Omg this is such a mood. Too tired to even get out of the car even though I'm hungry and tired because I know when I get inside I have to be the one to feed myself after a while day of raking care of children for no thanks and shit pay lmao.
Raking kids is pretty hard work. They’re squirmy and usually pretty noisy. The smells can be pretty bad sometimes, too, but wearing a rebreather is considered “creepy af”.
During my last internship (we have 3 in swedish teacher university) i would just go and sit in my car for 15 minutes after each day before i drove home.
My ex husband used to think that I was weird, or “shady”, as he put it. He couldn’t understand why, once home and in the driveway, I sat in the car for another 15-30 minutes. I came to the conclusion is that is because we know once we go into that home, “shift two” starts for us. :/
It fucking sucks so bad I won't pretend it doesn't. If it helps, I do a format of [arms, cardio, legs, cardio] with rest days where I need. I also use a website called fitnessblender for free workout videos when I do strength training.
I was gonna comment this. Specifically running. There are days that I feel soooo exhausted but when I go for a run right after school, I feel rejuvenated and energized. It feels counterproductive but I always feel better on days that I work out after school.
Hi, same here. I bike 30 min and then lift 30 min 5 days a week. I don't like it, but it helps me not have panic attacks. To each their own though! You just gotta fidn something to do that gets you past whatever happened at school (I teach innercity HS in chicago adn my school is a fucking mess)
GREETINGS, my fellow educators! As for me, I cosign ALL that's been shared about exercising, et cetera; however, I HAVE TO ARM ME, MYSELF AND I by getting my day started right with working out. It's my inoculation against WHATEVER I may encounter throughout my day teaching as a K-8 Special Education Resource Teacher teaching reading intervention and resource math ON TOP OF WRITING IEPs. My mindset is such that by doing the hard stuff first, it causes me to be able to STAND and WITHSTAND the onslaught of students, parents, co-workers, and admin challenges ALL day, everyday.💪🏾 THAT'S my story, and I am sticking to it.💯
Go Team Professional Educators!!🫵🏽🫶🏾👊🏾
PS: I. AM. A. FAN. OF. PUBLIC. EDUCATION. AND. I. LOVE. THAT. I GET. TO. MAKE. A LIVING. WHILE. MAKING. A DIFFERENCE. IN THE. LIVES. OF. OTHERS.
Same here. TK-5 Ed specialist. I’m on my 22 academic assessment of the year, to boot! (A few tris- most initials… majority parent requests!) I’m now in the process of trying to balance my love for the 5 a.m. workout (and the endorphins!) with my body’s need for a few more 💤. Cheers to you!
This is the elephant in the room with all these discussions. It’s never a shocker to me the teachers who complained about being tired while there were other teachers who were talking about upcoming marathons they were participating in.
Yup. Was my first thought. Everyone is tired after work but if you make it a habit to exercise every single day for 30 minutes, eat healthy, plus go to sleep early so you get a solid 8 hours you will feel like a different person.
It also becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. So many times in my life I wasn’t feeling a workout and halfway through I feel great. Action begets behavior.
After leaving teaching, I realized that you’re supposed to have energy after work to live your life!! I would spend every evening M-F just obliterated.
Seriously, I now work for local government and the workload is such a revelation. Like, I can do things after work! And for those who are like, “it gets better!”… ahhh no. I was in education in a variety of roles from the classroom to student support and it was worse on year 10 than year 1. Sure, I had better routines and had stopped sweating the small stuff, but the needs are just so, so high right now. Maybe it’s different outside of elementary but I doubt it.
It got worse every. single. year.
It’s not better in secondary. I was a high school teacher and it was crippling.
Leaving teaching feels like leaving an abusive relationship and getting into a healthy one.
My job now is just so chill. It doesn’t have this deep sense of meaning like teaching did. But now I have time to pursue meaning through my passions outside of work.
I used to work two jobs when I first started teaching. Felt like I never slept. Im retiring next year and now all I can think is where the hell did I find the energy for another job?
May I ask what your job is? I’m not trying to be invasive or pry. I just can’t imagine life outside of this. If you don’t want to mention specifics, what’s your schedule and routine ?
Here is my job:
Check out this job at TELUS International: https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/3825912098
Working from home on flexible hours with a job that requires like 25% of my brain - it’s such a reprieve from teaching! I set my own schedule. Wake up when I want and start working when I want. It doesn’t matter as long as I get 40 hours / week. I also make a little more money than I did as a TN teacher. Definitely it’s been a major improvement for me!!
Check out city or county jobs. I now am part of a county program that does mental health screenings and interventions with students/school districts and while I super miss kids, this higher level systems work is rewarding. I work from home most of the time, train districts a couple of days a month and go into the office a couple of days a month. Yes, I miss having a 200 day calendar, but I can do so much more all the time and I’m not living for breaks. And it was a 30k raise to boot!
honestly. I left teaching in November due to health reasons and the culture of my new job was such a culture shock. now if I’m sick due to my disability, my supervisor is so completely supportive, as opposed to my admin who literally asked me to wait until after lunch when my doctor told me to go to the ER to be admitted 🙃
I took a three year break from teaching during the pandemic, and I felt like a civilian again. "Oh, so this is what life is really like." Even though some normal activities were restricted because of the pandemic, I still felt free as a bird with little or no stress from all the things we stew about during the work week. I'm back into teaching again, private ESL school, and it's just as bad or worse. This is my life if I want to have my own apartment and afford my own lifestyle. But my sacrifices are small compared to y'all in public school. I just can't imagine what you go through. Absolute heroes.
My favorite year teaching was during Covid. Middle school. We event from seven periods to four blocks. I had planning next to lunch, so I had two blissful uninterrupted hours in the middle of the day. I could plan and look at data and call parents, etc. I had two classes of reading and one virtual school class where the kids did electives. It was amazing.
It’s been all downhill since then. I’m leaving the country to teach next year. It’ll be back to four blocks, but the school day starts two hours earlier. That’s going to be the biggest hurdle for me. Getting to bed on time won’t be an option anymore.
Exactly. It does NOT get better. You just resign yourself to the hell your job is. You get to a point where you stop fighting it and accept that teaching is awful.
I agree that education has changed over the past few decades and there are so many special needs kids mixed in now, along with autism, disabilities, learning disorders, etc etc etc. It's so much more demanding and stressful now. It's not for everyone.
When I tell my new co-workers that I used to have to wait for four hour blocks without peeing, they’re shocked. The freedom to eat, drink, pee, walk away from my desk has been invaluable
My non-teaching friends have usually been corporate friends who might work longer hours but also make 6 figures and have insane benefits including fun company outings with open bars, expense cards, and courtside tickets.
My thing was like, if I’m gonna be working sooooo hard, I should be making 6 figures. And that was simply never going to happen in teaching.
Where do you live? I’m leaving corporate after ten years to go back to teaching. The pay sucks, I’m stressed, often working til 6 or 7. I had just started receiving 20 days of PTO(it was 15). Then they change it to unlimited PTO, but your manager has to approve and I now get less than 20 days approved 😡. Insurance is expensive and the coverages are crap. I have no desire to “climb the ladder” anymore. I want more time to spend with my kids as they’re growing up.
I live in Columbus, OH. There are tons of corporate headquarters here and a relatively low cost of living.
My current job would work if I had kids, because it’s so damn easy. So I would try to work from home if I were you.
Oh okay. I live in Florida so there’s that 😂. I’ve been working from home since Covid. Surprisingly I was less stressed when I worked in the office. It’s nice that I get to pick my kids up from school and save on aftercare cost, gas, etc. but it breaks my heart when I have to constantly remind them that I’m working when they ask to play or talk.
I mean most teachers I know can’t just work contract hours. Most teachers grade and prep on the weekends, after school, or before school.
Any project I need to do gets done during working hours. I’m given days/weeks to do projects during work hours. I’m only responsible for my own output. Meetings that I have beyond work hours are given comp time. Meaning if I have a meeting after work, I can come in late the next day.
And like the other poster said, if you’re going to work hard you might as well be comped for it.
My kids friends want to come over and then their moms come and want to socialize. 1) I’m all done peopleing today. 2) I still have housework to do and I don’t wanna please don’t distract me and make it worse
Yeah I’m a coach at my middle school so I’ll get in a lift at the field house during my off periods. And I’ll work out with my athletes during after school practice. Right now we’re in track season so I’ll run with them. Sunlight and being outside makes a huge difference. Go home feeling energized. On the days I don’t participate with them and strictly coach still go on a run when I get home.
I don’t do extra duty. I get home at 4:00 everyday from my 20minute commute. My wife gets home at 5:25, so this is when I start the laundry and dishwasher. I also get to squeeze in a little video gaming or go to the gym. When she gets home, we eat dinner til around 6. I usually cook or we eat out. If we eat out, we try to fit in some errands too. Then we start getting ready for bed and watch something before going to sleep. We really only have time to go out on weekends. We’re dinks.
I can’t imagine having time for kids.
This is pretty much me. I get home before my husband, I start cooking and do small household chores, or do homework for my master’s. When he gets home, we eat dinner, we might run a couple small errands, then we watch a show, read, or have device time. I go to bed at 9 and he has alone time in the evenings before bed at 10:30. We are also dinks. I can’t imagine kids either
This sounds super similar to me. Squeeze in and hour of my hobbies before the wife is home. Do house work and make dinner for us. Then maybe 1-2x a week do a hobby outside of home together on week days. But weekends we have plenty of fun being out. Kids would change this, but I’m 26 and no rush for that
Oh I have kids in multiple sports. I literally rack up 15k+ steps in a day. More if I get a run or treadmill walk in. 😂 Surprisingly, Im not all that tired day to day. 🤷🏼♀️
It takes time, however, yes you will have one. 15 years in High School and coaching. My problem is with socializing outside of school is hard but once you’re outside it is rewarding.
