Disconnected: How Cutting My Home Internet Access Saved My Teaching Career
On the edge of burnout, I searched for a solution.
When I started teaching 17 years ago, I began collecting tote bags. Fabric bags, plastic bags — even sturdy paper bags proved useful. On weekday afternoons, I loaded stacks of papers and sets of notebooks. In the evenings and on weekends, I unloaded the bags at my kitchen table or on my living room couch and spent hours at home assessing student work, providing feedback, and recording grades. When I finished a stack, I reloaded a tote and hauled it back to my classroom to start the cycle again. I worked this way for years.
Weaker bags never lasted long. The sides split or the handles ripped away. There were always so many papers, whether they were quick “Exit Tickets” or longer essay drafts, I couldn’t grade all of the work I assigned to my students during my planning periods. Most of my time at school not spent directly interacting with students went to attending meetings, contacting parents, searching for resources, making copies, and writing lesson plans. I had to take work home, I reasoned. I had to sacrifice time outside of the classroom to complete classroom duties. Taking work home was just part of the job. I continued to believe this even as my job slowly drained me.
