“Somehow I Manage" - A Tribute to Michael Scott

Always be the person who has gum. Everyone loves this person. Even if it isn’t gum, you most likely have something that you can offer to someone to make their day just a little bit better. See where I’m going with this? Great, because as I was typing this, I didn’t know until I finished writing the word “better”. I was going to go into depth here about managing a classroom (and I am sure I will touch on that), but I instead would like to focus on managing everything as an educator. Yes, everything. As you can imagine, this will be a very short post…NOT!

"L-i-v-i-n” At School

Let's first take a look-see at managing your life at school. Depending on the district you are in, the support you have from your admin, colleagues, parents, and even students, accompanied with your overall academic and extracurricular course load, this life will look very different for all of us. I’ll do my best to give some broad strokes about how I’ve managed my school life, along with some advice from the learning curve I’ve endured. 

There is power in saying “no”. I am not sure of the order that you are reading these posts, but the power of "no" will pop up a few times within my writing. This was some passing advice given to me by a seasoned colleague who recognized all of the non-paid academic, management, and extracurricular work I took on very early in my career. Like many young educators, and even still today, I’ve had the “change the world one kid at a time” mentality. I became involved, and was volun-told to participate, within several school clubs, professional learning communities, school sports, school culture and climate teams, and the like. If there was a need, and I was somewhat interested in it because I felt it could lead to positive change, by golly I was a part of it. When that veteran teacher walked towards me while I was in a mad dash to complete yet another “assignment” given to me by my administration, I am not sure if he knew the impact of what he was about to say to me, but I’ve kept and used it ever since. No, my mentality has not changed, and my involvement still exists where I believe positive change can happen, but by saying no (usually in a more polite and professional manner) I have be given more time and more chances to fully and purposefully focus on what I want and need to prioritize as an educator and as a person outside of school. As Ron Swanson once said, “Never half-ass two things; whole-ass one thing.” Because of this, my attention, my work, and my priorities have become clearer; regardless of the lack of steps I now get because I am no longer power-walking around my school building.

On the Home-front

Disclaimer: This is something I am still working on within myself, but I have become better because I purposefully have worked on becoming better. This has been the struggle, though. I am sure many educators find themselves in similar situations. Burn-out is real, taking your “work” home with you is real, and if you aren’t able to deal with compartmentalization, then I am sure you currently aren’t living your healthiest of lives. Now, I am not saying that to be healthy you must compartmentalize your work life and your home life; this is what has worked best for me. What I am saying is that as an educator, you cannot devote your entire being, empty the tank each and every day, into being the best teacher your students deserve without hindering the life you deserve outside of your classroom walls. 

If you are reading this and thinking that you absolutely want to devote your mind, body, and soul to the profession, then by all means exit out of this page and continue on that thankless journey. There are some professionals out there like this; I was like this. Many first (and I would say until their third to fifth year) teachers believe that this is what they have to do to create, to please, and to be effective within their school districts and community. While I agree, the first few years of teaching are the most difficult because one’s curriculum, management skills, and overall teaching practices need to be created and fine-tuned. There were many evenings when I left the school several hours after the students my first few years just to continue my work at home. However, that life does not, and needs not, to continue. At least, not to that extent. 

Want my advice? Well, I’m going to give it to you, and since you’ve read this far, there’s no harm in hearing me out. Here goes…go home. That’s it; go home. At the end of the school day, after you’ve catered to the needs of dozens upon dozens of human beings (old and young), leave school at school. Get into your car, throw on your favorite music (or my favorite sometimes, stay in silence), breathe deeply (or sing), and drive your underpaid and overworked ass to your home to indulge in whatever makes you happy. Do it for the rest of the evening. Then, when the morning comes (shout-out Smashmouth again), still drive to work with your favorite band’s music playing, walk into your school, and be ready to be the best fucking teacher ever again. Leave school where it sits and allow home to feel like home. Don’t ever allow home to feel like an extension of work. Whatever doesn’t get done today, can just as easily get done the next day (or even the day after day). If you haven’t tried it before, I challenge you to do so. You can thank me later for saving your professional and personal well-being. Just remember that life, relationships, and all the happenings in between gets very messy when you allow school to be your entire existence. It’s OK to unplug and unplug often.

It CAN Wait 'Till Monday

Yes, for all of you suggesting that to be an effective educator, you MUST continue some work outside of school hours. Agreed. Put your pitchforks and torches away. Of course there are times when this is unavoidable. Many jobs have this same issue, but it seems that teachers are most expected to do this with absolutely no compensation, nor further respect, whatsoever. So, do your best to find and manage the time you have at your school to complete the things you need to complete. If you are behind in grading, welp, it looks like students are completing independent work today to allow you some breathing room. If admin would like you to work on a project for them, do not begin and/or complete a piece of it until they find the time for you to complete it. Get creative to find moments throughout your already extremely busy and exhausting day to complete the tasks needed.

I still know that there are some of you in some very harsh learning environments where the management of behaviors is your duty all day and your building is more of a prison feel than a learning environment. I feel for you, and I am sorry. That is not education, and you do not deserve that. However, that is not to say that this is not for you then. On the contrary; this is ABSOLUTELY for you. If the thanklessness extends through the students, parents, admin, and community, teach the hell out of those students each and every day, but leave all of that shit at school. If you are taking, not only school work home with you every day, but also carrying baggage of negative emotions around with you constantly, that is a burden no human, let alone teacher, should have to bear. I’d like to get more into these types of “learning” environments in another post, but at the moment my school day is about to end for the weekend. So, I’ll see you suckas on Monday!

Do you have a story to tell? Tell it!...or at least let me tell it. Reach out to any one of my platforms to expose your experience(s), your truth, as both a human and an educator. I would love to hear from you!