is housework for a part-time worker your job other job?

acccdac

Wed, Jan 01 2014, 8:10 pm

I am not sure if I'm posting in the right forum.

I have posted a different thread regarding the specific book I'm reading on time management but I had a general question.

I work part time as a teacher, that means I'm AT WORK for 4 hours a day, but I dont leave work when I am finished teaching, there is work that needs to be brought home (grading, preparing, calling home, etc.) I am also in charge of the house (cleaning, cooking, etc.)

One of the concepts that I am reading about is that you need to focus on "having quality of work at work, so you can have quantity of time at home"

What I cant figure out how to balance is the home part. At home there is "work" there is "life", and for me there is "work-work"

The author does explain that finding the right balance is never attained it is something you work at all the time. He says the goal at work is to be the best you at work so you can can get the best rewards there. At the same time you need to remember why you work as hard as you do. The more time you spend with the people you love, the happier you will be.

If I focus on my goals at home, for example, helping kids with homework, spending time with them, etc. Then when they are at school, focus on the house: cleaning, laundry, food preparation/cooking, etc. When do I focus on work that I need to do at home?

Also.......I know time with my kids and dh trump everything else, but at what cost. If the table we do homework on is dirty because it still has dishes on it or I didnt spray it clean, then we cant do homework in a good, organized, stress-free manner.

(The one idea that came to mind when I was typing this is that I am required to be at my school at 12:15. Maybe I should think of my job as starting at 11:00, go there and sit in the teacher's lounge and do work. My only issue with this is how strict I can be with this. If I need to go to the doctor or one of my kids need to am I allowed to schedule an appointment during this time? If a family member is here from out of town, can I go to lunch with them during this time? )

am I making any sense?
did I even ask a question?

groisamomma

Wed, Jan 01 2014, 8:39 pm

I like your book. Mind sharing the title?

I do my work at work-grading papers, planning and prep, hanging up bulletin boards, calling and emailing parents, teacher meetings, everything down to the last drop. If something is so pressing (such as the time I simply forgot that interim reports were due the next morning at 8:00), then I leave home earlier in the morning and get it done before classes start.

My dh told me when I started this job he'd rather I stay at school late (not usually an option) or go earlier and get work done at work.

This way, when I'm at home I'm actually at home.

zaq

Wed, Jan 01 2014, 8:42 pm

acccdac wrote:

(The one idea that came to mind when I was typing this is that I am required to be at my school at 12:15. Maybe I should think of my job as starting at 11:00, go there and sit in the teacher's lounge and do work. My only issue with this is how strict I can be with this. If I need to go to the doctor or one of my kids need to am I allowed to schedule an appointment during this time? If a family member is here from out of town, can I go to lunch with them during this time?
?

This is in fact an excellent plan. Work at home is a challenge partly because the environment is usually not conducive to working unless you have a dedicated home office or workshop. When you're in your work environment, your mind shifts into work mode. That is in part the reasoning behind school uniforms: when you;re dressed for school, you behave as if you;re in school. When you;re dressed for the beach, you behave as if you;re at the beach.

No, this does not have to be an ironbound inflexible yehareg ve'al yaavor. Even work allows sick days and personal leave. Don't abuse the privilege, but of course you can schedule the occasional doctor visit or lunch with an out-of-town relative during your self-appointed prep time. If necessary, you can make up what you owe yourself by coming in another day at 10 instead of 11, if that works for you.

acccdac

Wed, Jan 01 2014, 9:04 pm

the book is called "eat that frog"

I dont have prep time and grading time worked into my hours.
I am required to be at work at 12:15, I start teaching at 12:30 (usually use the 15 min to make copies, set up the classroom, take out my papers, sometimes I spend the whole time talking to students). I teach from 12:30-2:05. Then I have a 15 minute break where I usually use the bathroom, eat a snack and talk to students. I teach again from 2:20-3:45. I have to leave immediately to meet my kids at home.

groisamomma, so based on what you are saying I should go into work early. So I can try the 11:00 but 1-1.5 hour may not be enough time. I dont have access to a computer where I can type up my worksheets, access the internet, etc.

I will try this for the next 2 weeks until winter break, and see how that works.

Now that we have "solved" my work at home problem, what about housework?