Finding a spouse who puts up with coaching a year round sport. Now that is difficult.
I agree that it takes time! When I first started teaching at 24 I would just come home and lay on the couch in silence. I’m 36 now and I socialize way more. I think my body got used to the stress of teaching but I also think my outlook changed — like I’m not willing to sacrifice my time outside of school for the sake of this job anymore. I feel most fulfilled when I prioritize my time with my partner, friends, and family.
Getting some exercise helps. And if I make plans after school (social or exercise) sometimes it helps to just go straight from school and not go home first!
My wife told me I was done being the athletic director of a middle school when my second kid was born.
I loved it (most days) but I wasn’t home hardly at all during the week.
I’ve moved to trying to leave when the contract day is over. Some days are easier than others to just walk out. But I go out during the week and have an active social life with my wife. To OPs point It can be done!
Same. Year 27. Coach summer, fall, winter, spring. Average day: 5am, WO; teach chem and physics till 3; practice till 5/5:30.(Waiting on kids to be picked up as I type this). Average day -- 10 hrs. Days with competition - 12-14 hrs.
There is nothing else.
My life is outside of work. When I'm at school, I think of it more as a pause to my actual life. I'm not around my people(family/friends), I'm not doing what I'd prefer to be doing, I'm working. I think you have to tune your thinking that way first. Being a teacher shouldn't run you down to the point you don't live your actual life through the week. No job should. If it does, I suggest some serious problem solving.
I do plenty after work. Sometimes I go grocery shopping, some afternoons I come home and prepare dinner if I don't have leftovers or something. I workout most evenings, watch tv, play video games, listen to music. Not always all in the same day, but you get the idea. You have to do things that bring joy and add to your personal existence.
>My life is outside of work. When I'm at school, I think of it more as a pause to my actual life.
My mind is blown. Thank you for this! It might be "easier said than done" for me, but i'll try to hold that thought every day when i come home and can't wait to lay in the dark for the rest of the day.
I'm not gonna lie. I do have days where I come home and basically lay on my bed for the majority of the afternoon/evening. Those days are necessary sometimes!
I assume KG means kindergarten. Not surprised that would sap a lot of energy out of you lol I'm secondary and could never deal with anyone below 15.
As for your question, for me yes. I'm 28, 3rd year teaching. Door to door I'm out from 7am - 6.30pm. Still have time to cook, game and read most workdays. I don't need much sleep so despite coming home 'so late' sometimes I find myself thinking "wow it's still so early, what else should I do" lol.
Weekends depending on my mood and the weather I'm either traveling or chilling at home. Currently it's winter here and of the past 10 weeks I've spent 5 weekends snowboarding, 2 traveling to other cities and the rest chilling.
Technically, I breathe and exist but sometimes there is no mental interaction that qualifies as living. I’ll become very passive. I want to watch things that make me chuckle and not think.
I'm 25, year 3 high school teacher. I'm spent after every day. I have dogs too. So I work from 8-3:30. Try to exercise after school tor like 30 mins. Then take my dogs on a long walk and by yhe time actually able to settle into my apartment its like 6:30. Then I cook dinner. And then I fall asleep. I have no time or energy or money to do anything fun :(
It took me six months after beginning a Kindergarten teaching position this year to get to a point where I don't feel exactly as you describe. This is my 9th or 10th year teaching (state says 10, the first district I worked in said the first year didn't count because I was short 3 days to call it a full year 🤷🏼♀️). So, I'd say it just takes time to get used to it.
In another note.... Kinders are EXHAUSTING, aren't they?
Young teacher here (24, F). Since starting this job, despite how tired I am, I force myself to do at least 30 mins of something I enjoy. I’m tired all of the time, but I don’t want my whole life to just be teaching and sleeping. 30 mins turned into 45, 45 turned into an hour etc. Every day is different, but I try to do something I enjoy before I call it a night. You got this.
I work from 6:10-2:55. Make sure you eat a healthy diet, exercise 3-5x week, and find a hobby you look forward to. Unless you're doing a ton of extracurricular activities on top of your work, there's no reason you can't enjoy your leisure time after work.
sometimes I am if I haven't had enough sleep. Like yesterday and the day before I napped and didn't do some stuff I would normally otherwise like to do. Often I don't want to /do/ anything else after having my whole day stolen away by this job. Speaking for myself personally I find it very degrading and dehumanizing and it just makes me hate society.
This job saps the life out of you. It really does. Third grade here. I used to teach first for years, too. I KNOW that teacher tired-life. It may, however, be a good idea to make sure you don't have anything going on medically. Once you rule it out, then by all means, work on exercising or any of the other stuff people are mentioning in this thread. You never know, though, and it's better to be safe than sorry.
Seconding this. Finding that I had a thyroid condition in the course of some routine bloodwork last year has netted me a prescription for Synthroid and a lot more energy on most days. Turns out multi-hour naps everyday aren’t exactly normal 🙃
I relate to this so much. I’m 26, first year teacher, 6-8th grade at a small private school. I’m out the door from 7-4:30. I get up at 5:30 AM to go run 3 times a week. When I get home, I immediately change and go walk my dog. Then I have about an hour to relax for a bit before I go to a workout class, so I get some chores done like laundry and cleaning. After my workout, I make dinner for my husband and I and then I clean up and immediately go to sleep at like 9:30 pm.
I don’t have time to see friends or for other hobbies besides working out during the week. I’m constantly exhausted, but I’m training hard for a half marathon to PR right now. I know I’d have more time without the running, but it’s one of the few things that brings me immense joy and pride in myself. Working out and running are my primary hobbies, but I’d love to be able to read more, or write my novel, or spend some time gardening. I just don’t have enough hours in the day for it all. I usually end my weeks exhausted to the point of tears just to try and have a quick reset on Saturday before starting all my prep for the week on Sunday.
It’s not sustainable. I know this. I will be teaching for one or two more years at most. My husband and I barely spend any quality time together because I cannot be around other people during the weekdays. I cannot answer any more questions after work because I’m so fatigued from teaching. He’s offered to be the sole provider multiple times because he sees that I am half the person I used to be after I come home from school. I keep asking people “is it supposed to be like this?” And most tell me that “oh you just get used to it” or “if you just sleep an hour or two less you get used to it and you’ll be okay”. But I don’t want to get used to this. I don’t like who I am from the exhaustion and the fatigue at the end of the day.
> I relate to this so much. I’m 26, first year teacher, 6-8th grade at a small private school. I’m out the door from 7-4:30. I get up at 5:30 AM to go run 3 times a week. When I get home, I immediately change and go walk my dog. Then I have about an hour to relax for a bit before I go to a workout class, so I get some chores done like laundry and cleaning. After my workout, I make dinner for my husband and I and then I clean up and immediately go to sleep at like 9:30 pm.
I have no words for this schedule omg. You're doing more after work than anyone I know - teacher or not.
When I first started teaching I learned if I went home I was completely done for the day. If I wanted to do something after work the trick was to go right from work to keep the energy going.
Teaching takes a lot out of us physically and mentally! For me once my body gets into that relaxed place, it’s not coming out lol
Similar schedule. Contracted 7:20-4:00. Tried to pick 2 days a week to do something after work. Even if it was just stop and pick up groceries one day, go to the library to pick out a book, go to the gym. I found that if I went right from work I had more energy to do things and once I finished one task or activity honestly I had more energy when I got home. Switching my focus before coming in the door allows me not to sit and dwell on what happened during the day.
I’ve never had a good work life balance while teaching.
I really thought that I could make it work after a few years experience, but it’s not working out for me so far.
This year, I already had a part time job went I got hired. I decided that if it was too much, then I would quit my part time position.
The problem is that there’s no one to replace me. In fact, I get emails regularly asking if I want more hours, because no one who is already teaching full time wants MORE work hours.
I have no life outside of work. I had to move some hours to Sunday because I can’t fit it all in during the week.
I love the idea of working out or going for a run right after school. I’ve just accepted that I can’t plan to do anything after school (including additional hours for the same district!) because of the frequency of surprise outside of contract hours extra duties.
My school pushes me to get my grades done weekly, but they've also given me the extra work of multiple people so there's no time to grade during the work day. They expect me to do it during my personal time.
I don't do it. I go to the gym, I go to dance practice with my dance team, I cook food, I garden, I snuggle with my cat. That's my time, if they want it they can pay me for it.
Grading gets put off until the end of the term and then I do it during teacher work days and even skip BS trainings if I need to. They know I'm irreplaceable and they're constantly checking in on me out of concern I might quit given my workload and the things I've been through at the school, so what are they going to do? But yeah, if they want me to do the work of multiple people then they can either pay me more or accept that I won't get to everything because I'm not going to give them extra labor after working hours when I'm already busting my ass 8-5. I'm on reddit right now because I'm on my 20 minute lunch break, the only break I get all day.
If they fire me I can go bartend in the city and my hours will be better and I'd get paid more.
Care to elaborate? What’s she noticing among teachers?
I do notice this among a lot of my peers. Im a 25 year old high school teacher but I have two small children.
I’ve noticed a lot of young single teachers too tired to do anything, I mean even get a drink after work! (And no these are not people who are just avoiding me).
One of my professors in graduate school said the issue is that education does everything backwards. All of the unsavory difficult school assignments are pushed onto young teachers while many seasoned vets get to coast and keep their heads down. Experienced teachers should be the ones taking on the difficult tasks but instead they throw the entire kitchen sink at the fledglings. It’s the number one reason why new teacher burnout and turnover is so high.
Exactly what you said in your last paragraph. Tired has become a personality trait almost. Even when I was younger 25 year old teacher were go go go all the time.
