Is a Side Hustle a Reality Check for Teachers?

Is deciding on a Side Hustle a Mental Decision or a Reality Check?

You can call it a side hustle. You can call it a hobby. Whatever. Some even call it an after hours project. The way I see it, it is simply an insurance policy or a Plan B. For me, it was a reality check when I realized that my life as a teacher mom was not sustainable. It stole too much of my precious time, with little in return. Then when I looked at retirement, I realized that neither my savings nor my teacher retirement package would be enough to live comfortably for more than a few years. That was my reality check. So I made a decision.

But for Gentry it was mental. She states that "All of that boils down to the shell of a woman that’s left at the end of the day". Gentry says "it all put her mental and physical health in jeopardy “Every. Single. Day.”

She expressed that “Knowing that your kids need and deserve more than they’re getting. Sitting in one meeting after another, begging for more support, only to be told ‘don’t lose sleep over them’… when you LOVE your kids and are PASSIONATE about your mission… these messages tear you apart."

She went on to say “Watching them come in… dirty clothes… chaos at home… and knowing they need more than you can give them in a classroom of 21, with less and less support, multiple languages spoken, several different disabilities… it breaks you. We become emotional eaters. We become couch potatoes to zone out. We become so short-fused that our families suffer.”

And ultimately, that’s what led Gentry to walk away from her retirement and 46 paid sick days.

Now that was an emotional and mental decision if I ever saw one.

But we all have good reasons for making a change in our lives. Sometimes it is not even about the money.

All of the side hustles have the potential to become a teacher's side business if that is what you want. But I feel it's the mindset, that the teacher adopts which will make it a reality. Remember in my last poll, over 60% of my educators stated they had some type of side job. What would cause you to join the ranks? Why would you decide to take on a side hustle while teaching or even make the leap to a side business?

If you are not even sure what types of side hustles are out there, or what they can do for you, I am in the process of writing a book on "Is a Side Hustle Right For You? Hope you can wait! But if you can't wait, please try out my curated list of the most successful side hustles for teachers.

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