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My experience is that the “public” are often like teenagers. Once “the parents” have set the limits, the teenagers are constantly challenging those limits. It is the task of the parents to maintain the limits that they have set. In my experience, as public figures we are still entitled to have personal space and personal time. Set the limits and maintain them. Let the “public” know that the sabbath is a day of rest for you. Let them know that other than a burning building your lunch time is sacred space. If you cannot set the limits and maintain them, don’t blame the public for your stress.

I totally agree! I always question people when they say I don’t take a lunch. I also am concerned about the fact that people are responding to emails at 2.a.m. I believe that by reacting immediately and not respecting your personal limits, you set precedent and people continue to expect you are available.

Life is about balance and it is important to keep personal and professional separate. Everyone needs personal space and I agree with Father Steve it is up to us as individuals to set limits. Life is previous and each day is a gift, therefore I live each day to the fullest and give 110%. However, I know when to pull back and rejuvenate myself. This makes me a happy camper. Regards Denise

When they say you are a teacher 24/7/365 they aren’t kidding. I think the balance between personal and professional life for teachers is harder to separate than for prinicpals. Teachers are judged by the public for every action they take, every post they make on the internet, every movie they see. Teachers get approached by parents all the time, no matter where they are (movies, Wal-mart, bank, etc.). It seems there are no boundaries.

I am not a school leader but from what I have seen, I think parents value that position in a way that they do not value teachers. I think school leaders deal with a lot throughout the day but get to leave most of it at school when they go home.

Being able to find a balance between home and school is often difficult, especially for beginning teachers who sometimes feel they should just take a sleepin bag to school they spend so much time there. As you move forward in your career, I think it is important to know how and where you will set your boundaries. Everyone needs there own time and space to be able to get away from work. I don’t want my family to suffer because I put my work first. I need to be a leader for my family too!

Perhaps the answer to the question of “how to” depends solely on each individual. Anyone that devotes 110% of their time to their job, whatever that job may be, is often doing so in order to fill some sort of void. Whether married or single, with or without children, it is essential to treat oneself kindly enough as to remove oneself from work. If what needs doing cannot be finished in a reasonable amount of time, it needs to wait. Prioritizing tasks becomes of the utmost importance. It is not possible most days to finish everything that one wanted to at the beginning of the day. It will be there tomorrow and will get done. By modelling this behaviour as a leader, you yourself are vaidating the fact that all people have other more important things in their life. By maintaining that all of these other things are just as important in ones life, it is much easier for the true person to remain whole.

Hi Lee I absolutely agree with you in that we do need to model behavior that demonstrates that we validate ourselves and others. Life is not all about work; however this is coming from the mouth of a work-a-holic. As I mentioned above I do give 110% when I’m at work, however I do believe in prioritizing tasks, like you suggested there is always tomorrow and I do put down the pen and leave.

Denise

Our class discussion highlighted many issues surrounding the time educators are working to accomplish their list of expectations. I think the real issue is the need for respect amongst colleagues. We are all leading lives that are busy and it comes down to a matter of choice and priority. If someone chooses to work on the weekend, why does it bother other people. We have to make decisions each day how to manage our time but also respect how others are challenged in doing the same. Until their work stye is imposed on others, it should be up to the individual to decide. For some people, teaching is what they do, for others it is who they are. This plays a large role in how we deal with the pressures of this career choice.

Like many professional athletes I think that our job is extremely hard to know when to shut it off or turn it down. However, for all of our sanity it must be done. In no other way can we come back to our schools and lead our children down the right path if we are too tired to see that path. On the other side of the token we are a chosen few who have accepted the way of life that is teaching with all of its ups and downs. It is not only a job, not only a profession, but rather a passion that drives all those who are true to it. I feel sorry for any teacher who hates what they do because it is going to be a long hard life. However for those of us who love it you never really stop teacher others and you never really stop thinking about those you teach.

I agree with the previous comments regarding setting boundaries. It is up to the administrator to create boundaries that keep work from intruding on personal time. People will respect those boundaries if they are made clear. Obviously, it is an ongoing challenge to balance personal and professional life. (Look at the money that has been made by consultants and the number of how-to books on the concept of creating balance.) You have to protect your private time – you wouldn’t skip a doctor’s appointment so your private time deserves the same respect. Obtaining balance is essential to people’s happiness, health and productivity and to be truly effective in their work and non-work roles. I think we have all witnessed those who have burnt out or had marital problems as a result of not creating that balance. If you want to be successful, you have to balance both. (sometimes easier said than done!)

I believe this balancing act has become even more challenging in the light of standardization. Educators have more responsibility than ever to provide results. Due to this accountability for performance, our actions may be scrutinized. As a result of this accountabilty, Dent and Whitehead (2002) suggest that educators do not have the trust that they had many years ago. This being the case, it is even more critical to ensure that you understand the demands of your job and work with the stressors.

I believe to some extent, the “personal cost” is yours to control. As an educator, you have to prioritize your day and I think that you have conduct yourself this way personally as well. For example, when an administrator visits a classroom, he or she could be doing other productive work in the office but he/she makes the time. I think you have to conduct yourself this way at home as well. I believe that you have to make time to maybe sit down and watch televeision or read a few pages from a book. This is similar to what Father Steve mentions in that you have to “set the limits”.