FINDING WORK-LIFE BALANCE AS AN AG TEACHER
B Y: J E N N I F E R G I L B R E AT H A U B R E Y H I G H S C H O O L A G R I C U LT U R E S C I E N C E T E A C H E R
dren. When do we say, "I'm going home," "it will be here tomorrow," or the infamous "No?" I realize many of you are reading this article laughing because you know me and my inability to do most of these. However, we are all guilty of it. At what point do we care for ourselves? It needs to start now.
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f we have been in this profession for any significant time, we may have stopped asking ourselves how to achieve a work-life balance as an ag teacher. We all got into education because there was a draw to teaching, not for the summers off or the pay and benefits. We got into this profession because of our love for students, our drive to succeed, and the opportunities we will afford the next generation. A good ag teacher will put in much more than a typical 40-hour work week, and there is no "off-season." We pour our blood, sweat, and tears into scripts, livestock in the barns, officer teams, lesson plans, greenhouses, multiple fundraisers, alumni and community events, and county fairs; the list never ends. But at what cost? For many of us, it can be our sanity, our relationships, our marriages, and our very own chil12
As Texas ag teachers, we are a special breed! Our hearts are bigger than the state, and we would do anything for anyone, especially our students. It's impossible to sit here and say everyone should have the same work-life balance and that burnout isn't a thing. Everyone has to find their sweet spot, which can, and probably will, change and evolve. With this article, I hope to provide some guidance that might help you along the way.
RESPECT YOUR TIME It is too easy to respond to every text message or email that comes our way, and I am 100% guilty of it too. However, you must set li-