Balancing family and teaching during the holiday season

As much as I am a proponent of sabbaticals and taking a true break from work, I also know that some stuff just needs to get done outside of your contractual hours. And, I know some folks enjoy using their time off to get ahead on tasks so they feel less stressed when school’s back in session. 

I don’t have strong opinions as to whether teachers should work or not over their time off. It seems like a really personal choice to me and depends a lot on your personality and workload at any given time.

But if there’s a big task that going to be hanging over your head and causing you to feel a sense of dread instead of relaxation, I think you should try to at least make a dent in that project over your holiday break.

Similarly, if you know that the first day is going to go more smoothly if you prepare some of your lesson materials now, give yourself the gift of preparation.