You Deserve Your Time - Secrets to Restoring Work-Life Balance

 Your time is precious.  It's time to take it back!

We think about students, about the classes & ensembles, the lists of things to get done, & so much more.

Perhaps not all of us can simply turn it off at the end of our contract hours, but these strategies & practices will help you restore your work-life balance.

To Do Lists get things Ta Done!

Love me a list.  Seriously.  I even sometimes write down things I've already done that day just to motivate me to keep going because I love to cross things off!

Creating a check-list for back to school helps me prioritize my time between meeting new students, teacher meetings, and all those things that seem to creep up in August.  

• What needs to be printed?
• Which instruments need repair?
• Steps required to set up a beautiful classroom.

When I'm really on top of it, I even complete my end of the year checklist by graduation.  Then I treat myself to a cookie because that's hard work, much of which I owe to checklists!

Plan during preps

August & September are nuts.  Are we agreed?  They're more than busy, they're downright hectic! 

Instead of taking all those to do lists home with you, use your prep periods effectively.  I've found it helpful to allocate time to specific areas.

1. Lesson plans
1. Do you teach the same thing year after year?  Personally, I do not because there are so many wonderful ways to teach music & simply not enough years in a career to sing all the songs or play all the parts.
2. Plan in line with your scope & sequence.  
3. Think thematically.  Holidays can be a great guide & can help create an inclusive music classroom by celebrating cultures & holidays around the world.
   
4. Use books.  Read more about my love of books in music class here or check out these back to school book suggestions. 
   
5. This collection has 15 interactive book-based music lessons.
2. Long term planning
1. Scope & sequence can be daunting, but it has really helped me think through what skills students needed as they progressed in music from year to year.  
2. 
   Outlining your curriculum can take ages.  What about quickly noting the lesson (book, assignment, song, etc.) in a digital format?  When I did this, I found that many of the lessons had digital versions, so I linked those and before I knew it, my S&S was easily accessible!  As I aligned the curriculum to the Core Arts Standards, they came together & you can access them here.    
3. Grading & assessment

1. 
   Report card narratives used to terrify me.  Like, stay-up-too-late-worrying & try to self-soothe 1 cup of tea after another. Then, I made a   template for report card comments.  
2. 
   Leave me a comment below and I'll share this gem with you straight to your inbox!  This version of report card comments is editable & aligned to the the Core Arts Standards for Music Education: Create, Perform, Respond, & Connect.
3. 
   Grade as you go.  I have my gradebook in a digital format as well as a hard copy in my teacher binder. This editable version has the 10 core competencies & the 4 anchor standards.
4. Rubrics.  Use 'em, send 'em home, & save yourself time!  Kids need the feedback & you need a work-life balance that allows you to love your job while also loving the people in your personal life that bring you joy.
1. Ensembles
1. They take time.  Lots of time.  Music to sort, folders to stuff, instruments to clean, kids to track down, parents to notify...all the stuff that feels like it steals time you could be singing or playing.
2. Send welcome letters from a template that includes a sign up form, uniform details, & the year's schedule.
3. 
   Digitize your warm ups.   From Muse Score to Note flight, there are ample free music composition sites plus software such as Sibelius.  If not, visit TPT!
   
4. Plan how you want to make your ensemble successful.  Here are my tips for a competent & inclusive choral program.

Turn off your emails

This one feels self-explanatory.  Turn off the notifications.  Take your teacher outlook off your personal phone.  Give yourself permission to be present with your family or friends.  It will be okay.

You deserve time outside work.

Prep Your Sub Tub Now

Remember when I mentioned digital lessons & digital warm ups?  This makes it easier for subs to come in an try to step into your shoes.

Subs are amazing.  They are hard workers, people willing to do the challenging jobs.  Brave & resourceful.  

And also not you. So help them & help yourself!

My Secrets to a successful sub tub are explained in detail in the link above, but boil down to:

1. Pick a tub
2. 
   Put in lessons that students can largely complete independently such as books, centers, games, & coloring activities.
3. Share it.  I've been using a QR code in addition to a physical tub.

Alright, your turn:

How do you prioritize your time away from work?  Let me know in the comments below!