Finding balance is not an easy task for a teacher. The more we just say it’s important to have a good “work/life balance” or “practice self care,” the less impact they have.
The less we think about what it actually means to find balance in your life. It turns out, finding balance has been my saving grace this year. Finding balance as a teacher and a person might just help me continue on with teaching.
Reflecting on Balance
I have been reflecting on my relationship with the idea of balance. Comparing the first few years of my teaching career to the present day has been so interesting. Although I didn’t recognize it, I had very little balance in my life the first 5+ years of teaching. I loved my job and talked about it all the time; I just wasn’t thinking about the effect that had on my life.
I spent tons of time at work (after school and usually part of a weekend day) and work was always on my mind. Part of that extra time was simply because I was a new teacher and I was going through the process of learning so many new things.
However, I could have benefitted from implementing some boundaries and looking at the balance that was present (or not so present) in my life.
My Journey with Balance
My journey with balance improved a little bit here and there. Starting a family and having children meant I had to start finding ways to get work done more quickly. But it also meant I started bringing work home instead of finishing it before leaving school.
Progress is progress, though, and it felt good to switch from wearing the “teacher hat” to my “mama hat” everyday as I picked up my daughters from daycare.
Fast forward to our initial pandemic days and emergency virtual teaching threw away all the balance I had achieved over the years. All of a sudden I was trying to figure out how to teach online and provide feedback for 300+ students. Not. Enough. Hours. In. The. Day!
Forced to Find Balance
Ultimately, what we went through as teachers during the first years of the pandemic is what forced me to find a realistic balance in my life. When public perception of teachers went sour while the demands on our time and flexibility increased, it broke me. Almost every day it felt like I had nothing left to give.
Thankfully, I made it through and am solidly on the other side. Teachers have always operated under the premise of “we’ll figure it out” or “we’ll make it work.” At some point, this becomes impossible.
As I worked to rebuild and put myself back together, I found myself empowered to say “enough is enough” and “done is better than perfect.” No more working past contract hours (I don’t always meet this goal!), no more thinking about work all the time, no more feeling guilty for what didn’t get done today.
Is there another way?
I had no idea how freeing it could be to finally think about other things! Instead of thinking about what’s still left to do at work on the drive home, I started intentionally thinking about what I could do for myself that evening.
Was I excited to keep reading a particular book, did I want to get out for a walk or work on a knitting project? Thinking about and planning time for things I enjoy doing outside of work sure sounds like balance to me.
Life is less stressful now that I’ve found more balance. While my job is important to me, it doesn’t define who I am. Switching my focus from work to home has allowed those bad days to roll off my back. Students wouldn’t listen? Spent all day re-teaching behaviors? It simply doesn’t matter so much once I’m home and engaged with something else. Deciding to seek balance in my life has been so impactful.
So…how does one find balance in their life?
It definitely won’t magically appear. I have found that it has to be a choice I continually make for myself.
One place to start is accepting that you simply can’t do all the things.
Teachers are always coming up with creative and fun ideas but at some point there literally isn’t enough time to do it all. Additionally, teachers are kind and caring people. They generally want to help and say yes to the requests that are made of them. BUT, most often the time spent creating the new activity or attending another committee meeting is our own personal time.
When I started guarding my “yes-es” I realized that having unplanned time is so good for me! This unplanned time happens at school and at home. If I decide to not recreate the wheel or make a brand new review game, I might end up having time to plan ahead or finish grading something on Seesaw.
The same goes for at home. When I decided to step back from attending every PTO meeting, I gained an extra weeknight home with my family every month. It didn’t seem like such a huge commitment but those little things add up. And they can expand to additional responsibilities / projects.
I truly view the sense of balance in my life as an ongoing work in progress. My goal is to have balance more often than not. Some days I can leave work right away but other days I just can’t and that’s okay. Sometimes I find myself saying yes to a project I’m really excited about. (Scholastic Book Fair, anyone? I LOVE the book fair!) But, the important thing is understanding the time commitment and being prepared for a period of less balance.
One final thought about balance. We always talk about work/life balance…but what about balance at home? There’s nothing worse than working all day long only to get home and work all night long on household jobs. Finding a realistic balance between rest and household jobs is important as well.
Wherever you are in your relationship with balance, I encourage you to take some time to reflect. Make a list of things you enjoy doing, things that make you feel like your best self. If you haven’t done one of them in a long time, get to it!
Are you on a cart or do you have your own classroom?!
Having a classroom or teaching from a cart makes a huge difference in the day to day experiences of a teacher. I’m here to give you all the details on how I set up my cart and how I make it work for me. That said, it’s definitely one of those things that each person needs to figure out what works best for them. Teaching from a cart is definitely challenging, but, in my opinion, getting to teach elementary students makes it all worth it.
Picking a Cart to Teach From
There are many awesome options out there; so, if you’re able to choose your cart, I encourage you to look at a bunch before you decide on one.
I used to have a fancy cart with a whiteboard but have since downsized in favor of one that is easily maneuvered in and out of classrooms and the elevator. Most of my visuals are on the google slides I teach from, so I don’t feel the need to include lots of visuals for teaching on my cart.
I’m lucky enough to work with a team of awesome Elementary Spanish teachers and we all have different carts–they said I could share photos with you so here we go!
Different angles of my cart. My computer sits on the open space on top while en route to different classes.
I love to hang student artwork from the side of my bins with binder clips.
Some questions to think about when choosing a cart…
- Do you need to display visuals on it?
- Does it have enough space for teacher items as well as items for class?
- Does it have space for your computer?
- How easily does it roll / move over transitions in the flooring?
- Can you add command strips to it to help with displaying visuals?
What’s on your cart?
