Single Parent Teachers: Pros and Cons + Tips

If you’re a single parent teacher, then you might looking for tips and guidance on how life a little easier. You’re in the right place.

I worked full time as a teacher while being a single parent for a good chunk of my oldest daughter’s childhood.

Being a single parent and a teacher is a unique combination of responsibilities, because you’re solely responsible for the education and wellbeing of minors – those in your class at school, as well as those at home – without much help from another adult.

Being a single parent and a teacher means that you spend a lot of time alone with kids all day, as well as in the evenings and weekends as well.

It can be hard on you mentally, and certainly take its toll. With teacher burnout on the rise, it’s important to look after yourself – physically and mentally. Especially when you’re a single parent at home and a teacher at work.

You’re not alone. As someone who survived teaching during single parenthood for 5 years, here are my tips for your success and wellbeing; as a parent and a teacher.

14 Tips for Surviving as a Single Parent Teacher

1. Draw firm boundaries

All teachers need to draw some boundaries with work, but single parents need to especially.

I recommend being specific about the boundaries you draw. Here are some examples:

• No checking work email on weekends or evenings (highly recommend this one)
• Not doing anything work-related after a certain hour, such as 5pm
• Having at least 1 hour each evening to yourself

You have two important jobs where minors depend on you. This can take a lot out of you, physically and mentally, so a healthy work-life balance is a must.

2. Reconsider extracurricular activities

There is a lot of pressure put on teachers to run extra-curricular activities for students at school.

And don’t get me wrong – I’m not saying not to do extra-curriculars at school if you really want to.

I am saying though, to not feel guilted or pressured into putting more on your plate if its too much already. I ran clubs out of feeling obligated, but in hindsight, I wish that I hadn’t pushed myself – and just looked after my wellbeing instead.

In the grand scheme of things, extra-curriculars will still be there when your children are older and you can devote more time to teaching. But your kids are only young once and really need you in their formative years.

3. Monitor how you’re feeling

You can’t be useful to your kids, or to your students if you start struggling with your own mental health. Teacher burnout is on the rise, and impacts teachers’ families and their students.

If you’re worried that you might be burning out already, then take our teacher burnout quiz to get a more clear idea, and possible next steps.

4. Have two backup babysitter options

I recommend having at least two people that are able to watch your child, in the event that you need to be at work (during the day if they’re sick, or after school if there’s an event.)

I only had one option – (my mom) who was very helpful and stepped in when she needed to. But she also had a full-time job, and I ran the risk of having no one if she couldn’t make it for some reason.

It’s best to have one reliable person that you can count on, and a decent backup plan in case they get sick or can’t make it.

5. Register your child(ren) in after-school daycare

There’s no way I could have survived teaching as a single parent if there wasn’t an after-school childcare option for my daughter.

As teachers, we all know that our job doesn’t end at the dismissal bell – there’s often lots of things that still need be worked on after that.

Having a regular after-school childcare option will be a necessity as a single-parent teacher.

6. Live close to your and your child’s school

I lived right around the corner from the school that I worked at as a single parent. While I wouldn’t necessarily recommend living that close, it helped a lot being close to the school.

Living close to the school helped in the following ways:

• We had more time in the mornings to get ready, because I didn’t have a commute
• I was close enough to pop home during lunch breaks in case I needed to
• I sometimes went home just to meditate and unwind for 30 minutes before picking my daughter up at the after-school daycare, and it was a good way to recharge before taking on the evening

This may or may not be possible depending on your situation – but if you can manage it, it sure helps!

7. Get the support of your admin

Hopefully you have a good understanding principal, who encourages staff to look after themselves and their families first.

I’m not recommending that you go into detail about your personal life with your principal. However, it may help to let them know that you’re solely responsible for a child, because of how it may impact your job (needing to leave early or be absent because your child is sick, not being able to stay late as often , etc.)

8. Ask for help

The most important thing to get over as a single parent is the fear of asking for help.

As someone who is both teaching and parenting, you should take every ounce of help you can get and don’t feel ashamed to ask. You have two very demanding jobs – and you can’t expect to do it all by yourself.

I regret not asking for more outreach when I was a single parent teacher. Life could have been much easier if I’d asked for – and accepted- helping hands.

Getting support from coworkers

It’s hard to find the time, but I highly recommend trying to make good connections with colleagues at your school.

Teaching is much less challenging when you have coworkers with whom you can share resources, tips, or even watching your class while you make a quick phone call – ask them. (And be prepared to return the favour if they ever need your help.)

Getting support from friends/family/community:

I always had a hard time asking neighbours, family and friends for help as a single parent – but now that my daughter is older, I wish I had asked more often. Life can be so much easier when you have an extra hand (or two) to help here and there.

