High School Teaching, Extracurricular Duties Demand Balance
As high schoolers take off after the school day for sports practices and club meetings, so do their teachers, who often coach or sponsor these activities.
"For me, this profession is more than just the morning bell and the afternoon bell," says Allen Nichols, a high school social studies teacher at Central Magnet School in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He's been teaching for 16 years and also coaches high school cross-country and is a National Honor Society sponsor.
[Get back-to-school must-haves for new high school teachers.]
The department chairman says everything he does is a part of his greater goal of helping his students be successful long term, whether that's getting into their dream college or landing a scholarship.
But taking on these additional responsibilities can be challenging for high school teachers -- especially those new to the profession. Teachers can use the following tips from veteran educators to manage their duties.
1. Lead an activity you enjoy: Teachers are expected to take an active role in their school's culture, says Nichols.
Nichols got involved with the cross-country team because he used to run competitively. Teachers who lead an activity they enjoy may help fulfill an aspect of their personal life that is missing, he says. Don't just take on something no one else wants.
Twitter users shared their thoughts below.
@alipannoni @USNewsEducation @usnews My tip is to get rid of the mindset that work ends when the bell rings or your new role will suffer.
-- Mr. Ferra (@ferrabacus) August 11, 2016
@alipannoni @USNewsEducation @usnews Model for your kids the sacrifice, dedication, and payoff it takes to do both. Let them see you sweat.
-- Mr. Hanes (@HanesMath) August 11, 2016
2. Budget your time and stay organized: Nichols says it's all about budgeting time wisely. He's a big fan of checklists.
Teachers can also look to how they managed their responsibilities in college, says Julie Alano, a computer science teacher at Hamilton Southeastern High School in Fishers, Indiana. She's the head girls' track coach and sponsors a computer club.
The 18-year teaching vet says technology makes her life easier. She's able to connect her computer to her phone's hot spot to complete work during bus rides to track meets.
3. Make time for yourself: Teachers need to have a personal life, too, says Nichols. That may mean teachers have to force themselves to sometimes take a break from work.
"You absolutely have to find time to yourself, and you need to do that on a daily basis," he says. "For teachers who can't do that, the job becomes much more difficult."
[Receive teaching wisdom from the 2016 Teachers of the Year.]
Alano agrees it's important for teachers to have some downtime and says they also need to remember to communicate with their family and friends -- if they are going to be late one evening, let them know. It makes a difference.
4. Consider saying no at first: Alano didn't take on extracurricular duties her first semester of teaching, and she'd suggest new teachers do the same.
"Those first few days of teaching you just feel so overwhelmed and you are so exhausted," she says. She thinks it would have been a little rough -- and more stressful -- if she had been coaching at the time.
Twitter users shared similar sentiments below.
@alipannoni @usnews Teachers must learn to say no sometimes, for we can only manage so much at one time. #mustmakechoices
-- Rachael Moyer (@moyerteacher) August 11, 2016
@alipannoni get good at saying no! Focus on what you are passionate about so you don't get bogged down w/ every single ex curric activity!
-- Rachel Crawford (@MsCrawford101) August 12, 2016
Alano says in the early days she spent a lot more time working after school and practice. Now, she tries not to sweat the small stuff.
"If something little isn't ready, it will be OK," she says. "You can make it through that practice or that next class, it doesn't have to be perfect and that's come over time. At first it wasn't that way."
Have something of interest to share? Send your news to us at highschoolnotes@usnews.com.
Alexandra Pannoni is an education Web producer at U.S. News. You can follow her on Twitter or email her at apannoni@usnews.com.
