Part of this Sunday anxiety is the anticipation of the stress of the oncoming week, part of this is the dread of discipline and piles of correcting, and part of this is the sheer weight of responsibility teachers feel. However, much Sunday anxiety is the recognition and resentment that most weekends are spend catching up on schoolwork rather than living one's own life.
When you find yourself in the pattern of feeling miserable each Sunday, here are some methods to stop the madness.
Plan an Alternative Day of the Week to Stay Late at School
For instance, each Wednesday, correct for two extra hours. Chances are, you won’t dread Wednesdays since you are at school anyway.
Go to School an Hour Early Every Day
If you a morning person, use each minute of each morning to the fullest. Often teachers put off work and tell themselves they will catch up on the weekends. But if you use your time during the week more efficiently, you'll bring nothing home on weekends as a reward.
Work More on Fridays or Saturdays
Save Sundays for you and your family. However, bring only a small amount of work home on weekends. Ignore the piles on your desk. Be realistic; if you bring home all the work, the sheer amount will cause you to procrastinate until Sunday and then cause the Sunday blues.
Recharge Your Love of Teaching on Sundays
Read inspirational teaching experiences. Read class management books. Rediscover why you chose to be a teacher. Try a book from this list.
Save Something You Love For Sundays
Read for pleasure. Take a nature walk. Play a sport. Watch a film. Cook a family brunch. Meet with friends. Remember the person you were before you became a teacher.
Use Sundays to Organize
Organize your home and your school bag. You will feel more organized and accomplished to start the next week fresh.
Limit the Computer on Sundays
Surfing the web will tempt you to spend hours searching for lesson planning ideas, and before you know it, your Sunday will be over. If you must, set a timer for no more than an hour.
Stop the Sunday Guilt
There is nothing worse than guilting your Sunday away. The classroom will not collapse if you don’t get to everything. The students will not be scarred if you save correcting for Monday; however, you will burn out if weekends are not spent recharging yourself.
Sunday truly needs to be a day to refresh and not a day of resentment.
Are you heading for teacher burnout? See article on the warning signs.
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