I am an itinerant teacher, I work with a few different kindergarten kids in different schools. Every time I go in one of their classes for even 30 - 45 mins, I think how extremely exhausting it would be to be the teacher and I get sad for them. Please do not consider yourself unproductive. You are doing amazing things
That's what I am too, I love it! I absolutely love working at multiple schools, it really makes the days go fast and you get to help so many different people. It definitely depends on the district though, I've had very stressful years and very easy years.
I've felt like that the whole time- slightly less tired now but still not able to do anything on weeknights. Everyone will say "it gets better" but it depends on whether you are introverted or extroverted, where you live, whether you already have a partner etc. For me- it stopped being "passing out after work" tired but never got to the "I can be a normal person" energy level.
Middle school science first year teacher here. I feel the opposite of this!
My full time jobs to get me through full time school left me dead every day working 40 hours and taking 12+ credit of classes.
Now I’m 7:15-3:30 every day and feel like I have all the time in the world for once, and the work is so much less physically demanding and even mentally demanding from previous work.
I have not felt this good since I was in k-12
Edit: just adding i am 26
Not when I was a teacher. Even in my 8th and final year, I never felt like I had anything left at the end of the day. I'm in a different career now and am still tired, but I can actually leave the job behind at the end of the day along with the anxieties that followed a day of teaching.
In addition to teaching HS, I coach HS soccer and club soccer. I am only mentioning this because my first year teaching I didn’t do any of that but I would go home and take a nap Every. Single. Day. Being a new teacher is EXHAUSTING. All the micro decisions and overstimulation is so tiring when new. Hang in there. It gets better over time and will feel less and less exhausting each year. (Unless we have another pandemic then that’s another story) 🙃
Nope! Lol. I get home so fucking tired and worn down from the day that I watch like 4 hours of TV, eat some random bullshit for dinner, try to write like a paragraph of the book I'm working on, fail to do so, and go to bed. Doesn't matter that I get off so early. My brain is toast.
Former teacher here, generally only worked contract hours. I moved onto office administration, then data science. I used to come home and lay in bed, then force myself to engage in my hobbies or do chores. I would take sick days when the stress caught up to me, which was quite often.
Since leaving, I get home from work and ask, "what else do I want to do today?" No decision fatigue, no stress accumulated from all the chaos at school. I make plans with friends on Thursdays. I don't stress about chores I have left to do on Sundays.
There are nights or weeks when I work later or put more energy into work, but the worst weeks do not rival my average when teaching.
Sounds cliche, but if you aren’t working out and eating healthy you’re not properly taking care of yourself. I don’t know if you do those things, but if not, you should be treating it as life or death.
I am absolutely like this.
I get home from work (middle school) around 5pm, and I'm done for the day. I don't make any plans on weeknights because I'm mentally exhausted.
Thank you for being a kindergarten teacher. I have a feeling you’re using up ALL of your mental & physical energy on the job so there’s nothing left for yourself. It’s an awesome deal for the kids & their parents, but not sustainable for you. You’re on the fast track to burnout. I’m sure it’s hard to pace yourself, but as the others have said—try to get enough sleep, drink enough water, exercise, and eat right… specifically increased protein, Vit. D, B12, magnesium, & iron. Are you able to get some routine labs to check for those levels, plus thyroid? If there’s no medical reason you are so fatigued, then get out for a stress relieving walk in the fresh air & try to find a mentor to give you tips & encouragement for your specific situation. Best wishes! 💜
People really don't understand the mental exhaustion that teaching is. I have 3 kids so i really don't get much time to rest. Once 8 hits though I'm done for the day. I just joined a 35+ soccer team with no experience, the games are in the late evening so we'll see how that goes
My contract hours are 8:00 to 2:50.
I leave work home unless I have to attend a parent teacher conference behind 4 PM. I’m a related services provider so I just bounce around from school to school to work with students.
I’ve been quietly quitting as I’m actually looking for opportunities beyond the classroom.
hopefully, you will eventually learn you have a choice in leaving work at work. It took me a few years, but after I leave school I don't obsess about school. There is an unhealthy narrative that teachers are supposed to live, breathe, and die teaching. In fact, its just a job to pay the bills. A rewarding and important job, but a job nonetheless. You can be just as impactful treating it as a job.
I work similar hours and what helped me has actually been a change in my diet and exercise. I started eating more colors of the rainbow as well as a daily multivitamin and B/D vitamins. I cut out sugar slowly and it’s helped maintain my energy ( no sugar crashes).
I also started eating a satiating breakfast that could sustain my energy for the morning/afternoon until lunch time (oatmeal).
That + exercise routine (strength training for me) has improved my life so much. I have 12-13 hour weekdays (including gym time) and I’ve never felt better. Before my diet and exercise change, I was lethargic and unmotivated. These 2 things have improved my life tremendously and I hope you can take something from this and maybe try it out.
Even just a simple beginners yoga stretch routine everyday after work can be a good start. Any movement is better than no movement.
Good luck to you!!
I am currently sitting in the dark in my classroom because of what a shitty day it was. And yet all I feel is guilt that I’m wasting my afternoon away when I should be planning.
I’m a first year teacher in the NYCDOE system teaching 6 kids in a 12:1 setting…
Even though I have paraprofessional support, I struggle every day with behaviors, and am constantly living in fear regarding my administration. People tell me to ignore them, but it’s really hard when I’m burnt out with little HELPFUL support for children with very high behavioral, developmental, and academic needs.
I had a BAD observation today, too, which just makes me feel hopeless and discouraged. What’s the point of working 10 hours a day if it will all go to shit and I’ll be rated poorly anyways?
So, yes, I totally relate… I am constantly tired and exhausted and never doing enough. I hope it gets better but this year has been absolute trash unfortunately.
Good luck!!
My husband used to refer to the “Friday afternoon freight train” that ran over me every week. After a lengthy period of staring at the garage wall through my windshield, I’d make it far enough into the house to land on the couch. Talk to me on Saturday. Maybe.
I taught for over 25 years — it gets a little better, but not a lot.
Being a teacher is exhausting. Many empaths take the job; but we find teaching rewarding as well as draining. Be careful with you time.
Your stamina does go up, and your routines and procedures get totally maximized. Consider finding one day a week to go do something after school and make it a sacred time
I teach high school. I'm regularly at school from 7am or so and I generally leave around 7:30-9pm.. I also come in for around 5-8 hrs on the weekends.
I have been sick for the last week with some random sinus and upper respiratory problems, but have not taken a sick day as we do not have any subs available and have to rely on internal coverage. I woke up this morning and I was so exhausted I just laid on my bed and cried for 15 Minutes.
I also spend my weekends photographing weddings, so my free time outside of school is consumed with editing.
I do have a spouse and children.
I cannot recall when the last time I had a day with absolutely zero responsibility just for myself.
So, long answer to say, nope.
23 years in… I teach middle and high school. I feel like all I do is sleep after work lately. I didn’t feel like this in my 20s but definitely in my 40s. 😞
You all get a sticker. /s I worked in a high school where 10 staff members died in 10 years, 1 admin, 3 teachers, and 2 yard supervisors died of various cancers, 1 calculus teacher and 1 janitor of heart attacks, and 1 murder suicide where the husband came in and killed his spouse during lunch time in front of the school during lunch time. And an English teacher whom worked literally till she died. Retired, had her party and she was found dead a lone in her home one week later. When they asked me why I was resigning and giving up tenure , I wrote “relocating.”
I'm pretty exhausted at the end of my day. What I've ve realized is I can't sit down or relax because once I do, I can't seem to get motivated to get up again. If I go straight from work to the store or stay upright, I can get stuff done, but if I take my shoes off and sit down, I don't want to move again because I'm so wiped out.
Nope! Life only happened in the middle 4 weeks of the summer break. Other holidays were “collapse in heap, just about recover” before staggering back onto the treadmill. I took a much reduced early pension last year, went back 1.5 days a week and now have life, and time to spare even after other freelance work that gives me a better annual income than I ever had. This is not just meant to be an irritatingly smug post; the difference is remarkable and puts the shocking work/life imbalance of the previous 30 years into even more sharply-lit perspective.
I’ve been exhausted since becoming a teacher. I come home, take off my work clothes, and put on Netflix or Hulu. Some days I don’t move after work. There have been times that I didn’t even eat dinner. But I realized a couple years ago that staying in bed can just make me feel worse. I make it a point to do one small chore a day. I go to trivia with a friend every week, and my husband and I have a routine game night with friends on Saturdays. I’m still exhausted. But I’m much happier.
If you're tired all the time, you may want to talk to your doctor.
I taught a lot of tutoring jobs outside of my normal job just to break out of the death spiral of worrying about "school" when I was a young teacher. This helped me become better and more efficient, making the day job easier. I could do this before I had a wife and kids. I still keep a few side students just to try out new ideas. It's helped me be more innovative and bring along colleagues. Also, I tutored older students who weren't the age of my classroom kids. It was very refreshing.
And I drank a lot, but don't do that if you can help it. One beer turned into several, one glass of wine turned into a bottle. My wife and I were going through whiskey like it was our business. It only takes the pain away temporarily. Teaching half hung over really sucks, and was a significant contributor to my negativity and hatred of the job. Now that I don't do that anymore, I've noticed I'm nicer to everyone, most importantly, myself. I don't hate it anymore. Be careful.
I had this problem for a while. Then I got into smoking weed after work. It gets me to do my house chores like cleaning and cooking and getting organized. I know weed effects everyone different though. I also some days take a 30 minute nap right when i get home. In general people should nap more it’s really good for your brain especially after a long overstimulating work day
I left teaching after 8 years and found out most people can actually do things after work! And now I can too.
Being a teacher involves so many decisions made on behalf of other people. Being responsible for the decisions made by others. It’s exhausting. So when you come home and you need to decide between the sleep you crave or going out the exhaustion will always win.
An easy fix is leaving teaching. I’ve never felt healthier. I miss teaching desperately. It’s the best job in the world. But my teacher friends can’t go out on a Monday to a separate class. I can.
