Don't be ashamed if your Friday night plans suck!

Are you noticing your friends posting all their fabulous weekend adventures all over social media? Oh.... Emily is off on a luxury spa weekend.... Daniel proposed to his girlfriend in that new Michelin style restaurant.... Sophie just went abseiling in Wales.

Meanwhile, I am just longing to put my slippers on and watch that new film on Disney+. The end of the day on Friday seems like the end of a long marathon.

The sad fact is that teachers are not paid as much as they work, and unfortunately not always able to afford such luxuries every weekend.

Typically, teachers spend half of their life completing non-teaching activities including planning lessons, marking and collaborating with other teachers. Lets face it, we have all wasted our own time on work and trying to conquer that looming deadline.

My typical weekend consists of doing all the housework on a Saturday and perhaps a bit of baking or visiting my Grandparents on a Sunday. I do not get to meet up with friends as often as I would like, but this means I treasure my time with them even more.

It is important that even with non-existent plans we still use the weekend to escape. Some things we can do is:

1. Stop Checking Emails – If you answer one email at a time all weekend long, you will never feel as though you get a break.

2. Create – Maybe this is better than therapy! Don’t let others make you feel guilty you don’t have a full-fledged painting studio in your garage. I end up buying a massive canvas from Hobby Lobby and throwing some paint on it in my living room!

3. Look Ahead – Plan something for an upcoming spring break, buy a concert ticket, and get it on the calendar. This will give you something to look forward to and fuel your fire on the days where everything else seems very vanilla.

4. Unplug - Fresh air is always a positive. Even if you just walk the dog around the block, some space will clear your nostrils. A trip to the beach always helps me, after all, life can't be stagnant if you live by the sea!

5. Read - SOMETHING UN-TEACHER RELATED. Reading is great for generating ideas, but it can also be relaxing.

How do you spend your weekends as a teacher? Contact me to share your ideas!