priorities

I think the biggest question we as teachers have to ask ourselves everyday is a question that plagues every human on this planet:

What do I prioritize?

Building connections with students?
Teaching them the district mandated topics?
Setting up the classroom norms?
Repeating the instructions, again, and again, and again?
Managing the conflicts?
Reorganizing the seating chart?
Getting all my grading done?
Calling home?
Helping monitor the hallways?
Checking in with my department?
Meeting with admin?

There is no where near enough time in the day to do everything we want to do. It’s why we work 55 hours a week on the average (Source).

That’s 130% what the average 40 hour a week employee works.

AND that’s just our job.

More than 40% of teachers also coach (Source).
73% of teachers are married (Source).
About half of teachers have their own children (Source).
1 in 6 teachers work a second job (Source).

I teach five days a week. I tutor three days a week. I coach 3 days a week. I have this blog and other passion projects I’m working on.

I try to work out, cook a meal, manage relationships, meditate, relax, journal, go to therapy, make appointments, watch shows/movies, listen to podcasts/music, read books/articles, keep up on the news, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc.

It’s a human problem.

Our students have the same problem - And part of our job is to teach them how to prioritize what’s important.

So how do we ever know what’s the most important?

I think nature is a great place to start.

But what national park should you pick first?

In an ever growing world, with never ending options, what is the right answer?

Is there a right answer?