Goal 4: Leave it Behind

Wow, these 30 Goals really address important issues! Though for me, the BIG problem is not bringing my personal stress into the classroom, but rather bringing stress from the classroom home!

But maybe that topic will come up in another challenge so I’ll address this one for now.

Leaving stress unrelated to school outside the classroom door was never a big problem for me. I believe it has also become easier over the years.

When our boys were small it was harder, but then in those days there were no cell-phones. If I was needed, a phone call to the school secretary had to be placed. If I wanted to call I would have go to one of the offices or use a pay-phone. So I would only make REALLY important calls between lessons.

Now I do have a cell phone but I hardly use it between lessons. I see other teachers trying to manage issues from afar on the phone between lessons (during short breaks!) and just looking at them seems stressful!  My recommendation – turn off the phone!

I think it has also become easier over the years because at some point the message finally sunk in – nobody in the school system really cares what happens outside of school. I’m here to do my job and that’s what it is all about. How would I feel if our sons came home from school and said that they didn’t learn anything in class today because the teacher was in a bad mood?

Once the kids are in the room there is no time to think of anything else!

5 thoughts on “Goal 4: Leave it Behind”

  1. I love that you made me think of the other side of the coin! Balance is especially important and I think this will have to be another goal to find a way to not bring home the stress of work.

  2. Oh, so true!
    I think it was easier when my boys were small and needed my undivided attention after school. Who could worry too much about anything else?

  3. Right there with you, Naomi. I tend to handle the little people well- actually, the days I have more faculty/self-directed times are the days when I tend to get more stressed- which is really counter-intuitive. Thanks for commenting over on my blog!

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