Brian Dyson, former vice chairman and COO of Coca-Cola said, “Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them — work, family, health, friends and spirit and you’re keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls — family, health, friends, and spirit — are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged, or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life.”
In schools professional demands abound, since we need to be present--both physically and mentally. Teachers need to be on site for both arrival and dismissal, teach on their feet between four and six periods a day, cover lunches and recesses, prepare unit plans and lesson plans, meet with supervisors, colleagues, parents, and individual students, grade tests, write report cards, and somewhere in there, they need to develop their content and their own professional practices and come up with creative ways to facilitate student learning. Teachers in Jewish day schools, in particular, are often expected to blur the lines between their professional and personal lives, taking “PTA meetings” at synagogue on Shabbat and working way beyond their contracted hours, because “it’s for the future of the Jewish community.” Or having awkward encounters with colleagues who happen to be their child’s teacher or running into a difficult parent at a kids’ soccer game.
These expectations alone are enough to burn anyone out. Now add to a teacher’s life a spouse, one or more children, a family member who is elderly or experiencing a health crisis, and we create the need for a 72-hour day.
How can the administrators in Jewish day schools assure a proper work-life balance for their staff?
“Our teachers are professionals and, if the students are the soul of a school, the teachers are the heart. The school cannot function without them. We need to recognize that they are not droids here to serve us, but real people with full lives and agendas outside of school.”
I pose this question in response to my own experience as an administrator. All too often, a teacher would run into my office, tell me that their child’s school called to let them know their kid is sick followed by profuse and extended apologies for leaving school early. My response was to send them quickly on their way, and if necessary, cover the remainder of that teacher’s classes myself. Having shared this story with a number of people, I now understand that all too many Jewish day school administrators do not take this approach.
Parenthetically, I was able to cover their classes, as my own children were grown and I was not a caretaker for anyone. Administrators need to be conscious of their own work life balance, following the flight attendants’ prescription to “put on your own oxygen mask first.” Therefore, all that I address below is not only for teachers, but equally as much for administrators and other staff members in schools.
Our teachers are professionals and, if the students are the soul of a school, the teachers are the heart. The school cannot function without them. We need to recognize that they are not droids here to serve us, but real people with full lives and agendas outside of school. If we do not treat them as such, they will either leave the school, exit the teaching profession, or be burned out to such a degree that they become ineffectual at their jobs. In addition, being a most precious commodity in the Jewish world, teachers deserve to be treated with the utmost care and consideration.
Since retaining high quality educators should be a priority in a field that currently lacks a robust workforce, how can the administrators in Jewish day schools assure a proper work life balance for their staff? Here are a few suggestions to consider or, at least, to pose for discussion.
Explore hiring permanent substitutes for your school. In the long run, it is less expensive and more efficient than trying to find subs at the last minute, or God forbid, asking already overtaxed teachers to cover additional periods or duties.
Build into the teachers’ schedules planning time each day in which they can ideally begin the task of lesson preps, grading, parent communications, etc. This way, they will have less to do at home in the evening.
Respect the needs of teachers to miss school days on occasion. Teachers should not feel judged or be reproached when they need to be out. Of course, there will be those who take advantage of a liberal leave policy; you will quickly know who those employees are.
Celebrate announcements of pregnancies from staff members rather than inducing any guilt for growing their families. Rabbi Avi Killip articulates Hadar’s family leave policy in her eJP article, and makes a statement that truly resonates with me. “When the executives model a joy and excitement upon hearing about a pregnancy, that sets the tone for staff culture.”
Of course, there are important realities to reconcile. How will a class function properly with a teacher missing? Schools are different from other organizations in that the work won’t just wait for you; the children need an adult, preferably a trained adult in the room with them at all times to ensure their safety and optimal learning. Where will these trained professionals come from? Many schools already have difficulty finding full-time teachers for their classes; how will they find long-term substitutes? And if they do, how can a school afford to pay teachers who are out on family leave or taking sick time to care for a family member in addition to paying those teachers covering their classes? And if, in order to save money, they ask current teachers to take on more teaching responsibilities, how can the administration assure competent practice in those already overstressed teachers?
We need to be realistic about the limitations of supporting a healthy work-life balance. Perhaps we also need to think outside of the box and consider blended learning options, co-teaching situations, or other innovative ideas that could free up teachers when they are needed at home to care for children, parents or other close family members. We’d be interested in your feedback on such ideas.
When I was an administrator, I regularly said in relation to work-life balance, “The word ‘Jewish’ is in the name of our school. If we do not put family first, we may as well shut our doors.” How does your school enable staff to put their families first?