New Year’s Eve was celebrated at home last night. We stayed close to our kids and enjoyed some light-hearted movies that made us smile. Honestly, I can’t think of a better way to begin a new year.
While watching You’ve Got Mail, I was reminded of the strong ties many people have to their jobs and careers. Often, time at home and time at work are seen as two separate and distinct parts of someone’s life. Depending on your job, you might even be encouraged to keep the division very clear. Am I naive to think that this shouldn’t be an expectation for everyone?
Work involves such an investment of time, energy and passion that I don’t see how it can be severed from other aspects of our day-to-day life. I don’t come home after working and simply forget the activities of my students and colleagues. After sharing ideas, creating projects and even working through the murkier moments of each day in the classroom, is it supposed to be easy to disconnect and keep home and work distinctly separate?
I’ll admit that sometimes I find myself struggling to find balance between work and home. Since I have children, I want to make sure to dedicate my attention to them while I’m at home, but I also want to share what we do during our school hours. If I invest a large portion of my day at work and value those moments, I need to somehow justify this time with my kids. The result? My children check out my students’ work on our class blog, and they each have their own blog to share their learning and complement what they do in school.
Work is personal to me. I enjoy what I do, and although it can be extremely challenging and frustrating at times, teaching is entirely rewarding. It has added substance to my life, and I take pride in helping to develop the strengths of my students while enjoying new learning adventures with my colleagues.
I look forward to this new year. I hope that my work is relevant, and that the time I dedicate to my students will matter. Although there may be several connections between work and personal life, it’s important to remember the things that are most important. Here’s to maintaining balance, and enjoying the things that you love.
Northern Art Teacher 