Ahh, the eternal question

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Home : 2003 : September : 29

Ahh, the eternal question
By Shannon

Well, I think all teachers are tired at the end of the day. As for school taking over your whole life, it will get easier. My second year improved a lot in terms of the hours I worked. My third year is even better. Of
course, there will be easier years than others, but, generally speaking, most experienced teachers at my school are gone after about 4:00. Now, don't get me wrong, there are exceptions. I have known a lot of very experienced teachers who work into the wee hours of the night.
The best advice I ever got was DON'T DO TOO MUCH. Almost all first-year teachers are energetic and optimistic

(a good thing), and therefore they often try to bite off more than they can chew. I worry about first-year teachers I see who are trying to create all kinds of units from scratch, differentiate for EVERY STUDENT, teach tutoring after school, make home visits, etc., etc., etc. It's too easy to get burned out. Sometimes the basic curriculum is just fine. Also, it is okay to throw away uncorrected papers. Nothing is more liberating than throwing a bunch of stuff in the round file.