WEEK 20 - Mentally Disconnecting

One of the hardest thing about being a teacher is knowing how to mentally disconnect from work after the workday is over. Technically, our duty day is 8am-4pm, but we all know that most teachers work well beyond the official duty day, taking work home or arriving to school earlier than required.

Yet what most people don't realize is that even if teachers are not actually preparing or grading, many teachers are at least thinking about preparing or grading. While this sounds ludicrous, I find that very often while I am doing something "relaxing," my mind will inadvertently wander back to work, and I'll be thinking about how I can make a lesson better, how I can organize things better in my classroom, or how I can reach out more to particular students. I rarely feel like my "work" is left at work. In fact, this is the most "homework" I've ever had in my life (and I was a great student back in the day), and the busiest I've ever been (busier than when I was going to college full time and working 3 jobs at the same time).

Even if a teacher does the minimum required of him/her, the fact is that many students won't do the minimum required of them, which means that the teacher has to find new and creative ways to try and engage those students to make them want to do the work. While this is stressful enough by itself, it is compounded by the pressure from the community when people start saying that teachers "aren't doing their jobs" when their students fail.

Because a lot of teachers are completely wrapped up in their jobs, it takes a lot of effort and determination to actually plan in some relaxing, "fun" time. Many teachers think that they'll relax during spring/winter/summer break, but those who are able to physically and mentally put their work aside and incorporate regular exercise and relaxation are happier and healthier.

Fun fact: We are now 20 weeks into the school year, and I average 17 hours of over time every week.

My hours for week 20:

Day	Date	Start	End	Total Hours
Sun	1/6/2013	9:30 PM	11:15 PM	1.75
M	1/7/2013	7:45 AM	5:45 PM	10
		10:00 PM	11:00 PM	1
T	1/8/2013	7:15 AM	5:15 PM	10
		9:15 PM	10:15 PM	1
W	1/9/2013	7:30 AM	4:15 PM	8.75
Th	1/10/2013	7:30 AM	5:00 PM	9.5
F	1/11/2013	7:45 AM	3:45 PM	8
Sat	1/12/2013	8:30 PM	10:45 PM	2.25
	Total			52.25