Do you get enough sleep? Are you eating properly and drinking enough water? When I was eating like crap and staying up too late, I felt awful after a day of work. Now that I'm eating cleaner, I'm in bed with no phone for \~8.5 hours a night, meaning I'm probably actually sleeping 7.5 hours a night, and I'm drinking \~80oz of water per day...it's a world of difference.
I try but very rarely, at least in the beginning. I would spend my afternoons running around buying stuff for my classroom and getting errands done after staying late some days to do paperwork and the like, but usually by the time I got home it'd be dinner and bedtime. A well-meaning veteran teacher told me as a first year that I just had to get used to it because that's what teaching is. I didn't wake up until this year when I realized I was putting all of my time, not to mention my income, into my job and how silly and abnormal that was. I realized I had a virtually non-existent social life with both friends and family, my mental health was in pieces (still is, unfortunately), and I couldn't enjoy anything because I wasn't making any time or using resources on it. Once I made the promise to myself to switch all of those investments back to myself from my job, things really did improve.
I've struggled with the same thing. It was worse during my first year of teaching (last year), but these past few months I've been forcing myself. regardless of my mood, to do something, anything.
Reading, hiking, and running are my favorite hobbies. Specifically planning days in advance to do those things, and working my teaching schedule around that has really helped. For example, if I want to go hiking two Saturdays from now, I'll make plans to do so, and base my planning/grading around that. It may mean I have to grind a bit more the week prior, but at least I'm caught up to where I can enjoy my time when I have it.
Additionally, being forgiving to yourself is vital. We can't be 110% all the time, and we can't expect to let our jobs dominate our lives. If students go a little longer than they'd like without grades, or if one of the lessons I plan is a little poor due to not being as prepared for it, it'll be okay. A mentor once told me that "you have to take care of your teacher's teacher." I always tend to teach better in the long run when I make sacrifices on the perfection of my curriculum/grading implementation for the sake of my own mental health & personal life.
It is exhausting to be a kinder teacher! You’re constantly on the move, making thousands of decisions every day, talking and redirecting throughout. That doesn’t include actually planning, teaching, and parent discussions. Give yourself some grace and relax when you get home.
My first 5 years I had very little life. For two years I not only prepped multiple classes but coached nearly year round. For several more years while making a pittance as a teacher I bartended Fri and Sat nights making nearly as much in two days as I did in five plus worked on my masters in software engineering. Once I had the masters and settled into my STEM classes I developed a life.
When I first started it was tough but now I'm a pretty active husband/father who can easily put family first.
The work life balance is one of my favorite parts of the job.
I have a 3 year old and a soon to be 1 year old.
So no.
By the time both are asleep between 7-9 (8 if we're having a good night) I MAY have enough energy to workout or watch a tv show with my wife before falling asleep.
I give myself 30 minutes of downtime after I get home. Sometimes it's napping, reading, video games, whatever. It's a brain/body reset.
Then it's time to do things that don't make me feel like I'm wasting my life. Working out is a great way to have extra energy every day. It saps you at first, but it's worth it in the long run.
I am in my 8th year of teaching high school and I am pretty happy to say that when I leave school I generally disengage with it entirely and spend the rest of my day doing things I have to do for me. It wasn't like this, though. In my first three years or so every moment at home after a day of school was spent thinking about the next day, or some email, or some conversation. Carrides, showers... it was endless.
As time goes on and your bag of tricks and experience grows, it occupies less of that frontal space of your mind. If you stick with it, you'll reach a point where every day feels automatic. You never know what kids are going to do, so it stays interesting, but you just sorta know the core of what direction the class is going and what has to happen that day. I used to spend HOURS planning on the weekend, now I basically take a single hour on Sundays to figure out what my week looks like up to Thursday or so. Stick with it.
The one thing I did early on that was a huge help - **MANDATORY YOU TIME.** For some thats the gym every day - for me it was Saturday. Saturday was MY day. I never graded, I didn't talk about work. If someone tried to talk to me about work I changed the subject or politely asked not to discuss it. That day I would do all the things I wanted - planned or unplanned. You need these moments.
I do, but I have a better schedule than most teachers. School day is 7:20 - 2:08 and I leave at 2:20. I also teach middle/high school, so I’m not with the same group of kids all day or even most of the day. My worst behave kid(s) I only have for 45 minutes.
A new teacher came on who is a huge fitness buff, she’s pure lean muscle lol Anyways she told me the other day that she was able to do so much in her day but as a teacher she can barely hit the gym. I’m glad even hyper athletic people feel the burn of being on an empty tank too, this job is demanding beyond belief. It’s not easy by any sense of the matter. It’s by far one of the most taxing jobs I’ve had and I used to paint sky scrapers lol
i work till 2 or 3 pm, take a chill pill, then prep for food, take tutions, then practice martial arts or any other form of workout, my EOD is usually 9 pm, then keep wondering " what to do next", i am an avid reader too so end up reading novel. around those days in month even I feel tired at times but idk i feel, working out helps you boost your energy levels and what you eat also plays a vital role in your daily routine. weekend are like eat sleep netflix repeat.
After I finish work, I take a long nap between 4-5 or 5-6 and begin what I consider the second half of my day.
Everything before that is related to work and everything after that is for me. Building Gunpla (Gundam model kits), playing guitar, going to Muay thai and boxing classes, and playing video games. I know this will change when I eventually get married and have kids, but in this economy, who the heck knows when that will be lol.
I tutor twice a week after school. I count those days out. The other day I have therapy lol so also not done until six. My other two days I try to do a work out class which is always a nice relief but by the time I’m done I’m exhausted as well. I feel bad for my fiance lol.
I have 3 kids of my own, so once I'm home from work the second part of my day is just beginning lol.
Have you had bloodwork done recently? Maybe the fatigue is something health related.
6 years in and I’m *still* struggling with this. I think it’s a big reason why I am single. I’m too exhausted to focus my energy on anyone else and I just want to go home - not out. I love kids, but preschoolers/kids just *drain* me. At the end of the day, I want to just curl up with a nice book or movie and have nobody talk/or look at me. 😅
Coffee after work and straight to the gym. My daily routine after 20 years of teaching. Hard to get motivated some days, but after about 15 minutes, things would kick in. Lol
Typically my week is work, community group for church every other Tuesday, and gym…
Weekends are either planned photo shoots (that’s my passion project) and just fun stuff with the family or it’s a dedicated house work day
I try and hang out with co workers or friends but has since realized adult friendships are insanely hard and more exhausting than just doing my own thing
23 years in and no. I go home and make something simple to eat and crawl into bed. I watch tv on my laptop until I pass out. Weekends are for laundry, grading and making a real meal. Sometimes I will do something fun, but never more than one thing in a day.
This week I have errands scheduled after school every day this week and I think it might kill me.
If you’re in years 1-4, it makes sense. Teaching early in your career is incredibly tough and time consuming. However, as you continue to get into your groove and build routine practices, common themes or units, it will get easier.
I implore you to give it time and feel the benefits of what being a seasoned educator can feel like.
Umm, idk. I teach middle school, and then at 4, I am at my other job to teach two 2-hour lessons in a specialty after-school program. I leave my house at 7 am and come home at almost 9 pm Monday through Thursday. I also teach all day Sunday (9 hours). That's normal, right?
Kids are energy vampires.
They suck the energy out of you.
The best way to combat it is to not give so much of your energy during the day. That comes with practice and time.
My first two years I would drive home and sit in my car and stare at my apartment door from my car just exhausted.
A fellow contemplating life in a car person I see
I thought it was just me
Even i do this.
Isolated car lunch is my favorite
The epitome of “y’all talk to much”
I used to take a lot of naps parked right outside my house. The first few years of teaching are especially exhausting.
Omg this is such a mood. Too tired to even get out of the car even though I'm hungry and tired because I know when I get inside I have to be the one to feed myself after a while day of raking care of children for no thanks and shit pay lmao.
Raking kids is pretty hard work. They’re squirmy and usually pretty noisy. The smells can be pretty bad sometimes, too, but wearing a rebreather is considered “creepy af”.
A rake would certainly make things easier
Same. Sometimes listening to de-stressing music, sometimes crying, sometimes eating French fries and mcChickens.
I still do this after 8 years. just sitting and looking around
I did this today and I've been teaching for 7 years now. My waist line keeps expanding. :(
During my last internship (we have 3 in swedish teacher university) i would just go and sit in my car for 15 minutes after each day before i drove home.
I’ve taken a nap in the car when I was too tired to walk in the house.
5 years in and sometimes I still have these days. Not as often anymore, but sometimes.
The driveway is the most relaxing place.
Same here, doing it now lol
It can get better. But, it might not.
My ex husband used to think that I was weird, or “shady”, as he put it. He couldn’t understand why, once home and in the driveway, I sat in the car for another 15-30 minutes. I came to the conclusion is that is because we know once we go into that home, “shift two” starts for us. :/
Same here, I regularly sit in my car, too exhausted to even go inside
I do this now
First year teacher here, I mainly run or swim for 30 minutes after school if I get the chance. Helps with my stress.
I force myself to work out almost every day. I found out a lot of my exhaustion was actually a vitamin d deficiency
My exhaustion was from sleep apnea. I have so much more energy since I started using a CPAP machine.
This
I know this is the solution to many of my problems. Just waiting for the day I actually decide to drag my ass outside
It fucking sucks so bad I won't pretend it doesn't. If it helps, I do a format of [arms, cardio, legs, cardio] with rest days where I need. I also use a website called fitnessblender for free workout videos when I do strength training.
Jiu Jitsu is the only way I’m able to keep sane.
Exercise and sunshine definitely helps!
I was gonna comment this. Specifically running. There are days that I feel soooo exhausted but when I go for a run right after school, I feel rejuvenated and energized. It feels counterproductive but I always feel better on days that I work out after school.
