You could be forgiven if you hear the words âwork-life balanceâ and canât help but laugh. As teachers, many of us play pretty fast and loose with boundaries. Home and school just seem to seep into each other, whether thatâs grading papers at the kitchen table or answering emails at 11 p.m. Itâs like weâve internalized that this is just part of the job. But it doesnât have to be. Often, that âalways onâ expectation comes from parents and/or administration, which is why we were so gratified to hear about a principal who advocates for his staff to set boundaries between home and school.
When Jessica Wilson, a Spanish teacher at Brunswick High School in Glynn County School District, Georgia, told us that her principal âactually encourages us not to work during non-work hours,â we knew we had to find out more (plus give a special shout-out to Mr. Slade Turner for his awesome school leadership).
A principal offers a very specific way to set boundaries as a school employee.
At Wilsonâs school, Mr. Turner publishes a newsletter every Monday to keep everyone up-to-date on whatâs happening in the school. Recently, he discovered a ânew-to-himâ iPhone feature over spring break. Using the iPhoneâs Focus feature, he figured out that he could compartmentalize apps. Turner shared, âIt really pushed me to make a more conscious effort to divide the time in my day-to day-life. Without having to make a conscious decision, I could make the notifications for work items less prominent and intrusive. This just makes it less likely that Iâll be unintentionally distracted by work while at home or with family.â It was such an âaha!â moment for Turner that he wanted to share it with his staff. So he put it in his newsletter, and Wilson took a screenshot.
This is about more than turning off cell phone alerts.
Wilson snapped and posted the pic because she recognized its significance. The ability to hide those dreaded red badge numbers is more than a helpful suggestion (although it is that). Itâs getting the explicit permission from your supervisor to silence notifications from work-related apps and email when youâre at home. Maybe that doesnât sound earth-shattering, but as a teacher, you probably struggle with guilt over not being completely present for your family. So, yeah, itâs powerful to have an administrator encourage you to leave work at work.
Boundary-setting is just one part of a larger school culture of support and care.
Effective school leadership takes more than a handy tip. Turnerâs newsletter note is emblematic of what he believes about work-life balance: âIf we donât have a life outside of school, then there is NO chance we will be effective inside the classroom. We all need balance.â And heâs walking the talk. Wilson said, âMr. Turner has an open-door policy and is available for us at any time. He does not micromanage and does his best to keep our workload reasonable. Under his leadership, I have been the happiest Iâve ever been in 18 years.â