Eagle Era

Ms. Lopez opens up about how she juggles teaching, family, and free time

By Marjan Nabizada

When the final bell rings, students rush to the parking lot, laughing with their friends or scrolling through their phones as they leave the building behind. For many, the school day is officially over. For teachers like Ms. Lopez, who teaches Spanish two, work often continues long after the last student has gone home. 

Teaching isn’t just a job; it’s a lifestyle. The long hours, lesson planning, and emotional energy that go into teaching make it more than just an eight-to-three routine. Yet behind all the lesson plans and classroom discussions, teachers live full and busy lives. “Everyone around me in my personal life mentions how I’m such a teacher,” Ms. Lopez said, showing how even when she’s away from the classroom, teaching remains a big part of who she is.

Her weekend mornings are simple but productive. “It’s sleeping in, checking my emails, and doing chores all day,” Lopez said. But she doesn’t spend all her time at home – she also enjoys running errands, spending time with family, and catching up on things she doesn’t have time for during the week. While that might sound relaxing, it’s also a reflection of how her work never really stops.

That constant connection to work also affects how Ms. Lopez sees herself beyond school. She admits it’s not always easy to draw the line between her teacher identity and her personal life. “It’s hard since I’ve been wanting to be a teacher ever since I was little,” Lopez said. “Everyone around me in my personal life mentions how I’m such a teacher. So it’s most definitely a part of my identity.”

In front of her Spanish bulletin board, Ms. Lopez smiles – a reminder that teaching is just one part of who she is. (Photo Credit: Marjan Nabizada (11)).

Even though teaching shapes so much of her life, Ms. Lopez still tries to keep space for herself outside of school. “I do work at home, too,” Lopez said, “but when I’m out with my family, I try to remind myself that I’m not just a teacher and that I’m my own person too.”

Balancing both sides of her life isn’t always easy. “Sometimes I’ll be grading late at night or planning lessons on the weekends,” Ms. Lopez said. “It’s hard to completely turn off the teacher part of my brain.”

Ms. Lopez’s story is a reminder that teachers are also people with responsibilities, families, and lives that go far beyond the classroom. While students may only see them grading assignments, giving lectures, and writing on whiteboards, there’s so much more happening behind the scenes. Ms. Lopez’s perspective shows that being a teacher means learning to balance both sides of life—the educator and the individual—without losing either one. It’s about knowing when to step back, when to work hard, and when to simply breathe. At the end of the day, teachers don’t just teach—they live, grow, and learn right alongside their students.