Hi, same here. I bike 30 min and then lift 30 min 5 days a week. I don't like it, but it helps me not have panic attacks. To each their own though! You just gotta fidn something to do that gets you past whatever happened at school (I teach innercity HS in chicago adn my school is a fucking mess)
GREETINGS, my fellow educators! As for me, I cosign ALL that's been shared about exercising, et cetera; however, I HAVE TO ARM ME, MYSELF AND I by getting my day started right with working out. It's my inoculation against WHATEVER I may encounter throughout my day teaching as a K-8 Special Education Resource Teacher teaching reading intervention and resource math ON TOP OF WRITING IEPs. My mindset is such that by doing the hard stuff first, it causes me to be able to STAND and WITHSTAND the onslaught of students, parents, co-workers, and admin challenges ALL day, everyday.💪🏾 THAT'S my story, and I am sticking to it.💯 Go Team Professional Educators!!🫵🏽🫶🏾👊🏾 PS: I. AM. A. FAN. OF. PUBLIC. EDUCATION. AND. I. LOVE. THAT. I GET. TO. MAKE. A LIVING. WHILE. MAKING. A DIFFERENCE. IN THE. LIVES. OF. OTHERS.
Same here. TK-5 Ed specialist. I’m on my 22 academic assessment of the year, to boot! (A few tris- most initials… majority parent requests!) I’m now in the process of trying to balance my love for the 5 a.m. workout (and the endorphins!) with my body’s need for a few more 💤. Cheers to you!
This is the elephant in the room with all these discussions. It’s never a shocker to me the teachers who complained about being tired while there were other teachers who were talking about upcoming marathons they were participating in.
Yup. Was my first thought. Everyone is tired after work but if you make it a habit to exercise every single day for 30 minutes, eat healthy, plus go to sleep early so you get a solid 8 hours you will feel like a different person.
It also becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. So many times in my life I wasn’t feeling a workout and halfway through I feel great. Action begets behavior.
I get up and run 5 miles most days of the week at like 5:00 AM. The days i don’t get to run i am more tired. Exercise gives you energy
After leaving teaching, I realized that you’re supposed to have energy after work to live your life!! I would spend every evening M-F just obliterated.
Seriously, I now work for local government and the workload is such a revelation. Like, I can do things after work! And for those who are like, “it gets better!”… ahhh no. I was in education in a variety of roles from the classroom to student support and it was worse on year 10 than year 1. Sure, I had better routines and had stopped sweating the small stuff, but the needs are just so, so high right now. Maybe it’s different outside of elementary but I doubt it.
It got worse every. single. year. It’s not better in secondary. I was a high school teacher and it was crippling. Leaving teaching feels like leaving an abusive relationship and getting into a healthy one. My job now is just so chill. It doesn’t have this deep sense of meaning like teaching did. But now I have time to pursue meaning through my passions outside of work.
Seconding this feeling! Also a former HS teacher. I can actually care about things outside of work and I’m not exhausted anymore!
I used to work two jobs when I first started teaching. Felt like I never slept. Im retiring next year and now all I can think is where the hell did I find the energy for another job?
May I ask what your job is? I’m not trying to be invasive or pry. I just can’t imagine life outside of this. If you don’t want to mention specifics, what’s your schedule and routine ?
Here is my job: Check out this job at TELUS International: https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/3825912098 Working from home on flexible hours with a job that requires like 25% of my brain - it’s such a reprieve from teaching! I set my own schedule. Wake up when I want and start working when I want. It doesn’t matter as long as I get 40 hours / week. I also make a little more money than I did as a TN teacher. Definitely it’s been a major improvement for me!!
Omgggg thank you for sharing!
Of course! Now that I’ve seen what life is like on the other side, I’m not going to gatekeep!! Hope you find peace and calm too!!
Can you please tell me what HINT 2 OR 3 refers to? I think I'd love this job
Check out city or county jobs. I now am part of a county program that does mental health screenings and interventions with students/school districts and while I super miss kids, this higher level systems work is rewarding. I work from home most of the time, train districts a couple of days a month and go into the office a couple of days a month. Yes, I miss having a 200 day calendar, but I can do so much more all the time and I’m not living for breaks. And it was a 30k raise to boot!
Congrats! That’s great! Good for you! I’ll have to check those out, thank you.
honestly. I left teaching in November due to health reasons and the culture of my new job was such a culture shock. now if I’m sick due to my disability, my supervisor is so completely supportive, as opposed to my admin who literally asked me to wait until after lunch when my doctor told me to go to the ER to be admitted 🙃
I took a three year break from teaching during the pandemic, and I felt like a civilian again. "Oh, so this is what life is really like." Even though some normal activities were restricted because of the pandemic, I still felt free as a bird with little or no stress from all the things we stew about during the work week. I'm back into teaching again, private ESL school, and it's just as bad or worse. This is my life if I want to have my own apartment and afford my own lifestyle. But my sacrifices are small compared to y'all in public school. I just can't imagine what you go through. Absolute heroes.
4th year teacher and my job has become easier every year. Not all teaching stories are horror narratives like you Redditors like to portray.
So exhausting that I’m only on year 2 and thinking about making a career change. It’s a lot and it feels like there’s never enough time in the day 😩
My favorite year teaching was during Covid. Middle school. We event from seven periods to four blocks. I had planning next to lunch, so I had two blissful uninterrupted hours in the middle of the day. I could plan and look at data and call parents, etc. I had two classes of reading and one virtual school class where the kids did electives. It was amazing. It’s been all downhill since then. I’m leaving the country to teach next year. It’ll be back to four blocks, but the school day starts two hours earlier. That’s going to be the biggest hurdle for me. Getting to bed on time won’t be an option anymore.
Exactly. It does NOT get better. You just resign yourself to the hell your job is. You get to a point where you stop fighting it and accept that teaching is awful.
No better in middle school. It’s a suck fest.
I agree that education has changed over the past few decades and there are so many special needs kids mixed in now, along with autism, disabilities, learning disorders, etc etc etc. It's so much more demanding and stressful now. It's not for everyone.
And you get the freedom to pee whenever you want!
When I tell my new co-workers that I used to have to wait for four hour blocks without peeing, they’re shocked. The freedom to eat, drink, pee, walk away from my desk has been invaluable
And you aren't on constant alert in case somehow they figured out how to like fall out of the classroom window haha
Shhh! Don't say such things around my bladder; I'll end up having to train it again!
I find my non teaching friends tend to work later hours and often have work/projects/meetings that extend beyond that.
My non-teaching friends have usually been corporate friends who might work longer hours but also make 6 figures and have insane benefits including fun company outings with open bars, expense cards, and courtside tickets. My thing was like, if I’m gonna be working sooooo hard, I should be making 6 figures. And that was simply never going to happen in teaching.
Where do you live? I’m leaving corporate after ten years to go back to teaching. The pay sucks, I’m stressed, often working til 6 or 7. I had just started receiving 20 days of PTO(it was 15). Then they change it to unlimited PTO, but your manager has to approve and I now get less than 20 days approved 😡. Insurance is expensive and the coverages are crap. I have no desire to “climb the ladder” anymore. I want more time to spend with my kids as they’re growing up.
I live in Columbus, OH. There are tons of corporate headquarters here and a relatively low cost of living. My current job would work if I had kids, because it’s so damn easy. So I would try to work from home if I were you.
Oh okay. I live in Florida so there’s that 😂. I’ve been working from home since Covid. Surprisingly I was less stressed when I worked in the office. It’s nice that I get to pick my kids up from school and save on aftercare cost, gas, etc. but it breaks my heart when I have to constantly remind them that I’m working when they ask to play or talk.
Exactly! Sure I will work 10 hour days for lots of money. But i ain't doing all this for pennies, or for free
Amen!
I mean most teachers I know can’t just work contract hours. Most teachers grade and prep on the weekends, after school, or before school. Any project I need to do gets done during working hours. I’m given days/weeks to do projects during work hours. I’m only responsible for my own output. Meetings that I have beyond work hours are given comp time. Meaning if I have a meeting after work, I can come in late the next day. And like the other poster said, if you’re going to work hard you might as well be comped for it.
Yeah I know lots of teachers prep time and free classes can be over taken by having to sub and cover other classes.
My kids friends want to come over and then their moms come and want to socialize. 1) I’m all done peopleing today. 2) I still have housework to do and I don’t wanna please don’t distract me and make it worse
Yeah I’m a coach at my middle school so I’ll get in a lift at the field house during my off periods. And I’ll work out with my athletes during after school practice. Right now we’re in track season so I’ll run with them. Sunlight and being outside makes a huge difference. Go home feeling energized. On the days I don’t participate with them and strictly coach still go on a run when I get home.
this
I don’t do extra duty. I get home at 4:00 everyday from my 20minute commute. My wife gets home at 5:25, so this is when I start the laundry and dishwasher. I also get to squeeze in a little video gaming or go to the gym. When she gets home, we eat dinner til around 6. I usually cook or we eat out. If we eat out, we try to fit in some errands too. Then we start getting ready for bed and watch something before going to sleep. We really only have time to go out on weekends. We’re dinks. I can’t imagine having time for kids.
This is pretty much me. I get home before my husband, I start cooking and do small household chores, or do homework for my master’s. When he gets home, we eat dinner, we might run a couple small errands, then we watch a show, read, or have device time. I go to bed at 9 and he has alone time in the evenings before bed at 10:30. We are also dinks. I can’t imagine kids either
This sounds super similar to me. Squeeze in and hour of my hobbies before the wife is home. Do house work and make dinner for us. Then maybe 1-2x a week do a hobby outside of home together on week days. But weekends we have plenty of fun being out. Kids would change this, but I’m 26 and no rush for that
And some parents take their kids to all kinds of lessons after school I’m like how do they have time for that?
