Ahhh, half term. But how many days so far have you done some work for school, instead of sitting in the sun?
Creating boundaries as a teacher can feel like a radical act. The profession is built on care, commitment, and a strong sense of duty. However, without healthy limits, those very qualities can lead to exhaustion and resentment. We’ve all heard of colleagues cancelling family commitments to complete work for school – or setting cover while off sick and unable to even leave the bathroom!
One of the biggest hurdles is guilt. Saying no to extra responsibilities, protecting your evenings, or choosing not to reply to emails late at night can trigger uncomfortable feelings. You may worry you’re letting colleagues or students down. But boundaries as a teacher are not about doing less; they’re about doing your best within sustainable limits.
Try these small, practical changes:
Create Clear Working Hours: Decide when you will start and end your workday — and stick to it. Protect your evenings and weekends whenever possible.
Use an Out-of-Office Message: Set clear expectations with parents and colleagues by using an automatic email reply outside your working hours.
Define Your Availability: Let students, parents, and leadership know when and how you are available for contact, and when you are not. If you work part time, consider putting your working days in your email signature to manage others’ expectations.
Prioritise Tasks Ruthlessly: Focus on what truly impacts learning and wellbeing. Not every task needs to be perfect or completed immediately (and some will just disappear when someone realises in a couple of days that there’s a better way!).
Say No (or Not Now) Politely: Practice phrases like, “I’d love to help, but I’m at capacity right now” to protect your workload without guilt. If someone senior asks you to do something extra, ask which of your existing tasks it should replace. There isn’t an infinite amount of time in the day!
Schedule Breaks and Stick to Them: Build small pauses into your day to eat, breathe, or step outside; even five minutes helps reset your energy.
Limit Work Creep at Home: Create a physical or time boundary if you bring work home. For example, not marking on the sofa, or stopping by 7 p.m. so you still have time to unwind.
Build Boundary Conversations into Culture: Encourage open discussions with colleagues about workload, support, and respecting each other’s limits.
Creating boundaries doesn’t mean withdrawing from the heart of the work you love. It means ensuring that you can continue to show up with energy, compassion, and creativity, rather than running on empty. The teachers who endure are not the ones who give endlessly, but the ones who give wisely.
If you want support in finding time for yourself around work, or your school is looking to revamp policies on work-life balance, get in touch: rachel@concentriccoaching.co.uk
