Blog: Work/Work Balance

Going in to the spring for me is a bit terrifying. I have a ton on my plate normally, and grad school adds to that significantly. However, I realized this week after a particularly bad moment of panic that if I don't teach well this semester, what is the point of getting my degree in the first place? The funny part was that once I was accountable for grading and planning well, the rest of my work fell into place and made me feel so much better about life in general. I told my coworker about this on Friday, and we came up with the term "work-work balance" (as opposed to work-life balance). As much as we laughed about this, there was some significant truth to it. I need to find time during my day to do both my grad school and my planning and grading. I also realized that it is much more beneficial for me to get to school early (6ish) to get work done because by the end of the day I am too tired to do anything productive. I am glad that I have figured this out, but I am a bit disappointed that it took me this long to get there. The effects have been great. In just a week, I have a better rapport with my classes, they are more focused, and I feel that the students are better able to be challenged during the day to reach their full potential.