Day 1 Part B. What do Teachers Sacrifice?

This isn't  whiny "teachers are so under-appreciated" post.

Any good life-overhall should start with goals. And goals start with an honest evaluation of one's existence.

And my existence, currently, revolves around education.

I love teaching - its something I have wanted to do nearly all of my life. Being around children all day, seeing them grasp a concept, or be creative, or hear them share their stories... kids have cured my migraines, have turned a bad day into one of the best, and given me hope when I thought there was none left.

But, after 9 years of teaching nearly 13 hours a day (not counting the work I do after hours), I realized something. Overworking does not make me a better teacher. Honestly, it makes me a forgetful, scatterbrained, disorganized teacher.

I don't want this journey to be yet another thing I add to my plate. It isn't another item on my already long to-do list. So, if this is the case, I should then begin with goals. What changes can I personally make (to the things that I can control) that would make me a more effective teacher?

Here is my list (so far):
1. A brighter, thicker line between home time and work
2. Reinvest in my health
3. Reinvest in my reflective/spiritual life

I figure that in order to reach goals number #2 and #3, I logically must master goal #1 (and this is the point where you laugh at the debate coach in me).

Tomorrow, then, my task is to create a plan. How can I do my job at my level of satisfaction, and still have a section of my day that is devoted to my life outside of school.

Game on.