How to Leave Your Work at Work

Last updated on June 25th, 2023 at 07:33 pm

Teachers have a lot on their plate, especially right now! I know it can be an anxiety-provoking thought to just leave your work at work when you have SO much to do, but it needs to be done. Have you ever heard the saying, “You can’t pour from an empty cup?” It is true in many ways.

Our students need us to be at or near 100% every day. If we take our work home with us on nights and weekends, we are going to burn out. If we are burnt out, we are not able to give at or near 100% every day we are with our students. And then our students pay the price and so do we.

By now you may be saying to yourself, I get all that, but how can I actually do it and still complete everything that needs to get done? Here’s the trick. You don’t have to get everything done, at least not in that day or even that week. There will always be things that need doing, a never-ending list of to-dos, so to speak. I know that sounds overwhelming, but it’s not meant to be.

One of the best things I started doing for myself to leave my work at work is by making lists. I make a to-do list at the beginning of each week. On my list I include due dates for the items that have them and make sure to put them on my calendar, too, so I don’t forget them. Then, I take that list and prioritize it.

The items I choose to do first are either ones with a due date within a day or two, or the quick ones, where I can complete multiple items in one planning period or within a short amount of time after school. And yes, I do stay after school, but not very long (30-45 minutes, tops) and sometimes not at all. This is part of how I leave my work at work. Unfortunately our “hours” don’t include quite enough time during the day to get every important task completed. But I feel it is easier to balance work and home life when work is finished at work.

Now back to the list. Every time you complete an item on that list, cross it off. It feels good to know you accomplished something, no matter how small. Also, it’s o.k. to not complete everything on your list each week. Don’t stress, you can add it to the next week’s list of tasks. Just be mindful of those due dates. In fact, some of the items on your list may not even be completed in the current school year and that’s ok. Perhaps it wasn’t as important as you thought it was, like labeling all the books in your classroom library with an AR number (an item on my list that never got completed, but did not effect my teaching one bit).

Another thing that will help you to leave your work at work is to not overextend yourself. Learn how to say “no” when asked to help with this, that, or the other. No teacher-guilt required. You, also, don’t have to volunteer to do any extra work, like lead a club, coach a sport, or plan a professional development for colleagues. If that is your interest and will be enjoyable to you, then by all means go ahead and do one of those things. Just don’t feel like you have to do all the extras in order to be seen as a go-getter or a good teacher. You can be an amazing teacher and not put in extra hours that will extend your day!

Another part of the work you need to leave at work is your emotional work. When you are a teacher you care greatly for your students, which depending on your students can take an emotional toll. You can get secondary post-traumatic stress from hearing about some of the things your students go through. This is especially true when you work in a Title 1 school. A definition of secondary post-traumatic stress from nctsn.org is, “Secondary traumatic stress is the emotional duress that results when an individual hears about the firsthand trauma experiences of others.” You can even get PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder, when you’ve been dealing with violent students in the classroom or other scary situations. I, unfortunately, have experience with this.

To leave this part of your work at work is harder. It means you have to focus on self-care. Really and truly. Go see a mental health therapist if you feel events at school have caused emotional distress that are effecting your work or home life. Don’t wait and hope it will get better. If you feel that you are just overwhelmed and need some time off. Do it! Take a mental health day. There are, also, many other things you can do to help yourself decompress after a long day. Do what helps get you relaxed and get your mind off of work. You could get regular massages, take a warm bath, read a book, walk your pets, watch a movie, etc.

When you leave your work at work, you will feel recharged the next day and better able to focus on the tasks at hand. It is healthier for your body and your mind! If you want to read more on this topic, I highly recommend Angela Watson’s website truthforteachers.com. Take care!