Finding the Balance

I arrived to McAllen eager to work and take on a full load. I was assigned to teach six classes in three different content areas. I teach 6, 7, 8 science, 6 and 7 math, and 8th grade morality. I managed to turn down a couple of coaching positions as I settled into the routine of lesson planning and the workload. At times it feels like a heavy load and it pains me to admit that I have let it affect my personal balance. It is too easy to get caught up in work and allow your personal commitments to fall by the wayside. If it isn't lesson planning, grading, a sports game, a school event, parent conferences, it is something else. It can be easy to get too invested in your students. It can be easy to let a student's frustrations become your own. It can be easy to bring work home, both physical and emotional.

Living in community has kept me sane. Having housemates that I can talk to daily keeps me energized when I get home feeling tired. My community members, although they may not realize it, are my pillars to lean on. Community means caring for each other when needed. It means they are ready and willing to go out dancing, go to the beach, eat dinner, and ultimately confide in. We are in this together. We are serving the same mission together.

Separation of my work and personal lives has arisen from the need to leave work at work. It has arisen from the need to care for personal relationships, leaving the excuse of "I had a long day at work" behind so that I could fully enjoy and take advantage of my mission.

In the classroom, my students would describe me as rigid and classy. One student once told me, "You're cool, but you know when not to be. You're tough on us which is good." They like to joke that when I go home I probably drink a cup of tea and read a novel. According to my eighth grade students, such action is expected of someone "classy" like me. They would have a field day if they knew how quickly I trade the slacks and tie for flip flops and a tank.