10 minute read
Tipping the Scale
Shannon Hamm
Article
Tipping the Scale: How to Find Balance at Home and at Work
According to The U.S. Department of Education (2019), women comprise 78% of the teaching profession. Many of these female teachers are also mothers who struggle to balance the care of twenty-eight tiny humans with the needs of their personal children, which is no small feat. Because women make up such a large constituency in education, they have a unique opportunity to change the discourse about this “give until you drop” mentality.
Putting work above all else
Three years ago I was honored to accept a leadership role as principal of Circle Center Grade School, a preschool thru third-grade building in Yorkville, Illinois. It was 2019, and at the start of that year, I never could have imagined that schools would shut down and that I would be working tirelessly to help support over 80 staff members, 500 students, and my own children with the transitions we would face. I, like many educators, jumped feet first into the unknown—putting work above all else—which tipped the already unbalanced scale for teachers and administrators across the world. This “give until you drop” mindset, along with changes in educational policy, state mandates for COVID-19, and the search for safe ways to bring our students into the buildings for the
2020 school year, had the staff from Yorkville 115 working well into the evenings, weekends, and throughout the entire summer.
Balance isn’t educators’ strong suit
Prior to the pandemic, it would not be uncommon to find an educator working in the evening or on the weekends. The pandemic only made things worse, emphasizing the fact that balance is not something educators do well. It is an unwritten rule that educators are expected to work weekends, evenings, and attend unpaid school events. In my dissertation entitled, “The Making of a Female Teacher and Who She is Becoming” (Hamm, 2022), I discovered that women teachers have been produced to believe they need to prove themselves and their abilities to be a mother and work outside the home. This need to prove oneself results in an unbalanced life of trying to give 100% to both their families and their students.
Martha Nussbaum (2001) suggests that life is full of contradicting commitments and sacrifices. She indicates if we care about more than one thing it is impossible to honor everything at the same time. Something will undoubtedly be neglected, which can create deep pain. She sees this as the difficulty and tragedy of trying to live a good life and that this human goodness is a fragile thing. Because of this deep-rooted discourse that has been accepted as the status quo for women, in particular, educators are second-guessing their career choice and leaving the field at alarming rates. In an article published by the National Education Association (NEA) in February of 2022, a survey of teachers showed that “55% of educators plan to leave education sooner than planned because of the pandemic and 90% of educators are experiencing burnout” (Walker).
Addicted to work
After three years of grinding to do whatever it took to support my students and staff, I had a startling realization that I was addicted to my job. Even in moments when I could be with my family, I was finding myself checking emails and preparing for the worst, convinced this would help me get ahead. This relentless pursuit of “more work” was taking a terrible toll on my relationships with family members, as well as my own mental health and physical well-being. I knew something had to change, but I wasn’t sure what I could give up. These unhealthy habits had become my routine—how could I turn things around? It was the lowest point in my educational career.
But, there is hope, and I am proof!
After reaching the breaking point, I took two major steps to find joy in my career
once again and bring balance back to my life. I was able to find balance without hindering my job performance, my ability to be present for others both at work and at home, and most importantly, time to focus on my personal needs. In this article, educators will learn how to take small steps each week to tip the scale back towards a healthier and happier life!
Step One: Accept and Set Priorities
One of the biggest steps I took toward a more balanced life was accepting the fact that I will never get all of my “to do” items complete. This lesson was a direct result of the pandemic. Each day, I would have the best intentions of getting something done until COVID would rear up its mighty hand! Whether it was jumping into a classroom last minute to substitute teach, or spending hours contact tracing and notifying families, these tasks took time away from my goals and objectives for the week. I knew something had to change and the answer was prioritizing my ”to do” list.
To combat this problem, each Sunday, I sit down and review what I accomplished the week prior and set my goals for the current week. Once I have prioritized my three most important tasks for the week, I then plan specific time into my schedule for that upcoming week to complete these priority tasks. By scheduling my priority tasks, I guaranteed that I would get them done by the designated day and time. For example, one of my goals was to visit all classes within at least two grade levels each week. To do this, I scheduled an hour of my time on my daily tasks and in my calendar for a minimum of two days a week. I found that from 9-10 a.m. it is pretty quiet in the building, so I have continued to add this to my schedule each week at this time. Soon, I started reaching my weekly and daily goals and began to feel a sense of accomplishment instead of a continuous feeling of failure and never keeping up.
