The Old Spinster Teacher

There are times when I realize why teachers were portrayed as the single old spinster in the past.  Teaching can put quite a strain on everything else in life!
           
Thank God my current husband met me while I was teaching, so he knew what he was getting into...but not everyone is that lucky.  Maybe you got married at a younger age or you are a career changer, or you put your career on hold for your family....but now.....you spend your Sundays grading and prepping.  You bring a bag packed with work home each night.  You spend a random night in the fall staying with your class to help them hold a lasagna dinner fund raiser. The list goes on and on.
           
Your spouse may have thought that you were getting into this cushy 8 - 3:30 job.....until the reality of everything outside the school's walls sets in.
             
You don't get paid extra for the extra hours and it takes time away from your family.

So, what do we do??????  We try to make time for everyone and get everything done and burn ourselves out!  There has to be a balance....and there also has to be a lot of patience and understanding at home for all of the things that just can't be put aside.

It has taken me YEARS to actually set a limit to the amount of school work that I do at home.  Of course, sometimes, that limit just can't be followed (if report cards are due...they are due).  There has to be time for family, for ourselves AND for work.

How do YOU balance it all?