The One Question You Need to Ask Yourself BEFORE You Say "Yes" to Anything at Work

Teachers are some of the lucky few people who get paid to make a difference in other peoples’ lives. Although our job makes a difference in the world, it does not mean that we are not (highly) educated professionals who deserve to be compensated for our time and services.

I’m sure many of us have been approached by an administrator or even a wide-eyed student to join a committee, supervise a club, volunteer to chaperone a school event. We start to feel that twinge of guilt that comes with saying no, but then immediately, feel the regret when we’ve agreed to give up more of our very little free time, often for a pittance of the amount of compensation we actually deserve for the work we’re about to put into this new assignment.

I am by no means saying that teachers should not get involved in the school community. I am very involved outside my classroom; I run a musical theater program, I lead a grade team focus group and an inter-department PLC, and I just joined a committee to re-vamp my school’s grading policies.

However, I do think that, as teachers, especially new teachers, it can be too easy to over-extend ourselves and be left feeling burnt out. During my first year, I did SO MUCH work for free, both out of ignorance (I did not know how to fill out my per session time card and timesheet until someone showed me) and out of that dreaded teacher guilt. I would stay late waiting for kids to show up to tutoring and hold club meetings multiple days a week, even though I was only getting paid to hold it once a week. None of that left me feeling fulfilled or happy, but rather feeling unappreciated and exhausted!

I really only stopped doing this out of necessity. When I started my master’s program, I simply no longer had the time to take on extra commitments. And guess what? I didn’t stop being a passionate and caring teacher. My students didn’t hate me. My administration treated me exactly the same. In fact, I actually became more present, more genuine, and had more passion because I was only giving myself to things that I really cared about.

I wish that it didn’t take years to learn this lesson, so I want to share it with you now, especially if you are a new teacher. Before I make a commitment at work, I ask myself one question:

If no one thanked me for doing this work, would I still do it?

The reason I ask myself this is because I think it makes us really ask ourselves if we are doing it because we truly want to, or if it’s because of an external reason. Sometimes we put more on our plate due to guilt, wanting to be liked, wanting to be seen as a team player, or some other external reason that might have to do with our ego or our sense of teacher guilt rather than because it’s something we genuinely care about doing.

I think it’s an interesting question because I realized that I was doing a lot of these extra activities because I wanted to be seen a certain way. I wanted my students to see me as a caring teacher who was always there for them. I wanted my administration to see me as a leader and a go-getter. I wanted my co-workers to see me as hard-working and innovative. I also realized that after doing a lot of these things and not getting any recognition or appreciation made me angry! After staying late for tutoring and having no students show up, I was upset! After running a club for the school and my administration barely seemed to notice, I felt like a disgruntled employee! That’s when I realized that I only want to do things that make my heart feel truly full.

While we all do things we feel like we have to do or because we’re really trying to cash in on those extra hours (definitely not hating on the hussle!), putting more on your plate than you can handle ( or want to handle) can lead to burn out, stress, and anxiety. And I don’t want that for you!

I swear, now that I only do extracurricular activities for the extra cash or because they align with my passions and goals, I feel so much happier and much more fulfilled.

So tell me down below, how do you decide which extra responsibilities to take on? How do you balance your school life with your real life?