I have to leave for work at 10:30. 2 days a week I do morning carpool which means I wake at 6:00, between lunches, breakfast, etc. I'm not home until 8:45. That leaves me with just under 2 hours in the morning. The other days my kids leave at 7:30 so I have 3 hours.

If we leave friday out of the equation, is 10 hours enough time to wash laundry, fold, wash dishes, make beds, swishing toilets etc. if I'm really on top of myself and maximizing my time? How much time should I need during the night hours, is 1 hour per night realistic?

(I do have help once a week, so deep bathroom cleaning, vacuuming, changing linen is done by the housekeeper.)

acccdac

Wed, Jan 01 2014, 9:14 pm

few more pieces of info to help you help me

(BTW....Thanks for the help !)

I'm a night person*, not a morning person, takes me a good 1/2 hr to wake up in the morning once out of bed
I have 3 kids, 10,7 and 3.
*I am expecting, if I am organized and productive during the day I usually am useless after 8 or 9.

I have a home (2,000 sq ft), we use 3 of the 4 bedrooms, and we have 2 bathrooms.
Laundry is usually about 4-5 loads of clothing a week, 1 of linens, 1 of towels.

My dh is out of the house 14 hours a day, when he is home he is helpful, doesnt need/demand a clean home, but doesnt like filth.

groisamomma

Wed, Jan 01 2014, 9:23 pm

I read all of what you wrote and I just want to mention that it sounds like you teach in a heimish school. The job is really full-time, but the pay is part-time Very Happy

.

That being said, you have a cleaning lady once a week (as I do) so your heavy cleaning is done by her. Your 10 and 7 year olds can very well pick up after themselves, even the 3 year old can. We got a laundry sorter so that eliminates a huge part of the laundry process-laundry gets done on Sundays when I have no work.

You shouldn't be scurrying around all the time you're home. If you spend time with your kids and clear away supper and dishes (leave them for dh to dry or they will air dry--you need to cut corners) then at 8 o'clock when you're "useless" you can do the school work for an hour sitting down.

Why, oh why, are you reinventing the wheel and creating your own worksheets? Can you please tell us the grade and subject so we can get worksheets to you? These resources should come with your book! This annoys me all the time-we expect our heimish teachers to give and give and give and give for part-time pay without giving them the resources to make it easier on them.

Let us know so we can help you. I'll share my subject worksheets and resources gladly.

zaq

Wed, Jan 01 2014, 9:39 pm

OP, how old are your children? Are they doing any household chores? They should be. Even children of SAHMs with F/T household help should have to do some chores as an integral part of their chinuch. Any child old enough to walk unassisted is old enough to do something, even if all it is is putting his toys into the toy box.

I have great memories of my chilldren's "job wheel". If you've been to sleep-away camp you've had a job wheel for your bunk. It's an easy way to assign chores and guaranntees that everyone will rotate in and out of all the jobs. Depending on your children's age distribution, you may need two separate wheels, one for older children and one for younger ones.

Don't ask if 10 hours a week is enough to get everything done--decide what jobs are most important to you and see how many of them you can fit into the time you have. You may have to compromise between your ideal standards and what you can reasonably accomplish. Learn how to "cheat" on your housework. For example, do you really have to fold underwear, or can you lay it flat in a stack and put it in the drawer that way?

acccdac

Wed, Jan 01 2014, 9:46 pm

Yes heimish school.

In terms of worksheets......I teach 1 period history, 1 period math and 2 periods science.

History: curriculum, handouts are all given to me. I use the internet to find maps or pictures that I want to show them. The one part I don't get are the videos. That means I look online, download, need to watch completely to check if appropriate, and then submit for approval from principals.

Math: I actually have all the resources for the book, and I use them to create my tests, but it's hard to copy tests straight from the resource books cause I don't always like the questions they ask, etc.

Science: this is my second year teaching the course. I have most of the sheets, but I do look at what I used last year and I tweak them. I definitely save time with that.

The times where I "waste" time on the internet for teaching is to find reading comprehension type stuff to give them when I'm out/sick. I also sometimes needs these types of assignments for classroom management issues (ex: showed a video this week. If rules followed got short worksheet "name 1 thing u remember" if didn't got long worksheet "read attached 3 pages and answer 10 questions")