Teachers often work endlessly to improve the lives of others and then forget to prioritize their well-being. However, it sounds like that trend is coming to an end, and teachers are taking a stand, setting boundaries, and doing their best to serve their communities and themselves equally.
This is a list of things teachers are saying about setting boundaries and improving their well-being while also being a hero. The time has come to put yourself first for a change. Teaching is a calling of the heart, but your physical and mental well-being shouldn’t have to suffer in order to follow your passion.
Teachers are Setting Boundaries by Leaving Work at Work:
1.“No work comes home ever! Don’t take anything personally. Self-care is mandatory, take the day off!” – Myra A.
2. “Don’t open the work laptop at home!” – Rosa I.
3. “I go in an hour and a half early cuz no one is there, and I can get so much done. I don’t stay longer than 15 mins after the workday, and I don’t do work on weekends. What I can’t get done in that hour and a half before kids arrive, doesn’t need to be done” – Sharron R.
4. “Leave work at work – what doesn’t get done will get done tomorrow and leave work right at the end of contract time. Sad to say, but we’re replaceable at work, but not to our families. So make the time for your family and yourself!” – Kimberly B.
Teachers are Setting Boundaries by Only Working During Contracted Hours:
5. “If it can’t be done during my contractual hours, then it’s not getting done. If the school won’t provide it, I will ask parents to donate, but I will not fork out tons of money anymore, and it’s been a lifesaver to our savings. Office hours are when I’m at school, no parent contact when I am home. Sounds harsh, but my mental health is so important to protect.” – Kacey S.
6. “Don’t take anything home, including weekends.” – Danielle H.
7. “My time is valuable. I try hard not to work outside of school for more than 2 hours each week. Education is definitely on the backs of unpaid teacher time” – Kellie J.
8. “I leave at 4:15. It will be there tomorrow!!!! I take nothing home!!!!!!!!!!!!” – Rhonda D.
9. “I’ve learned to leave at or around contract time and not stay at school. It’s helped me mentally this year. If I have to do some work, I do some at home when I feel I can and don’t push myself too much when I need to relax” – Sabrina M.
10. “I don’t stay more than half an hour after contracted time ends. I started doing that my 5th year and still doing it” – Kristen L.
11. “I don’t compromise on my lunchtime. It’s the only break I have since I teach three grades in one room.” – Jasmine K.
12. “My lunchtime is my lunchtime. As far as taking Youngstown home, it depends on my schedule. Sometimes, I leave school early to get to my kid’s sports events, practices, lessons, etc. Then I will work for about an hour at home later if nothing is going on. I might stay at school to do things for a bit. Sometimes, if it has been a very rough day, I might leave and let everything wait until the next day.” – Michelle L.
13. “I turned off email notifications on my phone! I will check my email when I want to… or when I feel like I should. Also, I pick either going to school early or staying later after school. Not both! I mostly come early and then haul-ass to my family after school. When it comes to workload, I make a reasonable to-do list of top priorities before I leave. That allows me to have an immediate start point when I get there in the morning. In my first couples years, I would sit trying to figure out what I should be doing.” – Kayla J.
14. “I used to give out my cell phone number, and I no longer do that. If parents need to communicate with me, they can call the school during school hours. Also, I try to utilize the school time to do work so that I do not have to take work home.” – Katherine S.
15. “No working on lunch or after I walk to my car… I’ll get there early and get anything I can do then when the kids leave, I leave!” – Chelsea R.
Teachers are Setting Boundaries by Limiting when they Respond to Parents:
16. “There is a 24-hour rule for responding to emails, and I use it. It’s in our handbook. At my old school, I had linked my email account to my phone, and I stopped. I removed it. It made me anxious at first when I would open my email on the weekend and see that I had something from hours ago, but it has helped me be more present for my family” – Steph G.
17. “No responding to parents on Dojo after hours.” – Angie B.
18. “No working past 4:00 or on weekends. I don’t answer parent emails after hours unless necessary.” – Sarah W.
19. “No responding to parents after 7, or on weekends.” – Amber H.
20. “I do not answer calls or emails from parents/admins after 4:30 pm weekdays and definitely not at all on weekends. Don’t bring any work home on weekends.” – Dominique J.
21. “No work email on my phone.” – Desirae B.
Teachers are Setting Boundaries by Prioritizing Themselves and their Families:
22. “Health over everything else is something I’m working on right now.” – Aurora A.
23. “I refuse to bring homework on weekends. I have three little ones at home, and weekends are family time. I stick to a routine and work through lunches most days, but I get things done during the week… I get my plans done, and whatever else isn’t done will wait.” – Shannon S.
24. “This year, I’m trying not to let people (admin, parents, etc.) walk all over me. If something is out of my control, then it’s out of my control. I will not take the blame for things that I physically have no control over.” – Kestra D.
25. “I rarely take work home… I have three kids that are very busy with school and sports themselves… I got tired of giving my students the best part and having nothing left for my family. It’s not fair to them. The work is never done. I do a better job of really staying busy during my lunch, recess, or plan times. No visiting… lol. It has helped my own mental health so much. We are only human and can only do so much.” – Sarah R.
26. “I’m struggling with this as I’ve always stayed late/gone early and worked on the weekends as needed. However, I just had a baby at the end of July, and my priorities have majorly shifted. I realize that, in general, too much is expected of us for too little. I’m just trying to do what I can while I’m on the clock and leave the rest of it, but it is very difficult for me.” – Bailey R.
27. “I no longer expect myself to solve my students’ lives. Or even to get my lowest kids up to grade level. I do still expect a year’s worth of progress and learning in my room and try to do even more, but I refuse to feel like a failure for not being able to do the impossible while also being a wife and mother.” – Kate O.
Even though setting boundaries is difficult, it is necessary for your well-being. It doesn’t make you selfish to want to rest, spend time with your family, or even just sit on the couch for a little while.
Being well-rested will be good for you and your students. Just think how much better of a teacher you can be if you are running at 100%.
If you want more ideas to add to your self-care routine, check out our Self-Care Tips Teachers Need blog! If you have some self-care ideas that were not mentioned, comment below and let us know what they are!
To help you set boundaries and make adjustments, there are endless support and resources available in the Fearless Kindergarten Teachers: Education to the Core Facebook Group, Fearless First Grade Teachers: Education to the Core Facebook Group, or the Fearless Second Grade Teachers: Education to the Core Facebook Group.
This group of teachers is a wealth of knowledge and is continuously encouraging. You can also sign up for our free Teaching Tiny Humans Teacher Course, where you will get weekly emails and guidance on how to navigate challenging situations, along with tips, tricks, activity ideas, and freebies to make this school year a success.
In addition, you can follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook @educationtothecore for continued information and resources as the school year progresses, or listen to our podcast Where the Primary Things Are.
Written by – Korryna Sanchez
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