Since I work for an English language school in Indonesia, my teaching schedule is utterly different from formal school teachers. Here, formal school teachers start working from 7 to 3 (I guess?) whereas my classes begin in the afternoon until late at night.

So how do I manage my time, juggling between being a mother of three kids and a teacher? Let's dive deeper and see how I do it.

Tackling all house chores in the morning

This is the time of the day when I try to finish all the house chores, from cleaning the house (read: picking up toys, making the bed, sweeping, and mopping the floor) to cooking.

I usually get up at 5 AM to pray Subuh. Then, I will start my day by doing laundry. You wouldn't believe how many clothes I have to wash in this family!

At around 6, I have a quick break, sipping my hot tea while supervising my husband washing the dishes. Yes, it's one of the house chores he agrees to do besides hanging clothes. We usually chat about our day and any plans we want to make on that day until he leaves for work at 7 AM.

The kids usually get up around 6.30-ish and demand breakfast. Breakfast is messy in my house. Sometimes my oldest son cooks breakfast for all of us.

Deniz (that's my oldest one) starts his online school at 7, while Zinan (that's the second one) usually reads books or practises his handwriting. Since Zinan is homeschooled, his schedule is pretty flexible, making it possible for me to take care of the little one.

Noon and preparing for classes

It's lunchtime! Most of the time, I start cooking around 11-ish. But when Syafiq is a bit cranky, we will have a late lunch. Later, the kids will have playtime, and it's my time to check on my teaching schedule and see which classes I should prepare for today.

Lately, I've had fewer classes to teach as my School Manager wants me to focus on helping other teachers develop their skills, especially when considering hybrid courses. Despite that, I still take lesson planning seriously and find fun and engaging activities for my classes.

Thank God now there are a bunch of websites dedicated to helping teachers deliver the lessons! One of my favourites is Twinkl. It's a website created in 2010 by a couple Jonathan dan Susie Seaton, who wanted to help 'those who teach' by providing educational resources.

Today, Twinkl has become the number 1 provider of teaching materials globally, with more than 700,000 trusted and high-quality materials that help teachers and parents with education and the development of their children.

Have a look at some great activities during the school holiday I did with my kids in this blog post!

Syafiq's nap time is around 2, so I'd stop all activities and have a quick nap with him. I do find sparing some time to nap help boost my energy which I need to survive until the last class.

Depending on my weekly schedule, I can start my first class at 3 PM or 4 PM. Even sometimes, my first class of the day will not begin until 6 PM. This is a treat for me as I can relax and have more time with my kids.

Evening

This is the time when I get swamped! Dinnertime usually clashes with my evening classes, so I rely on my husband to prepare dinner for the kids. Unfortunately, he's been working late, so I occasionally have to feed the little one while teaching!

Luckily, my students are very understanding, and they don't mind if Syafiq suddenly appears on the webcam.

Evening classes are mostly adult classes (Business English, Conversation, and General English) and exam preparation classes (TOEFL and IELTS). I find adult students are more manageable compared to children. Probably because we can talk about more diverse topics, from the weather to the latest celebrity gossips.

It's 9 PM, and it's a wrap! The last class is finished but I, of course, still have other things to do. Once I end the Zoom Meeting, I will change clothes and put the kids in bed. This takes around 1-1.5 hours.

I will start working and preparing for my classes the next day, right after the kids are asleep. I'm glad that I've collected various materials over the past 10 years and categorised them into levels and ages so I can quickly select the resources needed for my lessons (I'll write about how I do this on my next blog post!)

What time do I sleep? It depends on whether I've got deadlines or not. As a blogger, I periodically work very late to write my blog post, take photos, and even record a video. I've been attempting to do batch writing, but I haven't got the grasp of it, hopefully soon!

Work hard, play hard:  How to balance work life and family

I know it seems too much to carry all these commitments for some people. By hey, I'm relishing it, and I've learnt to recognise signs when I have burnout.

Although I'm teaching on Saturdays, I ask my School Manager for only one class. That way, I have the rest of the day devoted to my kids and family. Sunday is indeed a no-work day. I will turn off my computer and put my mobile as far as possible to not be tempted to check it.


All in all, I always remind myself that being a mother is my primary role in this life. No matter how passionate I am about teaching, family always comes first.

How about you, fellow teachers? How do you manage your time, especially when working from home? Share your thoughts in the comment below, will you?

Thanks for reading!