Balancing Working and Being a Mom
I have been teaching for 3 years now and it has taken me this long to find a balance of being a good teacher, and a great mom. Let that sink in for a minute… 3 years!
Throughout my first two years, I would spend hours before and after school prepping or working in my classroom, most days I wouldn’t get home until 7pm. I was so passionate about being a teacher, and so excited that I finally had my own classroom, that I forgot to have balance. If you do not have balance, you risk teacher burnout and mommy guilt. As moms we have mommy guilt for a lot of things, I had mommy guilt about getting home so late. I had to learn about balance, and it can be so helpful with treating your mommy guilt!
My job is a Kindergarten teacher, but these 4 tips can easily be applied to other professions.
Here are my top 4 tips to have Balance:
1. You cannot do everything in one day.
Repeat this as a mantra; write down on a sticky note, put it on your phone, whatever you need to do to memorize it… YOU CANNOT DO EVERYTHING IN ONE DAY!! As hard as you will try, there will always be more things to do. It is the nature of teaching, and working full time at any job. Once you accomplish one item on your list, another one comes along. Try to prioritize of what is most important and do that first. This tip is one of my favorites that ANYONE can use, even if you are not a teacher.
For me, I prioritize my lesson plans and getting my worksheets together for the next day or week. I do my reading lesson plans 2 weeks at a time, and my math one week at a time. I then have a parent volunteer help me pull out workbook pages for those weeks. Once I have these together, I am not worried or stressed, because I have a game plan.
2. Use parent volunteers, your husband, teenagers, or student aides to help you!
I LOVE having volunteers in my classroom. They not only help with crowd control or needy students, they also help me with tasks that would take me forever to finish. Using parent volunteers allows me to get other stuff done on my to do list for that week. On any typical week I usually have 2-3 volunteers in my class.
Here are some examples of tasks they can help with:
Ripping out workbook pages (my personal favorite!)
Cutting out lamination
Organizing my centers/morning bins
Sitting next to a student who needs extra help during my lesson
Helping at lunchtime and recess
Passing back papers
Organizing Student Portfolios
If you are not a teacher, think about ways you can complete tedious tasks to save time in your day. Here are a few examples:
Pack your lunch at night and use your leftovers from dinner the night before.
Set a timer for those little tasks that must get done but should not take a lot of time. This way you do not get distracted easily.
Take a shower at night, and set out what you will wear in the morning.
Make coffee at home that way you save money and get to work early or on time.
3. Use your prep time to actually prep!
It took me 3 years to figure out that I can accomplish a lot in 45 minutes. Instead of prepping afterschool, maximize your prep time by doing lesson plans, answering emails, and prepping for the next day. I love doing lesson plans during this time because then I do not have to worry about it on the weekend. If you are not a teacher, think about all the minutes during your day. Is there a way you can prep for the next day? If there are small 10-15 minute time slots, what can you get done that is on your to do list, that you will not have to do tomorrow?
4. Go Home! I repeat, GO HOME!
This one goes along with number one. You cannot accomplish everything, so at the end of the day you have to tell yourself to go home! This tip goes with any profession, leave at a decent hour. I give myself until 4:30 most days, some day’s 4:15. Even if my desk is a hot mess, or there is things still left to do, I grab my stuff and leave. Giving yourself a leaving time does not make you a bad employee; it makes you a better one. You cannot work effectively if you are exhausted, so leave at a reasonable time and spend time resting with your family.
Friends, this is where it is your turn to find balance. Take it day by day, and implement one tip that you use to find balance of being a mom and a working professional. Post in the comments below one way you can use these tips in your job.
I promise you can be a good employee, and a great mom without mommy guilt. Try and seek that balance, and remember you are amazing, and so loved by your family, coworkers, and students.
-Live in Love,
Heather Adams