Is it possible to teach and have a balanced life?

After reading numerous books and articles on time management, I am convinced that the time management techniques that work in business do not really help teachers lighten their load.

I would estimate that new developments in teaching practices combined with the the outdated structure of the school day have teachers working between 50 and 80 hours a week. Even including summers off, that is up to 1,200 hours more than someone who works 9-5 all year round.


When an average lesson plan for one 42 minute class, takes between one and three hours to plan, and a teacher has three 42-minutes lessons to prepare a day, but only one 42 minute "prep" period during the work day to create it, a teacher is working minimum two and eight hours of unpaid overtime a day.

Add to that equation, time to grade, call parents, fill out various required paper work, supervise clubs, coach, or plan field trips, and that translates into another hour or two of overtime per day.

I would estimate that the average teacher works between 50 and 80 hours a week, depending on their years of experience, with new teachers working close to 80 hours a week.

This does not include the classes that teachers need to take to get their masters degrees or to fulfill professional development requirements.

Furthermore, teachers do not have offices with telephones and computers. If they have a classroom with a computer, it is often shared with another teacher, so it is difficult to be efficient.

Such impossible working conditions cause teachers to have to choose between becoming martyrs to their jobs (and becoming bitter or burnt out in the process), to cut corners, or to leave the profession entirely (which explains the high turnover in recent years).

A restructuring of the school day that includes ample planning time is sorely needed if good teachers are expected to stay in the profession.

Teachers, please share your experiences.

If you include all your work related tasks, how many hours are you working?

Do you think that it's possible for teachers to achieve work-life balance? How?

Please add your experiences, thoughts, and suggestions below.