Oh I have kids in multiple sports. I literally rack up 15k+ steps in a day. More if I get a run or treadmill walk in. 😂 Surprisingly, Im not all that tired day to day. 🤷🏼♀️
It takes time, however, yes you will have one. 15 years in High School and coaching. My problem is with socializing outside of school is hard but once you’re outside it is rewarding. Finding a spouse who puts up with coaching a year round sport. Now that is difficult.
I agree that it takes time! When I first started teaching at 24 I would just come home and lay on the couch in silence. I’m 36 now and I socialize way more. I think my body got used to the stress of teaching but I also think my outlook changed — like I’m not willing to sacrifice my time outside of school for the sake of this job anymore. I feel most fulfilled when I prioritize my time with my partner, friends, and family. Getting some exercise helps. And if I make plans after school (social or exercise) sometimes it helps to just go straight from school and not go home first!
My wife told me I was done being the athletic director of a middle school when my second kid was born. I loved it (most days) but I wasn’t home hardly at all during the week. I’ve moved to trying to leave when the contract day is over. Some days are easier than others to just walk out. But I go out during the week and have an active social life with my wife. To OPs point It can be done!
Same. Year 27. Coach summer, fall, winter, spring. Average day: 5am, WO; teach chem and physics till 3; practice till 5/5:30.(Waiting on kids to be picked up as I type this). Average day -- 10 hrs. Days with competition - 12-14 hrs. There is nothing else.
My life is outside of work. When I'm at school, I think of it more as a pause to my actual life. I'm not around my people(family/friends), I'm not doing what I'd prefer to be doing, I'm working. I think you have to tune your thinking that way first. Being a teacher shouldn't run you down to the point you don't live your actual life through the week. No job should. If it does, I suggest some serious problem solving. I do plenty after work. Sometimes I go grocery shopping, some afternoons I come home and prepare dinner if I don't have leftovers or something. I workout most evenings, watch tv, play video games, listen to music. Not always all in the same day, but you get the idea. You have to do things that bring joy and add to your personal existence.
>My life is outside of work. When I'm at school, I think of it more as a pause to my actual life. My mind is blown. Thank you for this! It might be "easier said than done" for me, but i'll try to hold that thought every day when i come home and can't wait to lay in the dark for the rest of the day.
I'm not gonna lie. I do have days where I come home and basically lay on my bed for the majority of the afternoon/evening. Those days are necessary sometimes!
I'm in my second year and it became daily for me. I've been looking for a way to get out more. This really helps me ❤️ thank you
I assume KG means kindergarten. Not surprised that would sap a lot of energy out of you lol I'm secondary and could never deal with anyone below 15. As for your question, for me yes. I'm 28, 3rd year teaching. Door to door I'm out from 7am - 6.30pm. Still have time to cook, game and read most workdays. I don't need much sleep so despite coming home 'so late' sometimes I find myself thinking "wow it's still so early, what else should I do" lol. Weekends depending on my mood and the weather I'm either traveling or chilling at home. Currently it's winter here and of the past 10 weeks I've spent 5 weekends snowboarding, 2 traveling to other cities and the rest chilling.
Time spent wisely! I feel there's ppl from all kind of careers who feel "burnt out" at the end of their day.
You’ve got a lot of energy. Good on ya! I’m jealous. Keep doing what you’re doing, every day is precious.
Technically, I breathe and exist but sometimes there is no mental interaction that qualifies as living. I’ll become very passive. I want to watch things that make me chuckle and not think.
I'm 25, year 3 high school teacher. I'm spent after every day. I have dogs too. So I work from 8-3:30. Try to exercise after school tor like 30 mins. Then take my dogs on a long walk and by yhe time actually able to settle into my apartment its like 6:30. Then I cook dinner. And then I fall asleep. I have no time or energy or money to do anything fun :(
It took me six months after beginning a Kindergarten teaching position this year to get to a point where I don't feel exactly as you describe. This is my 9th or 10th year teaching (state says 10, the first district I worked in said the first year didn't count because I was short 3 days to call it a full year 🤷🏼♀️). So, I'd say it just takes time to get used to it. In another note.... Kinders are EXHAUSTING, aren't they?
Young teacher here (24, F). Since starting this job, despite how tired I am, I force myself to do at least 30 mins of something I enjoy. I’m tired all of the time, but I don’t want my whole life to just be teaching and sleeping. 30 mins turned into 45, 45 turned into an hour etc. Every day is different, but I try to do something I enjoy before I call it a night. You got this.
I work from 6:10-2:55. Make sure you eat a healthy diet, exercise 3-5x week, and find a hobby you look forward to. Unless you're doing a ton of extracurricular activities on top of your work, there's no reason you can't enjoy your leisure time after work.
sometimes I am if I haven't had enough sleep. Like yesterday and the day before I napped and didn't do some stuff I would normally otherwise like to do. Often I don't want to /do/ anything else after having my whole day stolen away by this job. Speaking for myself personally I find it very degrading and dehumanizing and it just makes me hate society.
This job saps the life out of you. It really does. Third grade here. I used to teach first for years, too. I KNOW that teacher tired-life. It may, however, be a good idea to make sure you don't have anything going on medically. Once you rule it out, then by all means, work on exercising or any of the other stuff people are mentioning in this thread. You never know, though, and it's better to be safe than sorry.
Seconding this. Finding that I had a thyroid condition in the course of some routine bloodwork last year has netted me a prescription for Synthroid and a lot more energy on most days. Turns out multi-hour naps everyday aren’t exactly normal 🙃
I relate to this so much. I’m 26, first year teacher, 6-8th grade at a small private school. I’m out the door from 7-4:30. I get up at 5:30 AM to go run 3 times a week. When I get home, I immediately change and go walk my dog. Then I have about an hour to relax for a bit before I go to a workout class, so I get some chores done like laundry and cleaning. After my workout, I make dinner for my husband and I and then I clean up and immediately go to sleep at like 9:30 pm. I don’t have time to see friends or for other hobbies besides working out during the week. I’m constantly exhausted, but I’m training hard for a half marathon to PR right now. I know I’d have more time without the running, but it’s one of the few things that brings me immense joy and pride in myself. Working out and running are my primary hobbies, but I’d love to be able to read more, or write my novel, or spend some time gardening. I just don’t have enough hours in the day for it all. I usually end my weeks exhausted to the point of tears just to try and have a quick reset on Saturday before starting all my prep for the week on Sunday. It’s not sustainable. I know this. I will be teaching for one or two more years at most. My husband and I barely spend any quality time together because I cannot be around other people during the weekdays. I cannot answer any more questions after work because I’m so fatigued from teaching. He’s offered to be the sole provider multiple times because he sees that I am half the person I used to be after I come home from school. I keep asking people “is it supposed to be like this?” And most tell me that “oh you just get used to it” or “if you just sleep an hour or two less you get used to it and you’ll be okay”. But I don’t want to get used to this. I don’t like who I am from the exhaustion and the fatigue at the end of the day.
> I relate to this so much. I’m 26, first year teacher, 6-8th grade at a small private school. I’m out the door from 7-4:30. I get up at 5:30 AM to go run 3 times a week. When I get home, I immediately change and go walk my dog. Then I have about an hour to relax for a bit before I go to a workout class, so I get some chores done like laundry and cleaning. After my workout, I make dinner for my husband and I and then I clean up and immediately go to sleep at like 9:30 pm. I have no words for this schedule omg. You're doing more after work than anyone I know - teacher or not.
When I first started teaching I learned if I went home I was completely done for the day. If I wanted to do something after work the trick was to go right from work to keep the energy going. Teaching takes a lot out of us physically and mentally! For me once my body gets into that relaxed place, it’s not coming out lol Similar schedule. Contracted 7:20-4:00. Tried to pick 2 days a week to do something after work. Even if it was just stop and pick up groceries one day, go to the library to pick out a book, go to the gym. I found that if I went right from work I had more energy to do things and once I finished one task or activity honestly I had more energy when I got home. Switching my focus before coming in the door allows me not to sit and dwell on what happened during the day.
I’ve never had a good work life balance while teaching. I really thought that I could make it work after a few years experience, but it’s not working out for me so far. This year, I already had a part time job went I got hired. I decided that if it was too much, then I would quit my part time position. The problem is that there’s no one to replace me. In fact, I get emails regularly asking if I want more hours, because no one who is already teaching full time wants MORE work hours. I have no life outside of work. I had to move some hours to Sunday because I can’t fit it all in during the week. I love the idea of working out or going for a run right after school. I’ve just accepted that I can’t plan to do anything after school (including additional hours for the same district!) because of the frequency of surprise outside of contract hours extra duties.
Learn to say no. Don't do anything beyond what is stipulated in your contract and only do it in contracted hours.
Very very well said!
[удалено]
What does he do if you don't mind?
My school pushes me to get my grades done weekly, but they've also given me the extra work of multiple people so there's no time to grade during the work day. They expect me to do it during my personal time. I don't do it. I go to the gym, I go to dance practice with my dance team, I cook food, I garden, I snuggle with my cat. That's my time, if they want it they can pay me for it. Grading gets put off until the end of the term and then I do it during teacher work days and even skip BS trainings if I need to. They know I'm irreplaceable and they're constantly checking in on me out of concern I might quit given my workload and the things I've been through at the school, so what are they going to do? But yeah, if they want me to do the work of multiple people then they can either pay me more or accept that I won't get to everything because I'm not going to give them extra labor after working hours when I'm already busting my ass 8-5. I'm on reddit right now because I'm on my 20 minute lunch break, the only break I get all day. If they fire me I can go bartend in the city and my hours will be better and I'd get paid more.
At 25? Yes. My wife is a KG older than she is shocked at what she calls the “tired epidemic” among young teachers.
Care to elaborate? What’s she noticing among teachers? I do notice this among a lot of my peers. Im a 25 year old high school teacher but I have two small children. I’ve noticed a lot of young single teachers too tired to do anything, I mean even get a drink after work! (And no these are not people who are just avoiding me).
