My Biggest Struggle

I've had an issue nagging at me for a couple of years now, an issue that up until now I've been reluctant to address head-on. Two years ago I was one of a very fortunate "few" who were hired as full-time teachers in my district. Without a doubt I was extremely excited and proud to have a chance to pursue my dream of being an educator, and I took this responsibility seriously. I am now entering my third year as a full-time teacher and I can say with confidence that I have given 100% effort and passion to my job.

Here is the issue that I am struggling with, and I know that I'm not the only one facing this. You see, not only am I an educator but I'm also a husband, a parent, and a son. It goes without saying that my family is extremely important to me, and they are definitely at the top of my priority list in life. The problem is that I have really struggled with maintaining that critical balance between career and family. If I am completely honest with myself, I would have to admit that I haven't given the same effort to my family life that I have to my career, not even close. It hurts to admit this, but I think that it's an important acknowledgement to make. My wife takes on more than she should have to, I don't see my parents enough (and they're only 5 minutes away), and my kids are too often forced to wait for me to put my laptop away.

A wake-up call happened not too long ago when I was working at home and my 10 year old daughter asked me to watch a movie with her. The conversation went like this:

Me: "I'll be right there. I just have to finish this."
Daughter: "What are you doing?"
Me: "I'm looking at some neat teaching ideas that I might use in class some day."
Daughter: "Dad, what will happen if you don't do that right now?"
Me: Silence....(her point was made)

I am fortunate to have the support of my wife and kids, but I can't help but think that over time they may become less patient and perhaps even jaded or bitter towards my professional life. I certainly don't want this to happen, but I also realize that I need to take steps to "put first things first" as Stephen Covey explains in his book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. My challenge will be to give my family AND my students the best that I have to offer. I have no doubt that I can do this, but I need to take it a step further and actually make it happen.

It would be wonderful to hear how others have handled this issue. Is there a simple solution to this? I think I already know the answer to that question, but either way I'll let you know how the journey is going.