To start this process follow these simple steps:
1. On Sunday or a day of your choosing, schedule one hour of your time to look at all of your “to-do’s” and deadlines for the upcoming week.
2. Prioritize three of your most urgent tasks for the week.
3. Schedule time on your calendar for the week to complete these tasks.
4. Set three mini tasks (goals) for each day. When you begin, you may need to start with just one goal per day and work your way up to three per day.
Step Two: Set Boundaries and Rules for Yourself
The next thing I had to do was set boundaries and rules for myself to stop the addictive cycle I had gotten so used to. Prior to my realization that I was indeed addicted to my job, I would check
my texts and email every night up until I passed out, and then again first thing in the morning prior to even getting out of bed. While I thought I was doing this to prepare me for my day and to get ahead, all it did was cause more anxiety. This was the first habit I needed to break in order to be healthier and find balance. So, the first thing I did was to set my phone to silent mode and “do not disturb” from 8:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. for anyone or anything related to work. I told people from work if I didn’t answer it was because I was prioritizing my health and my family time. This was and still is the most challenging thing to do because I use my phone for other things as well. It is very tempting to check those emails while lying in bed!
The next step I took was to give myself Saturday’s off. Do this for a month at first, until you have gotten yourself into a new routine. I did not check email, or even pick up my computer on Saturdays. And do you know what surprised me the most? By prioritizing my time and taking time off on Saturdays for myself, I was still getting what I needed to accomplish done! However, when I told you the addiction was real,
I was not exaggerating! My first month of Saturdays off led to emotional meltdowns and feeling extremely guilty. This was shocking to me and reinforced my need for new practices even more. Once I had gotten past the initial shock of not working on Saturdays, I made the decision to not work on Friday nights. I am now at the point where I don’t work on Sundays either! So, I am now getting a whole weekend to focus on myself and my family. As mentioned earlier, I don’t count my weekly planning and goal setting on Sundays as work, since it helps me to prioritize my time for the upcoming week.
Another boundary/rule I set for myself was to leave work by a certain time on a typical day and be done when I get home. Of course, as an educator I will have board meetings, open houses, curriculum nights, and family nights; these are just some of the events I must attend in my
role as principal. But, what I have gotten better at is getting to work early to have some quiet focused work time and leaving each day at a designated time. Each week I send a detailed newsletter to families and my staff, and I take time each day to work on it. On weeks when I am busier, I put an hour on my calendar and shut my door to get it done. Additionally, I have a forty-minute commute, so if I still have calls to make or people to contact at the end of the day, I often do this on my drive to or from work. This alleviates me from taking time away from my family once I am home.
If you are a teacher, one of the best parts of work is the friendships you make. Don’t be afraid to shut your door and let your team know that you need that plan time for getting your “big three” done for the day! When your peers see you having family time and looking less stressed, they will also want to know the secret of setting boundaries and rules for themselves so they can bring joy back into their teaching life as well!
Educators, especially women educators, care deeply for their students and their families. There is no way for us to give 100% to both our families and our students. There is a way to enjoy our jobs, and have time for ourselves and our family once again. It means taking the time to prioritize weekly and daily tasks and setting realistic boundaries and rules for ourselves. It may mean muting a group text conversation after a certain time each evening and jumping back in when you are up and ready for work. It also means we are tipping the scale back towards a happy, healthy life that has the professional fulfillment we deserve while also being the best version of ourselves for family and our own well-being.
References
Hamm, S. (2022). The Making of a Female Teacher and Who She is Becoming.
Nussbaum, M. C. (2001). Upheavals of thought: The intelligence of emotions. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Walker, T. (2022). Survey: An Alarming
Number of Educators May Soon Leave the Profession. National Education Association. February 1st. https://
www.nea.org/advocating-forchange/new-from-nea/surveyalarming-number-educators-maysoon-leave-profession
U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2019). Digest of Education Statistics.
Shannon Hamm is an elementary school principal at Circle Center Grade School in Yorkville District 115. Previously Shannon worked in Valley View 365 U as an Instructional Coach, self-contained gifted, and first-third grade teacher. She was also the principal of Saratoga 60 C in Morris, Il, and assistant principal in Troy 30 C in Shorewood, Il. Shannon is a mother to 5 grown kids and has a beautiful granddaughter who fills her weekends with smiles and laughter. Her favorite things are spending time with family, playing disc golf, and going for family bike rides.
