Creating School-Life Balance While Student Teaching
Student teaching is one of the major steps on the way to becoming a K-12 teacher. It is often a busy time as student teachers learn about their new profession through practical experience. As a result, it can be challenging to maintain a healthy school-life balance during a student teaching assignment. Some student teachers may have experience working full-time in college or have additional, demanding time commitments, while for others, student teaching can present a new time management challenge. Student teachers work in a real classroom, assisting a teacher and engaging with students. Their role in the education system is crucial, which can mean there is a lot of pressure on student teachers to do it all. After all, student teaching is essentially an apprenticeship for full-time teaching work. Learning to develop a strong work-life balance at the student teaching stage can make the whole teaching career an easier and more rewarding experience.
How to Become a Student Teacher
Student teaching is one of the last steps in becoming a teacher. Teachers must have a bachelor's degree, usually in the field of education. After completing their degree—or sometimes during the final stages of it—aspiring teachers will take on a student teaching assignment for several months to a full school year.
States differ in their teaching requirements, but it is common for student teachers to be required to complete various exams and teaching portfolios like the edTPA. Once all of these requirements have been completed according to state guidelines, teachers can apply for licensure and start working full-time.
Being a student teacher while still in college is like being a full-time student with a full-time job—it can be stressful for any student teacher. Some people may find it hard to keep their lives running normally while student teaching; relationships might fall by the wayside, or hobbies might be abandoned. Those who are able to establish a good balance during their student teaching requirements will be more likely to maintain that balance when they become fully-fledged teachers.
One of the ways to have a good student teaching experience is to establish an effective work-school-life balance as early as possible. For student teachers, working and schooling are essentially one and the same. Those who maintain a good balance will likely be able to approach work with higher energy levels while still making time for a life outside of work.
When teachers do not have a solid work-life balance, they may be less able to provide students with a high-quality education. They might find that their mental and physical health suffers and that they are unable to switch off from work during their downtime. A poor work-life balance can make people feel as though they are constantly running to keep up while neglecting non-work commitments that are important to them. In severe cases, a lack of balance between work and personal life can lead teachers to experience burnout, sometimes causing them to leave the profession altogether.
Work-Life Balance Tips for Student Teachers
Learning how to balance work and school with personal time is a process. Everyone approaches this process differently and will likely find specific strategies that best suit their situation. The following work-life balance tips are a good starting point for any student teachers hoping to keep work from getting too overwhelming. When aiming to improve work-life balance, it is good to start small. Student teachers should pick one life area and work on developing systems and strategies that make things easier before moving on to something else. Nobody gets work-life balance right consistently, so it is helpful to remain flexible and open to new ideas. If something is not working, it is okay to re-evaluate and find new ways to balance classroom commitments with the rest of one's life.
Improving Time Management
At the heart of a lot of work-life imbalances is poor time management. Using one's time well is essential to avoid getting overwhelmed by personal and professional responsibilities. Many tried and true time management strategies could be helpful for student teachers.
Some may find it useful to set alarms when doing activities to ensure that nothing takes too long. Some might find it beneficial to establish a firm daily routine and stick to it, making it easier to know what to do at any given time. For those who struggle with procrastination, there are ways to make it easier to get work done efficiently. For instance, some student teachers might procrastinate on grading or lesson planning and could end up working later into the night than they intended.
The Pomodoro Technique is one of several strategies that can make it easier to get work done on a tight timeline. People who use this method will work for a pre-set period of time, usually twenty-five minutes, without any distractions. At the end of twenty-five minutes, they will take a five-minute break. After four of these cycles, they will take a longer break, usually between 15 and 30 minutes. The Pomodoro Technique and others like it can help avoid distractions and make tasks more manageable. This strategy can even work for chores like folding the laundry or washing the dishes.
Setting Healthy Boundaries
Many student teachers are eager to prove they have what it takes to succeed in the education system. They want to be as helpful as possible when it comes to working with students and working with fellow teachers. This is a laudable desire, but it can lead to student teachers overextending themselves and overestimating what they are capable of accomplishing on any given day. It may sound counter-intuitive, but one of the best ways to be a good student teacher and an asset in the classroom is to know when and how to say no. Student teachers who are able to set healthy boundaries for their time may find it easier to maintain their productivity levels in the long run rather than burning out by taking on too much.
Setting boundaries will look different for everyone. Some student teachers might find that they need to turn down the opportunity to supervise a lunchtime club, or perhaps they need to share that responsibility with a fellow student teacher. Other student teachers might find teaching a class independently to be extremely challenging at first, so they may need to find a way to ask for more time to prepare or more support during lessons.
Everyone is different, and what one student teacher finds easy may not be the same for another. Learning to respect and clearly communicate one's boundaries is a skill that people from all walks of life need to learn, not just student teachers. Stating explicit boundaries should not cause extra strain; in most professional cases, being clear, polite, and firm is all that should be needed.
Maintaining Physical and Mental Health
Teaching is an energy-intensive profession. It can be easy to push oneself too hard while teaching, to the detriment of one's mental and physical health. Student teachers need to focus on their health to avoid burnout, illness, and other negative consequences that can make teaching more difficult. That means eating a filling breakfast and bringing a nutritious lunch to school. It means having access to healthy snacks throughout the day, staying hydrated, and avoiding skipping meals. It also means getting enough sleep each night, ideally at least seven hours.
Getting enough exercise is also vital for physical and mental health. For those juggling full-time student and full-time job responsibilities, it might be challenging to add an exercise routine to an already-packed schedule. Walking or running part of the way to and from work, doing yoga, or riding a bike are some time-efficient ways to incorporate exercise into one's day.
