Teacher work life balance is something that isn’t easy to achieve.  As an elementary music teacher, or any teacher for that matter, you’re juggling so much at once.  At school, you teach, put on programs, plan lessons, and find new resources.  At home, you step into the role of spouse, parent, and take care of the household responsibilities.

So how do you give your best in all areas of your life without feeling like you’re neglecting any part?  Over time, I found ways to help me find teacher work life balance that hopefully you’ll be able to apply to your life as well (which you can listen to even more helpful advice about in this podcast episode.)

 

Give yourself grace

If I could shout “give yourself grace” from the rooftops I probably would.  So many times, when you’re juggling being a teacher with being a parent (or anything else in your personal life), you give yourself such a hard time.  Let me tell you some of the thoughts that have gone through my mind…

“I’m a terrible mom because I had no sick days left, so his dad will need to take off to take him to his Dr. appointment.”

“I love my students, but I just don’t feel like being here today.  My baby just learned how to walk and I’m missing him.”

“Since my program is tonight, I’m only going to be able to see my family for one hour when I get home.”

Can you relate to any of these thoughts?  Our minds can really go places sometimes right?  Here’s the advice I had to give myself.  GIVE YOURSELF GRACE!  Yes, you right there reading this.  You’re doing an amazing job and when you have those thoughts, just stop it right now.

Do you know how many people juggle a million things a day just like you?  Just about every single person.  So, have those thoughts, but don’t let them linger for very long.  I promise you’re doing a way better job than you give yourself credit for.

 

Stick to a schedule

When you’re trying to balance all the things, sticking to a schedule helps tremendously.  I have a type A personality, so sticking to a schedule is my jam.

Obviously, while you’re at school, your schedule is already set for you.  But, what about your life outside of school?

Here’s some things to consider when deciding what schedule to keep:

• Wake up the same time every day
• Leave to drop off kids at daycare with enough time to allow for traffic
• Decide whether you’ll make lunches, take a shower, and pick out yours and everyone else’s clothes in the morning or the night before
• Plan dinner and a grocery list every week
• Have a consistent dinner and bedtime for everyone in your household

Obviously there are so many other things that can be added to this list, but these are some of the main ones that help with keeping your head above water. The more you can plan out ahead of time or keep scheduled, the better.

 

 

 

 

Keep work at work

This one is easier said than done.  As an elementary music teacher, there are times you’ll need to stay at school a little longer or come in early.  For example, one morning a week I held an honors choir before school started, so my husband knew ahead of time he would be picking up our son from daycare.  Then, there are programs you’ll be putting on.  When these are scheduled ahead of time (there’s that word again), it won’t feel like you’re letting people know last minute about being out late.

Other than those times you’ll need to stay late or come in early, try to keep work at work.  During your plan time, try to get all your lesson planning done for the week.  Make it a point to try to separate your work and home life.  Let your family know that when you’re with them, you’re really with them.

 

Do a lot at night

At night, try to take care of things you might normally do in the morning.  We talked about keeping a schedule and one thing that will help out your schedule a lot is if you take as much off of your morning plate as possible.

• Set the coffee pot
• Have homework in your kids backpacks
• Pack everyone’s lunches (including yours)
• Get the diaper bag ready to go
• Pick out everyone’s clothes
• Set out shoes
• Have your teacher bag or purse ready to go

When I started taking care of things at night, it really did help our routine in the morning go so much smoother.   We actually had time to pray, eat breakfast, and get out the door without so much stress.  This may be something that’s uncomfortable or new to you, but when you begin implementing this tip, it really does help.

 

Take care of yourself

As you’re taking care of everyone in your work and home life, don’t forget to take care of yourself as well.  You really can’t pour into others when you’re not pouring into yourself first.  When you begin to feel run down, stressed out, and overwhelmed, it may be a sign that you need to do a little self care.

The way you take care of yourself depends on who you are.  As an introvert, my version of self care is to simply be by myself while watching a show or going to a coffee shop.  Your self care may be going shopping, listening to your favorite song, reading a book, or going out with friends.  The main goal is to make sure in the process of taking care of everything in your life, you give yourself permission to put yourself first at times.  Self care isn’t selfish, just like I mentioned in this Instagram post.

 

How do you find work-life balance in your life?  I’d love to hear all about it in the comments below or share your thoughts on social media as you share this post.   

Also, I’d love for you to share this post or any of the resources on my website with a friend or colleague who you know NEEDS to see it.

P.S.  Are you feeling frustrated or stuck as an elementary music teacher?  Check out these free resources to help you teach elementary music with confidence!

Also…I wrote a book called “Make A Note: What You Really Need To Know About Teaching Elementary Music” to help music teachers move forward in your teaching career.  You can get your copy here.