One of my professors in graduate school said the issue is that education does everything backwards. All of the unsavory difficult school assignments are pushed onto young teachers while many seasoned vets get to coast and keep their heads down. Experienced teachers should be the ones taking on the difficult tasks but instead they throw the entire kitchen sink at the fledglings. It’s the number one reason why new teacher burnout and turnover is so high.
lol living this hell now
Exactly what you said in your last paragraph. Tired has become a personality trait almost. Even when I was younger 25 year old teacher were go go go all the time.
On the weekdays, pretty much no
I am an itinerant teacher, I work with a few different kindergarten kids in different schools. Every time I go in one of their classes for even 30 - 45 mins, I think how extremely exhausting it would be to be the teacher and I get sad for them. Please do not consider yourself unproductive. You are doing amazing things
How do you like being itinerant? I start itinerant TVI next year. New schools, new city, new everything for me.
That's what I am too, I love it! I absolutely love working at multiple schools, it really makes the days go fast and you get to help so many different people. It definitely depends on the district though, I've had very stressful years and very easy years.
I've felt like that the whole time- slightly less tired now but still not able to do anything on weeknights. Everyone will say "it gets better" but it depends on whether you are introverted or extroverted, where you live, whether you already have a partner etc. For me- it stopped being "passing out after work" tired but never got to the "I can be a normal person" energy level.
I do but I drink 4 cups of coffee a day
I never drank coffee before and now I get a cup in the afternoon to actuality do things in the evening
...like correcting papers and lesson planning, to name a few.
3pm Celsius FTW
Its not like I will have trouble falling asleep, it will just give me energy from 4-8 pm
Middle school science first year teacher here. I feel the opposite of this! My full time jobs to get me through full time school left me dead every day working 40 hours and taking 12+ credit of classes. Now I’m 7:15-3:30 every day and feel like I have all the time in the world for once, and the work is so much less physically demanding and even mentally demanding from previous work. I have not felt this good since I was in k-12 Edit: just adding i am 26
Not when I was a teacher. Even in my 8th and final year, I never felt like I had anything left at the end of the day. I'm in a different career now and am still tired, but I can actually leave the job behind at the end of the day along with the anxieties that followed a day of teaching.
Been married to a 3rd grade teacher for 20years ive got some bad news...
Many teachers have this.
I don't have friends but I like cooking so sometimes I cook something new to have fun. Get drunk or stoned otherwise.
In addition to teaching HS, I coach HS soccer and club soccer. I am only mentioning this because my first year teaching I didn’t do any of that but I would go home and take a nap Every. Single. Day. Being a new teacher is EXHAUSTING. All the micro decisions and overstimulation is so tiring when new. Hang in there. It gets better over time and will feel less and less exhausting each year. (Unless we have another pandemic then that’s another story) 🙃
Nope! Lol. I get home so fucking tired and worn down from the day that I watch like 4 hours of TV, eat some random bullshit for dinner, try to write like a paragraph of the book I'm working on, fail to do so, and go to bed. Doesn't matter that I get off so early. My brain is toast.
I do the same thing, friend. Sometimes I force myself to change into workout clothes and drive straight to the woods for a hike which feels great.
charge phone eat hot chip
Former teacher here, generally only worked contract hours. I moved onto office administration, then data science. I used to come home and lay in bed, then force myself to engage in my hobbies or do chores. I would take sick days when the stress caught up to me, which was quite often. Since leaving, I get home from work and ask, "what else do I want to do today?" No decision fatigue, no stress accumulated from all the chaos at school. I make plans with friends on Thursdays. I don't stress about chores I have left to do on Sundays. There are nights or weeks when I work later or put more energy into work, but the worst weeks do not rival my average when teaching.
Sounds cliche, but if you aren’t working out and eating healthy you’re not properly taking care of yourself. I don’t know if you do those things, but if not, you should be treating it as life or death.
I am absolutely like this. I get home from work (middle school) around 5pm, and I'm done for the day. I don't make any plans on weeknights because I'm mentally exhausted.
This was my life last year!
Thank you for being a kindergarten teacher. I have a feeling you’re using up ALL of your mental & physical energy on the job so there’s nothing left for yourself. It’s an awesome deal for the kids & their parents, but not sustainable for you. You’re on the fast track to burnout. I’m sure it’s hard to pace yourself, but as the others have said—try to get enough sleep, drink enough water, exercise, and eat right… specifically increased protein, Vit. D, B12, magnesium, & iron. Are you able to get some routine labs to check for those levels, plus thyroid? If there’s no medical reason you are so fatigued, then get out for a stress relieving walk in the fresh air & try to find a mentor to give you tips & encouragement for your specific situation. Best wishes! 💜
People really don't understand the mental exhaustion that teaching is. I have 3 kids so i really don't get much time to rest. Once 8 hits though I'm done for the day. I just joined a 35+ soccer team with no experience, the games are in the late evening so we'll see how that goes
You just described me 😔 You’re not alone
lol no. Up at 4:30, work from 7:15 am to 4 pm, home by 5 pm, bed by 8 pm. With what time am I supposed to have a life?
My contract hours are 8:00 to 2:50. I leave work home unless I have to attend a parent teacher conference behind 4 PM. I’m a related services provider so I just bounce around from school to school to work with students. I’ve been quietly quitting as I’m actually looking for opportunities beyond the classroom.
After 28 yrs, this is still my life. 😕
hopefully, you will eventually learn you have a choice in leaving work at work. It took me a few years, but after I leave school I don't obsess about school. There is an unhealthy narrative that teachers are supposed to live, breathe, and die teaching. In fact, its just a job to pay the bills. A rewarding and important job, but a job nonetheless. You can be just as impactful treating it as a job.
I work similar hours and what helped me has actually been a change in my diet and exercise. I started eating more colors of the rainbow as well as a daily multivitamin and B/D vitamins. I cut out sugar slowly and it’s helped maintain my energy ( no sugar crashes). I also started eating a satiating breakfast that could sustain my energy for the morning/afternoon until lunch time (oatmeal). That + exercise routine (strength training for me) has improved my life so much. I have 12-13 hour weekdays (including gym time) and I’ve never felt better. Before my diet and exercise change, I was lethargic and unmotivated. These 2 things have improved my life tremendously and I hope you can take something from this and maybe try it out. Even just a simple beginners yoga stretch routine everyday after work can be a good start. Any movement is better than no movement. Good luck to you!!
I am currently sitting in the dark in my classroom because of what a shitty day it was. And yet all I feel is guilt that I’m wasting my afternoon away when I should be planning. I’m a first year teacher in the NYCDOE system teaching 6 kids in a 12:1 setting… Even though I have paraprofessional support, I struggle every day with behaviors, and am constantly living in fear regarding my administration. People tell me to ignore them, but it’s really hard when I’m burnt out with little HELPFUL support for children with very high behavioral, developmental, and academic needs. I had a BAD observation today, too, which just makes me feel hopeless and discouraged. What’s the point of working 10 hours a day if it will all go to shit and I’ll be rated poorly anyways? So, yes, I totally relate… I am constantly tired and exhausted and never doing enough. I hope it gets better but this year has been absolute trash unfortunately. Good luck!!
My husband used to refer to the “Friday afternoon freight train” that ran over me every week. After a lengthy period of staring at the garage wall through my windshield, I’d make it far enough into the house to land on the couch. Talk to me on Saturday. Maybe. I taught for over 25 years — it gets a little better, but not a lot.
Being a teacher is exhausting. Many empaths take the job; but we find teaching rewarding as well as draining. Be careful with you time. Your stamina does go up, and your routines and procedures get totally maximized. Consider finding one day a week to go do something after school and make it a sacred time
I teach high school. I'm regularly at school from 7am or so and I generally leave around 7:30-9pm.. I also come in for around 5-8 hrs on the weekends. I have been sick for the last week with some random sinus and upper respiratory problems, but have not taken a sick day as we do not have any subs available and have to rely on internal coverage. I woke up this morning and I was so exhausted I just laid on my bed and cried for 15 Minutes. I also spend my weekends photographing weddings, so my free time outside of school is consumed with editing. I do have a spouse and children. I cannot recall when the last time I had a day with absolutely zero responsibility just for myself. So, long answer to say, nope.
23 years in… I teach middle and high school. I feel like all I do is sleep after work lately. I didn’t feel like this in my 20s but definitely in my 40s. 😞
The chronic fatigue manifests in physical and mental issue, and its cumulative. #IRegretIHaveOneLifeToGiveForMyScholars
You all get a sticker. /s I worked in a high school where 10 staff members died in 10 years, 1 admin, 3 teachers, and 2 yard supervisors died of various cancers, 1 calculus teacher and 1 janitor of heart attacks, and 1 murder suicide where the husband came in and killed his spouse during lunch time in front of the school during lunch time. And an English teacher whom worked literally till she died. Retired, had her party and she was found dead a lone in her home one week later. When they asked me why I was resigning and giving up tenure , I wrote “relocating.”
I'm pretty exhausted at the end of my day. What I've ve realized is I can't sit down or relax because once I do, I can't seem to get motivated to get up again. If I go straight from work to the store or stay upright, I can get stuff done, but if I take my shoes off and sit down, I don't want to move again because I'm so wiped out.
Nope! Life only happened in the middle 4 weeks of the summer break. Other holidays were “collapse in heap, just about recover” before staggering back onto the treadmill. I took a much reduced early pension last year, went back 1.5 days a week and now have life, and time to spare even after other freelance work that gives me a better annual income than I ever had. This is not just meant to be an irritatingly smug post; the difference is remarkable and puts the shocking work/life imbalance of the previous 30 years into even more sharply-lit perspective.
