Being a Great Teacher and Having a Life

In addition to being a teacher, are you also a parent? A spouse? A roommate? A friend? A mentor? A coach? An athlete? A baker? A volunteer? A group member? A traveler? Chances are, yes. If you answered 'yes' to any of the above questions, we covet your wisdom. Every teacher wants to know, how do I do it all, and do it well? There’s always more planning to be done, more details to account for, more feedback to provide, more blogs to glean from. Of course, there is also always more time to be spent with loved ones, more groceries to be bought, more hobbies to be sought after, and more sleep to be had.

The obvious answer is no, we cannot do it all. But, do not panic, we can do quite a bit, and we can even do it well. I once heard a wise teacher say, “You can be good, you can be great, or you can be excellent. And there is no shame in choosing to be good.” She was speaking to the teacher who wants to do her job well while also maintaining a life outside of teaching—be it a family, a social life, hobbies, or a combination. She argued that excellent teachers must sacrifice excellence in other areas, and vice versa. What is your experience? Is this former teacher off base?