What is the cost of saying no to yourself in teaching?

Very often I write about the importance of teachers saying no in their jobs.

Very often, I receive messages from teachers saying that they do not have the power to say no in their jobs.

Recently, I had a different thought about this.

Teachers are actually very good at saying no in their jobs.

Just not in a way that you may recognise.

Ultimately, whenever you say yes to something in teaching, you have to say no to something else.

This could be big or small.

• Every time you skip going to the toilet in order to answer a few more emails at break.
• Every time to forgo your lunch so that you can help a student with their problem they felt safe to bring to you.
• Every time you turned away from your own children in order to complete the seeming pointless paperwork you’re expected to complete.

In fact, you are very skilled at saying no.

The question is, are you saying no to the right things?

As with so many things in life, there is a balance to be struck. To help you create the balance you seek, ask yourself these questions:

• By saying yes to this, what am I saying no to?
• How does this serve me?
• How does this serve my students?
• Will this lead me towards the quality of life that I seek for myself and my loved ones?

Hopefully, these will lead you towards a clearer path that enables you to say no professionally when your boundaries are tested, and lead to a happier work-life balance for you too.

Ready to create a happy work-life balance for yourself?

Make sure that you sign up for my FREE 3 Steps for a Happy Teacher Work-Life Balance Masterclass taking place on Tuesday 31st January 2023 at 8pm GMT.

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