TEACHER HOMEWORK


Ah, homework. That tedious task that reinforces the knowledge acquired and prepares you for the next day’s lesson. Most teachers assign it, but there has been a movement to discontinue it. The logic behind this concept varies between schools, but either way, students are very familiar with it from pre-k on through university. This leads me to the notion of teacher homework.

For a week during the middle of my  summer vacation, I participated in workshops to prepare me for the upcoming school year. I thoroughly enjoyed the activities and techniques that I learned. It is always great when I receive professional development that actually develops me as a teacher. However, we were given homework. Initially I was all pumped to go home and do my work  after being in a workshop that lasted from 8:30-4:30 -- mind you that my normal school day ends at 2:50 -- but my brain and body had other plans when I got home. I was tired. After a full month of summer vacation, I needed to psych myself up again to focus on academics and instruction and come out of my lazy rut. Once I arrived home, I would lay down and fall asleep, not getting any work done. In the morning I would instinctively beat myself up over it, but I eventually gave myself a pep talk on how this was my summer vacation and I deserved to take it easy. I did get the work done, like most of our students do, by rushing to finish it once I arrived to class. Not so surprisingly, I wasn't the only one.

I value my me-time and handle it with care. When I’m off, I’m off. The difficulty that I experienced during the week of workshops just reinforced that. This is something that I struggle with during the school year as well: work/life balance. Is it unprofessional to leave your many tasks to complete at work? Is it irresponsible to try to only utilize your prep periods during the school day to try to get everything done when you know that it is near impossible? I haven’t mastered this balance, but I do my best to not blur the lines between work and home. As teachers, this is most challenging. As the school year progresses, and as the years in the profession go by, I’m confident that I will master this.

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