I’ve had tons of people ask about how to set up their carts. I will say my organization system works really well for me; and, I’m happy to share it here. That said, I’m sure you’ll figure out your favorite way to keep track of everything you need.
I will call my system the Bin Method. I start with one bin per grade level. In them, I put worksheets, books, materials for games, etc. that are specific to that grade level’s lessons. In addition to grade level bins, I have others that I put on my cart as needed.
For example, if a class will be playing a board game, I will bring the bin with game pieces. If a class will be playing bingo, I put the bin with bingo chips on my cart. OH! And if we’re practicing conversations, I bring the big basket of stuffies/puppets.
I also have bins for my teacher items on the top of my cart. Desk things I use throughout the day include, post its, pens, paper clips, binder clips, sharpie, highlighter, tape, scissors, stapler, backup staples. I also bring stickers, bandaids, kleenex, hand sanitizer, balls, puppets, and my COFFEE / water.
Don’t forget to print off and bring your schedule with you! I number my lessons so I always have my list of which class is on which lesson on a clipboard (on my cart). Who can remember all that throughout the day? Not me.
How do you remember everything?
When I’m planning lessons each day, I do not consider myself finished with a lesson until everything I need to teach it is on my cart. So, if I need copies for the lesson, they are in the bin for that grade level. If we are reading a book, it’s on the cart. If I need puppets or stuffies, on the cart. Manipulatives for a game? On. The. Cart.
Like everyone, I am, of course, human. I occasionally realize I left something in my office as I’m teaching a lesson. Luckily, I teach with some amazing teachers and they are always very gracious in covering for me as I run back to grab what we need.
Also, it’s really easy to set something down in a classroom somewhere and not ever think about it again until you need it as you’re teaching days later in another class. It can be challenging to think back and find it again! I try my best to never set things down in the classrooms I’m in and instead always put them down on my cart.
Random thoughts about teaching on a cart
More than anything, remember that YOU are the magic of your class, not the space you’re in. As much as I’d love to decorate and teach in a space dedicated to the Spanish language and cultures, I can still effectively teach in other spaces.
This advice could really be given about a variety of topics, but it’s helpful to adjust your expectations when teaching on a cart. You can’t do all the things. Accepting that some types of activities aren’t ideal when teaching on a cart allows you to focus on those that are better suited to the situation.
It can be quite challenging teaching in someone else’s space. I have found it so helpful to develop good relationships with my colleagues. It’s easier to handle frustrations when we know each other well. Being open and flexible can go a long way, as well.
Okay, there you have it! Leave questions below in the comments–I’d love to hear from you. If you’re on a cart now, I encourage you to leave some advice for us!
Are you having trouble wrapping your brain around teaching a new level?
When you’re used to teaching older students, it can be quite a shock to switch levels and think about teaching students as young as kindergarten. You’d think this would be a fairly uncommon occurrence (switching from teaching high school to teaching elementary). However, I hear questions about it quite often. Having gone through this experience myself, I’d like to share my thoughts in case it might be helpful.
If you didn’t initiate the change (or even if you did), I want to first encourage you to take the time you need to grieve. Acknowledging the sadness you feel about leaving your school & leaving your job as you know it can go a long way in working towards acceptance.
When I switched to teaching elementary, it was because our high school numbers were down and I was told my job would now be 80% elementary and 20% high school. I was shocked and nervous but ultimately grateful I still had a job in the district I love. Taking time to feel all the feelings really helped me ultimately move past them.
*I now teach elementary school full time and love it even more than I loved high school—it’s nice when things have a way of working out for the best.
Where do I start?
My first recommendation for teachers switching levels is to think about what you would like to learn about your new grade levels in your first year.
I had been teaching for 7 years when I switched, but I had a ton to learn about my new younger students! I intentionally sought out opportunities to learn about each grade level and I asked lots of questions. I observed other elementary Spanish teachers and I also asked the classroom teachers I worked with if I could observe them teaching a lesson. That combined with casual daily observations helped immensely as I learned about my new students.
Something important to keep in mind as you plan and teach lessons to younger students is: you are learning right along with them–and that’s a good thing!
-As you try new things and see how it works or doesn’t work, you are learning.
-When you ask if anyone has a question and you get 10 hands in the air, zero questions and ten stories, you are learning.
-When you think your directions are clear but no one knows what to do, you are learning.
-When you practice the new technology ahead of time and still find yourself troubleshooting in front of the class, you are learning.
It’s okay to learn the messy way.
Really, it’s okay to learn the messy way, as you go, with the students.
Be patient with yourself and give yourself grace. One thing I love about younger kids is they give grace freely.
Things I have learned about elementary students
Some won’t know how to write their name when they start kindergarten *Tip: write it for them with a yellow marker and have them trace
They all want a turn, all the time
It’s much faster for the teacher to make the partner groups (with younger grades k-2)
If you say yes to one child going to the bathroom, at least 5 more will ask to go
Kids love to hold things–using manipulatives is very engaging
Attention spans are much shorter and your lessons will need to move quickly. Keep kids guessing and embrace your silly side! I like to add movement breaks or activities that include movement within each lesson to help get the wiggles out.
You don’t need to say all the words–be very intentional about just using the words you need (especially when in the target language)
Awesome things about elementary students
They will LOVE you
You can convince them almost anything is fun
They are super willing to try new things (trying new words and sounds in their new language)
They love to be helpful–you’ll always have lots of volunteers if you need help with anything
They love school
They have tons of energy
You can do this
Switching levels (especially this big of a switch!) can feel like changing jobs entirely. Please remember to be patient and give yourself grace. Work on being yourself and enjoy getting to know your new students. It is so worth it in the end!
These posts might be helpful when preparing to make the shift from teaching high school to elementary Spanish class:
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