, focus on school. If you're at home, focus on home. Being present in the moment is crucial.
2. Maximize Your Prep Time
Your prep period can easily get swallowed up by meetings and interruptions. If you need to get work done, close your door, turn off email notifications, and focus. This applies to before and after school as well. Protect your work time so it doesn’t spill into your personal time.
3. Prioritize Your Tasks
One of my favorite time management strategies is the Eisenhower Matrix, which categorizes tasks as:
Urgent & Important
Important but Not Urgent
Urgent but Not Important
Neither Urgent nor Important
If you’re overwhelmed by a long to-do list, prioritize the top three most essential tasks and focus on those. Some teachers call this a power list.
4. Learn to Say No
Teachers are often asked to do more—coaching, leading student council, chaperoning dances. While being involved is great, sometimes you have to say no. Schools functioned before you arrived and will continue after you leave. Protect your time.
5. Efficient Grading
Grading can take up an enormous amount of time. Thankfully, there are many tools to help:
Edpuzzle
Google Classroom
Socrative
Even small changes in grading methods can save hours. Check out my video on grading efficiency for more tips.
Balancing Your Personal Life
1. Schedule Your Personal Time
Be as intentional with your personal time as you are with your work schedule. If you want to go to the gym, church, read a book, or take a family trip, put it on your calendar. Self-care isn’t selfish—it’s necessary. You can’t pour from an empty bucket.
2. Lean on Your Support System
Whether it’s your teaching team, a gym group, a church community, or your family, having people to support you is key. Teachers often support everyone else—it’s okay to ask for help too.
3. Embrace Imperfection
You’re not going to accomplish everything on your list every day, and that’s okay. Focus on progress over perfection. Success isn’t about a single big achievement—it’s about small, consistent efforts. Like a waterfall eroding a rock, small, steady steps lead to real change.
Putting It Into Action
If you struggle with balance, start small. Try one of these steps:
Pick one day a week where you don’t bring work home.
Use a prioritized to-do list to manage home and work tasks.
Teacher Perspectives
I reached out to fellow educators for their tips:
📌 Emily Westphal (Art Teacher): Starts every day with a to-do list, sets specific work hours, and leaves her laptop at school to be present at home.
📌 Jacob Barnby (Band Teacher): Learned that over time, planning and grading get easier. Just because you have more time doesn’t mean you should take on more work.
📌 Mrs. Newman (Life Skills Teacher): “Your job can replace you, but your family can’t.” She prioritizes family first, and in doing so, became a better teacher.
Final Thoughts
If you put everything into work, your personal life will suffer. If you put everything into your personal life, your work will suffer. The key is balance. Be where your boots are.
A huge thank you to Miss Westphal, Mr. Barnby, and Mrs. Newman for sharing their insights!
💡 What strategies do you use to balance teaching and life? Drop a comment below!
🔔 If you enjoyed this, check out my podcast, Classroom Coffee Break, for more quick professional development tips for busy teachers!
Watch the podcast episode here: https://youtu.be/uapyrXg9oRg
👨🏫 About John VanDusen:
John has been teaching elementary and middle school since 2007 and serves as a coach and instructor for the U.S. Army Reserves. This podcast is here to give teachers fast, practical strategies for busy educators to enhance their classrooms.
See more at www.johnvandusen.com
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