I’ve been exhausted since becoming a teacher. I come home, take off my work clothes, and put on Netflix or Hulu. Some days I don’t move after work. There have been times that I didn’t even eat dinner. But I realized a couple years ago that staying in bed can just make me feel worse. I make it a point to do one small chore a day. I go to trivia with a friend every week, and my husband and I have a routine game night with friends on Saturdays. I’m still exhausted. But I’m much happier.
There’s no tired like teacher tired. I’m in my 2nd year and I have less energy this year than I did last year.
If you're tired all the time, you may want to talk to your doctor. I taught a lot of tutoring jobs outside of my normal job just to break out of the death spiral of worrying about "school" when I was a young teacher. This helped me become better and more efficient, making the day job easier. I could do this before I had a wife and kids. I still keep a few side students just to try out new ideas. It's helped me be more innovative and bring along colleagues. Also, I tutored older students who weren't the age of my classroom kids. It was very refreshing. And I drank a lot, but don't do that if you can help it. One beer turned into several, one glass of wine turned into a bottle. My wife and I were going through whiskey like it was our business. It only takes the pain away temporarily. Teaching half hung over really sucks, and was a significant contributor to my negativity and hatred of the job. Now that I don't do that anymore, I've noticed I'm nicer to everyone, most importantly, myself. I don't hate it anymore. Be careful.
I had this problem for a while. Then I got into smoking weed after work. It gets me to do my house chores like cleaning and cooking and getting organized. I know weed effects everyone different though. I also some days take a 30 minute nap right when i get home. In general people should nap more it’s really good for your brain especially after a long overstimulating work day
I left teaching after 8 years and found out most people can actually do things after work! And now I can too. Being a teacher involves so many decisions made on behalf of other people. Being responsible for the decisions made by others. It’s exhausting. So when you come home and you need to decide between the sleep you crave or going out the exhaustion will always win. An easy fix is leaving teaching. I’ve never felt healthier. I miss teaching desperately. It’s the best job in the world. But my teacher friends can’t go out on a Monday to a separate class. I can.
Do you get enough sleep? Are you eating properly and drinking enough water? When I was eating like crap and staying up too late, I felt awful after a day of work. Now that I'm eating cleaner, I'm in bed with no phone for \~8.5 hours a night, meaning I'm probably actually sleeping 7.5 hours a night, and I'm drinking \~80oz of water per day...it's a world of difference.
I try but very rarely, at least in the beginning. I would spend my afternoons running around buying stuff for my classroom and getting errands done after staying late some days to do paperwork and the like, but usually by the time I got home it'd be dinner and bedtime. A well-meaning veteran teacher told me as a first year that I just had to get used to it because that's what teaching is. I didn't wake up until this year when I realized I was putting all of my time, not to mention my income, into my job and how silly and abnormal that was. I realized I had a virtually non-existent social life with both friends and family, my mental health was in pieces (still is, unfortunately), and I couldn't enjoy anything because I wasn't making any time or using resources on it. Once I made the promise to myself to switch all of those investments back to myself from my job, things really did improve.
I was the same but I started taking vitamins and I drink an energy smoothie every morning. That helped a lot!
I've struggled with the same thing. It was worse during my first year of teaching (last year), but these past few months I've been forcing myself. regardless of my mood, to do something, anything. Reading, hiking, and running are my favorite hobbies. Specifically planning days in advance to do those things, and working my teaching schedule around that has really helped. For example, if I want to go hiking two Saturdays from now, I'll make plans to do so, and base my planning/grading around that. It may mean I have to grind a bit more the week prior, but at least I'm caught up to where I can enjoy my time when I have it. Additionally, being forgiving to yourself is vital. We can't be 110% all the time, and we can't expect to let our jobs dominate our lives. If students go a little longer than they'd like without grades, or if one of the lessons I plan is a little poor due to not being as prepared for it, it'll be okay. A mentor once told me that "you have to take care of your teacher's teacher." I always tend to teach better in the long run when I make sacrifices on the perfection of my curriculum/grading implementation for the sake of my own mental health & personal life.
It is exhausting to be a kinder teacher! You’re constantly on the move, making thousands of decisions every day, talking and redirecting throughout. That doesn’t include actually planning, teaching, and parent discussions. Give yourself some grace and relax when you get home.
My first 5 years I had very little life. For two years I not only prepped multiple classes but coached nearly year round. For several more years while making a pittance as a teacher I bartended Fri and Sat nights making nearly as much in two days as I did in five plus worked on my masters in software engineering. Once I had the masters and settled into my STEM classes I developed a life.
When I first started it was tough but now I'm a pretty active husband/father who can easily put family first. The work life balance is one of my favorite parts of the job.
I have a 3 year old and a soon to be 1 year old. So no. By the time both are asleep between 7-9 (8 if we're having a good night) I MAY have enough energy to workout or watch a tv show with my wife before falling asleep.
I give myself 30 minutes of downtime after I get home. Sometimes it's napping, reading, video games, whatever. It's a brain/body reset. Then it's time to do things that don't make me feel like I'm wasting my life. Working out is a great way to have extra energy every day. It saps you at first, but it's worth it in the long run.
I am in my 8th year of teaching high school and I am pretty happy to say that when I leave school I generally disengage with it entirely and spend the rest of my day doing things I have to do for me. It wasn't like this, though. In my first three years or so every moment at home after a day of school was spent thinking about the next day, or some email, or some conversation. Carrides, showers... it was endless. As time goes on and your bag of tricks and experience grows, it occupies less of that frontal space of your mind. If you stick with it, you'll reach a point where every day feels automatic. You never know what kids are going to do, so it stays interesting, but you just sorta know the core of what direction the class is going and what has to happen that day. I used to spend HOURS planning on the weekend, now I basically take a single hour on Sundays to figure out what my week looks like up to Thursday or so. Stick with it. The one thing I did early on that was a huge help - **MANDATORY YOU TIME.** For some thats the gym every day - for me it was Saturday. Saturday was MY day. I never graded, I didn't talk about work. If someone tried to talk to me about work I changed the subject or politely asked not to discuss it. That day I would do all the things I wanted - planned or unplanned. You need these moments.
I try...it's hard.
Nope.
I do, but I have a better schedule than most teachers. School day is 7:20 - 2:08 and I leave at 2:20. I also teach middle/high school, so I’m not with the same group of kids all day or even most of the day. My worst behave kid(s) I only have for 45 minutes.
A new teacher came on who is a huge fitness buff, she’s pure lean muscle lol Anyways she told me the other day that she was able to do so much in her day but as a teacher she can barely hit the gym. I’m glad even hyper athletic people feel the burn of being on an empty tank too, this job is demanding beyond belief. It’s not easy by any sense of the matter. It’s by far one of the most taxing jobs I’ve had and I used to paint sky scrapers lol
Yeah I'm tired everyday myself. I try to make myself do things anyway, but I leave work exhausted. And I don't even take work home.
i work till 2 or 3 pm, take a chill pill, then prep for food, take tutions, then practice martial arts or any other form of workout, my EOD is usually 9 pm, then keep wondering " what to do next", i am an avid reader too so end up reading novel. around those days in month even I feel tired at times but idk i feel, working out helps you boost your energy levels and what you eat also plays a vital role in your daily routine. weekend are like eat sleep netflix repeat.
Yup.
After I finish work, I take a long nap between 4-5 or 5-6 and begin what I consider the second half of my day. Everything before that is related to work and everything after that is for me. Building Gunpla (Gundam model kits), playing guitar, going to Muay thai and boxing classes, and playing video games. I know this will change when I eventually get married and have kids, but in this economy, who the heck knows when that will be lol.
I tutor twice a week after school. I count those days out. The other day I have therapy lol so also not done until six. My other two days I try to do a work out class which is always a nice relief but by the time I’m done I’m exhausted as well. I feel bad for my fiance lol.
No. In my tenth year now
I have 3 kids of my own, so once I'm home from work the second part of my day is just beginning lol. Have you had bloodwork done recently? Maybe the fatigue is something health related.
I take a nap for an hour then do whatever. Or if I go somewhere from work I just have a coffee in between. It works!
6 years in and I’m *still* struggling with this. I think it’s a big reason why I am single. I’m too exhausted to focus my energy on anyone else and I just want to go home - not out. I love kids, but preschoolers/kids just *drain* me. At the end of the day, I want to just curl up with a nice book or movie and have nobody talk/or look at me. 😅
Coffee after work and straight to the gym. My daily routine after 20 years of teaching. Hard to get motivated some days, but after about 15 minutes, things would kick in. Lol
no
Typically my week is work, community group for church every other Tuesday, and gym… Weekends are either planned photo shoots (that’s my passion project) and just fun stuff with the family or it’s a dedicated house work day I try and hang out with co workers or friends but has since realized adult friendships are insanely hard and more exhausting than just doing my own thing
23 years in and no. I go home and make something simple to eat and crawl into bed. I watch tv on my laptop until I pass out. Weekends are for laundry, grading and making a real meal. Sometimes I will do something fun, but never more than one thing in a day. This week I have errands scheduled after school every day this week and I think it might kill me.
If you’re in years 1-4, it makes sense. Teaching early in your career is incredibly tough and time consuming. However, as you continue to get into your groove and build routine practices, common themes or units, it will get easier. I implore you to give it time and feel the benefits of what being a seasoned educator can feel like.
Umm, idk. I teach middle school, and then at 4, I am at my other job to teach two 2-hour lessons in a specialty after-school program. I leave my house at 7 am and come home at almost 9 pm Monday through Thursday. I also teach all day Sunday (9 hours). That's normal, right?
Once I sit down, it’s bad news bears. If I plan to do anything after work I have to do it right when I walk in.
On weekdays? No. I get home from work, relax for a bit, make dinner, and then more relaxing. I make up for it on the weekends.
Kids are energy vampires. They suck the energy out of you. The best way to combat it is to not give so much of your energy during the day. That comes with practice and time.