gym. This was such a nice change from my old habit of coming home with the intentions of going to the gym but never leaving my house because I was just too exhausted.
I stopped checking my work e-mail or bringing work home on the weekends, knowing that the time I spent at school would be more productive. When I took the time to really heed my mother-in-law’s advice, my smarter and more time-efficient habits helped me not only be a more successful teacher but a more balanced and content human being who was nurturing my relationships with loved ones.
In 2003 Robert Marzano and colleagues analyzed research from over 100 studies on classroom management. They found that in classrooms where students had strong relationships with the teacher, there was a decrease in disruptions by 31 percent (Marzano, Marzano, & Pickering, 2003). We all know relationships take time. We’ll cover relationships in a different chapter, but we wanted to point out that human connection can help your workload.
So, let’s get to it. Here are ten questions for you to think about—your way of auditing your workload. Which aspects of your workload can you control?
____________________ Average (Mean) Score
Score:
16–20: If you have a mean score of 16–20, you definitely have many factors that are in your control that can decrease your workload. The good news is you can fix this, and you should! Look at areas where you rated yourself a 3 or 4. Be a hunter: Is there something you can do to solve this issue?
12–15: This is where most of us may be after a few years in the classroom. This score means you probably still have some frustration with your workload. The good news is you can fix it! Look at areas where you rated yourself a 3 or 4. Be a hunter: Is there something you can do to solve this issue?
8–11: Okay, we’re impressed. Look at your highest score. What factors in your control can you change about this situation?
7 or below: Nicely done! You probably have time to build relationships with students and have spent time over the years hunting for ways to decrease your workload. Can you hunt a little more?
Take a few minutes to reflect on how you scored for each item. Use the questions below to guide your thinking or share with a friend or colleague.
Your Turn
1 Ask other teachers how they handle their workload. (You’ll know which ones to ask.)
2 Read and reflect on what others are writing about classroom workload. Even experts can learn from someone else.
Strategy #5 Change Your Language Around Your Workload Be Positive and Optimistic
Your Beliefs Become Your Thoughts
Your Thoughts Become Your Words
Your Words Become Your Actions
Your Actions Become Your Habits
Your Habits Become Your Values
Your Values Become Your Destiny
—Gandhi
[Serena] I’ve done a lot of backpacking around the world. One of the biggest culture shocks occurs when I come back into the United States after a few weeks or even months being abroad. I hear the same phrase everywhere. It goes something like this:
Me: “Hey Juan, how are you doing? How has everything been?”
Juan: “Good—really busy but good.”
This is the accepted answer to show someone we are happy and successful. For some reason, we think that if we have a handle on all of our responsibilities, then maybe we aren’t taking on enough or we have time and should be doing more work. Being stressed and busy is the norm. For some reason, the more exhausted we seem, the more it seems like we are accomplishing things. But why? Why is it often difficult to not take on more—to set time aside for ourselves, take a moment to smell the roses, and not be stressed? Why does it have to be like this? Let’s flip the script:
Me: “Hey Juan, how are you doing? How has everything been?”
Juan: “Really good. I feel like I have a handle on everything at work and hopefully will soon have some free time to do more hiking with my family.”
This response would probably shock you more. But let’s change our mindset about our workload. This starts with our language. Let’s listen to ourselves when we hear ourselves speak about our workload. This becomes our reality. It’s okay to speak about your responsibilities with a sense of empowerment instead of a sense of defeat, even if you are speaking about the same workload. The purpose of this is explained in the quote that starts this chapter: Our words become our reality.
When we take control of our workload with our words and tone instead of rolling our eyes, our whole perception changes. You may even find yourself gravitating toward people who have the same mindset. If you truly are overwhelmed and stressed, then take something off your plate or create systems that make the load more efficient. We’ll discuss how to do this in later chapters. Don’t let stressed and busy become your accepted norm. You deserve better.
Positive Thinking
On a deeper note, thinking positively takes it one more step. Kendra Cherry stated it perfectly in her 2018 article, “Understanding the Psychology of Positive Thinking,” when she wrote,
So what exactly is positive thinking? You might be tempted to assume that it implies seeing the world through rose-colored lenses by ignoring or glossing over the negative aspects of life. However, positive thinking actually means approaching life’s challenges with a positive outlook. It does not necessarily mean avoiding or ignoring the bad things; instead, it involves making the most of the potentially bad situations, trying to see the best in other people, and viewing yourself and your abilities in a positive light. (Cherry, 2018)
Why bother doing this? There are some very good reasons. According to the Mayo Clinic, positive thinking is linked to a wide range of health benefits, including the following:
◗ Longer life span
◗ Less stress
◗ Lower rates of depression
◗ Increased resistance to the common cold
◗ Better stress management and coping skills
◗ Lower risk of cardiovascular disease-related death
◗ Increased physical well-being
◗ Better psychological health (Cherry, 2018)
Even more interesting, research shows that if we think we can do a task, we actually have a much better chance of getting it done. Simply put, teachers who think they can, can. When we