Sleep, food, and exercise are three major components of physical health, but they will likely also help keep student teachers' mental health stable. Reducing stress and anxiety through meditation and journaling can also be effective. All of these strategies will help remind student teachers that work is not the only important thing—their minds and bodies are, too.
Using Downtime to Unwind
When work gets stressful, some people fall into the trap of thinking about work at all hours of the day. It can be tempting to spend free time thinking about upcoming deadlines or tomorrow's classroom activities, but one of the most important ways to establish work-life balance is to take mental breaks from the job. When the day's tasks are done, or it's time for a breather, student teachers should make the deliberate effort to switch off and choose to engage more fully with the world around them, leaving behind all thoughts of work. That might mean watching a movie with a friend or partner, taking a walk without checking text messages or e-mails, or enforcing a no-work policy after 7 pm each day. This downtime can help student teachers clear their minds, allowing them to feel refreshed and less stressed when they return to work.
Prioritizing Interpersonal Relationships
Teaching is a very social activity that involves interacting with students and fellow teachers for most of the day. Some student teachers might find that because of the social element of their work, they are starting to neglect their interpersonal relationships outside of the classroom. It is okay to want to spend time alone, especially for more introverted student teachers, but it is worthwhile to avoid spending all of one's personal time alone. Doing so can negatively impact one's mental health and make it more daunting to balance personal life with school.
Stable personal relationships with friends, family, roommates, and partners are important ways for people to live to the fullest and connect with others outside of the professional environment. It can be draining for busy people to prioritize interpersonal relationships, but like all work life balance tips, this one does not have to be particularly time-consuming. Checking in with a partner after a busy day, getting coffee with a friend once a week, or joining a book club are helpful ways of socializing without worrying about upsetting a busy schedule with excessive social commitments.
Being Honest With Oneself
Many people want to be able to do it all. Student teachers may feel responsible for their students' learning while also feeling that they can or should maintain the same personal and professional productivity standards at all times. Occasionally, that might not be realistic.
One of the skills that student teachers—and indeed all professionals—must learn is how to be honest with themselves about their own needs and limitations. Recognizing when things are getting too overwhelming and being able to adjust accordingly is not always easy, and this kind of self-awareness can take practice. Focusing on being non-judgmental when evaluating one's own progress is an excellent way to ensure that when things get challenging, it is possible to recognize one's capabilities and prioritize emotional health.
Asking for Help
No one can do everything by themselves; everybody needs to ask for help sometimes. One of the best ways to ensure a good work-life balance is to know when and how to ask for help. Professionally, asking for help might mean taking advice from veteran teachers about how they handle various job challenges. It could mean requesting to share specific professional responsibilities or asking for more time on some assignments. Personally, it could mean making a chore chart with roommates, asking a partner to do the laundry, or making weekly dinners with neighbors. It could also mean a phone call with a friend or family member to consult someone for advice or to vent about a difficult situation.
Sometimes, even reaching out to a personal and professional support network is not enough. For those who are feeling chronically overwhelmed by work and stress, it may be a good idea to speak to a doctor or therapist. Medical professionals can provide individuals with effective coping mechanisms and strategies that they can employ to make their lives easier and maintain better balance. Talking to a doctor or a therapist can be helpful in a crisis but it can also be an excellent preventative strategy for student teachers who want to put coping mechanisms in place during calmer times in preparation for more challenging times.
Planning Ahead
Student teachers have a lot of different responsibilities to manage, both personally and professionally. One of the most accessible and straightforward ways to improve work-life balance is to become a master at planning ahead. Knowing what has to happen every day, and even breaking the daily schedule down hour by hour, ensures that urgent tasks will not be overlooked. Physical planners or calendars are a good starting point, as are digital alternatives. Student teachers should try to use these tools to outline their week and plan effectively. In addition to being practical, planners can also relieve some of the mental stress associated with a busy schedule. All essential information will be in the planner, so it is no longer necessary to constantly think about work commitments or worry about forgetting something important.
Focusing on Enjoyment
With all these tips and strategies for maintaining productivity at work and home, it can be easy to overlook joy and fun. Everybody needs time to unwind and focus on what they enjoy outside of the confines of work. Of course, it is ideal for student teachers to find their job enjoyable and fulfilling, but it is equally important to have other sources of happiness in one's life.
Prioritizing hobbies and other entertaining activities is a valuable way to maintain personal fulfillment. Spending time in nature, visiting museums and art galleries, seeing friends, reading, or doing virtually anything else that is fun and engaging will give student teachers something to look forward to once the workday is done. Sometimes, it might be more important to do something exciting than to get ahead on chores—sometimes it will be the other way around. However, making sure not to neglect enjoyable activities is crucial for student teachers who want to have long-term career success.
Being Compassionate
Once in a while, work stress may get out of control. Even the most well-organized efforts at work-life balance may temporarily fail. When that happens, student teachers should treat themselves with compassion and understanding. It may be tempting to feel frustrated with oneself when things do not go according to plan, and while it is okay to experience those feelings, kindness and compassion are the most important responses to disheartening situations. Everyone makes mistakes, and no one can be perfectly successful all of the time. When things go wrong, student teachers should try to imagine how they would speak to a student or colleague going through a tough time. Offering understanding, patience, and actionable solutions will be better in the long run than always forcing oneself to uphold unsustainable productivity standards. Work-life balance takes practice, just like any other skill that students learn in school.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you manage school-life balance?
Managing school-life balance looks different for all student teachers. Good time management, taking time to switch off from work, and being honest and compassionate with oneself are good starting points.
What are some work-life balance tips for student teachers?
Student teachers should be prepared to ask for help when they need it, both personally and professionally. They should also take steps to maintain their mental and physical health.
Why is work-life balance important?
Work-life balance is important because, without it, student teachers are more likely to burn out or experience poor mental and physical health. That can make it harder to maintain a teaching career over many years.