Okay, okay -- that's not entirely true. You *do* remember-
You wanted to really get to know your students, go over and above for them, and feed your passion for teaching small humans and shaping lives...
But, dang. It's been a looooong while since you had time for any of that.
This last school year was the hardest of your teaching career, right?
And you're not alone.
I can't tell you how many teachers come to me admitting they thought they'd eventually figure out how to balance school with their personal life so that they aren't staying until 6pm every night.
So many teachers are constantly choosing between school and their home life.
Which one has been taking up the most of your time?
So here's the thing, it's not your fault.
The truth is, no one showed you how to make teaching more manageable, although they should have!
You're just given so much to DO.
Your checklist NEVER ends (no matter how late you stay in the classroom), and your attention is pulled in 127 different directions throughout the day.
That normally means you feel like you're NEVER doing enough for your students.
And by the time you get home, you barely have anything left to give to your family, right?
It just can't go on like this in the fall.
Elementary teacher since 2005, mom of a toddler and and a new baby, Bravo binge-watcher, and classroom organization expert.
Since 2010, I've been helping teachers just like you implement classroom hacks to save time, get organized, and discover that magical thing: getting time back in your schedule for YOU!
I present at professional development events around the country (like SDE Nationals and Teach Your Heart Out), snagged myself a spot in Gerry Brooks' book, and help thousands of teachers through my blog, podcast Real Teacher Talk, Facebook group, and a handy batch of classroom resources.
In short, I know my stuff.
But it wasn't always this way...
Back in 2014, I was STRUGGLING. Big time. I got hired the day before school started to teach a combo class (hellooo, deep end!) at a school over an hour's drive from where I lived.
The whole year, I was CONSTANTLY playing catch up.
Do you ever feel like you're never caught up?
I was staying really late, sitting in traffic, spending hours on my own business when I finally got home, and commuting down to San Diego every other day to see my boyfriend (who's now my husband... #worththedrive).
It was an endless cycle.
The stress of it all just kept building and building, until one night when we were out with our friends -- I had a full-scale panic attack and ended up in the hospital. When I asked the doctors what was wrong, they told me I was working myself WAY too hard and I needed to stop trying to do
ALL. THE. THINGS.
From that moment, I stepped back, and started putting my health and my happiness first.
Instead of staying back in the classroom 'til 7pm every night, I left at 4pm on the dot.
Instead of hunching over my kitchen table with a lesson plan after dinner, I unwound on the couch and binged entire seasons of Real Housewives.
How does that sound?
Instead of spending my summers prepping for the year ahead, I hung out on a giant inflatable pink flamingo in my pool.
And, as a result of all this BALANCE, I was able to give *so* much more to my students.