It happens every year BUT I’m seeing more posts about both sides this year as opposed to just the “look at my classroom”. This is positive I think, it shows more people are thinking critically and making up their own mind, evaluating for themselves whether it sits right. That is good, that shows a growing maturity in the conversation around this.
It’s a fine line between proper planning and preparation, and glorifying overwork. It’s a line we all walk AND it’s a line that isn’t always clear from one post online without context or conversation with that person. The question becomes ‘For what purpose are you doing work in the holidays’ or ‘for what purpose are you NOT doing work in the holidays?’ And that will likely reveal where the line is, but truly only you can know for yourself.
We are also creating culture with every post, collectively and individually, in our schools and on the teachergram. There’s a lot of judgement flying around but I think that’s because there are a lot of teachers who are looking back on previous choices and recognising that for them, it was coming from a place of overwork, not a place of general prep. That doesn’t mean that it’s overwork for you, but again, only you can know.
It’s nuanced and it’s not a binary, mutually exclusive thing. It’s both and, not either or.
I’ve been coaching teachers this week, and experienced teachers 10, 14 years into their careers who are choosing to do work this week and that are choosing to do none. And I’m in DMs with some of you who are on supply or contract and you feel both guilty for not working this week and frustrated for not having work to be able to do or not do.
Other people’s choices are not a criticism of yours AND we influence each other and culture is made up of thousands of repeated actions, posts that are examples of small actions and celebrations of those actions in comments..
So the challenge becomes can we detach from others’ choices AND can we be responsible with our posts and mindful both of our decisions and our posts.
Actions
1. Track your hours, track your hours, track your hours – even the incidental stuff
2. Be mindful of the way you present your holiday prep work.
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