Dealing with Overwhelm
Advice from a Teacher with ADD
Arguably one of the most difficult skills to acquire as a new teacher is time management. So often I hear about teachers leaving the field because there’s simply too much delegated to them that they can’t complete it all in a typical work day; I’ve even seen colleagues lug crates full of papers home each night. One teacher friend of mine referred to it as the “burden of guilt” because you feel guilty taking it home to work on, and if you don’t get the work done at home, you feel guilty lugging it back in unfinished.
I’ll confess that I, too, was one of these teachers for much longer than I’d like to admit. I’ve taught for fifteen years, and this year is the first year that I would give myself an A+ for not taking work home. So, don’t feel bad if this is something that’s difficult for you at first. If you’re like me, it takes a little while to find your groove, but consider these words of wisdom from a fellow teacher and full-time perfectionist to help you find that groove a little quicker!
First, Re-Program Your Thinking
I’ve never researched this, but based on my personal experience, teachers have a hard time not taking work home for a few reasons. For one, most of us were likely good students in school. I know that for myself, I received a great deal of…