9. Have ready-to go lunches at work

Over the years of being a teacher, I developed a survival kit to keep at work which included necessities to make it easier to get through the day.

One of the most important things to keep at school was non-perishable lunch items that I could use to nourish myself during the day, in the event that I didn’t have time to bring a lunch, such as protein bars, or shake (with a shaker bottle.)

10. Try to teach the same grade year after year

Teaching the same grade over again cuts down on your workload. I taught Core French for many years, and sometimes I wondered why I stayed in it that long.

The truth is, as a single parent – I didn’t want huge learning curves or challenges at work if I didn’t need them. I also recommend that you not take them on if you don’t need to.

My goal at school was to do my job effectively (which is easier to do wen you know the material) and have the time and energy left over for the most important things – me and my daughter.

Teachers don’t have full control over what they teach year after year, but I recommend doing what you can to stay in the same grade or subject for as long as possible – especially when your kids are young.

11. Consider which ‘title’ you will use

This is only something that will impact you if you’re a woman teacher, as men are almost always ‘Mr.’

I was a young single parent. As a French teacher, I chose to go by Mme instead of Mlle (the unmarried title.) All my students knew that I had a child, because my child was a student at our school.

I wanted to avoid any questions about why I was unmarried with a school age child, or any questions about my personal life at all- from students, and from colleagues.

So, I chose to go by Mme instead. You may choose to go by Ms instead of Mrs or Miss. It may prevent personal questions, from students, families and colleagues.

12. Take a mental health day if you need one

In my case, I was a sole support parent (my daughter was with me full-time.) TI took a mental health day every now and then, so I could rest, recharge.

Sometimes, those ‘mental health’ days were the only time I got any time to myself, for weeks or even months. They were the only break I got, and they truly saved my sanity.

As a single parent and a teacher, you have two jobs were young people count on you and need you to be functioning at your best. In order to do that, you need to look after yourself first.

13. Build a regular meditation and exercise into your day

As a single parent, it’s hard to get out of the house in the evenings – this is why I recommend doing either home workouts or meditation at home.

There’s no doubt that doing meditation and workouts can improve your physical and mental health, making it easier to navigate your responsibilities.

Insight Timer is a great app for meditation; there is also Calm and Headspace. All three of them have free as well as paid versions. I found the free versions very helpful.

14. Start a hobby or side hustle

It’s good to have a break from thinking about your teaching and parenting responsibilities. Studies even show that having those brain breaks makes you more effective at your jobs.

If you already have a hobby or something you’re passionate in – great. Make sure you are building that into your schedule, because its an important part of making you feel whole and ensuring that you can show up better for everyone.

In addition (or conjunction with a hobby) whether or not money is a concern, you could consider various side hustles to teaching that would function as a hobby, but also be something that you enjoy.

I know that this can also be easier said than done, as most teachers (especially ones who are also single parents) are going to be stretched pretty thin for time. However, one of the best things I did – even when I was teaching as a single parent- was do some work on the side.

I did tutoring, and also took up freelance writing and social media management. They earned me a bit of extra cash, and made me feel fulfilled in a different area besides supporting others (my kids and students.)

Side hustles that can generate a passive income are especially great for single parents because they can bring in another income without you lifting a finger. Although, a passive income can take an investment of time and/or money to get started, but after that – you have an extra stream of income trickling in.

Is Teaching a Good Job for Single Parents?

Being a teacher is a challenging job for single parents, but there are a few perks to it too. Overall, teaching has pros and cons. Here’s what you need to know about how they pertain to being a single parent:

Pros of teaching as a career for single parents

Downsides to teaching as a career for single parents

• Some of the after-hours requirements of teachers, such as parent-teacher interviews, school concerts and events, etc
• Having extra work to do on the evenings and weekends (when what you really need is a break)
• Having way too many young people depending on your (students and your children) can be an emotionally taxing responsibility
• The only times you can take a family vacation is during the school breaks, which are the most expensive times to travel

The verdict: Ultimately, teaching is a decent job for single parents in terms of salary and benefits, but it is very demanding job. One of the best perks of teaching as a parent is having the same breaks from work as your kids do from school. You can find put them into camps sometimes to get a break (I certainly did) but you aren’t scrambling to find daycare during school breaks as many other parents are.

Final Thoughts on Being a Single Parent Teacher

Being a single parent teacher is probably one of the hardest jobs in the world, but I hope that this article has given you tips on how to navigate it.

Whatever you do – never regret anything you need to do to prioritize your mental health and wellbeing. You’re replaceable at work, but you’re not to your children at home and they (and you) always need to come first.

Whether you’re single and pregnant with your first child, or are already working as a teacher and a single parent, you have a challenging but also rewarding job. I hope that this blog post as served as a support, and to help you know that you’re not alone.