Teaching Tip #7: Give yourself a vacation!
When I plan out my teaching calendar, I make sure to give myself needed and desired vacation time. As a self-employed private music teacher, you deserve a vacation just as much as any employee of a company! Tuition is always the same amount each month, even if some months have three lessons and some have five. You may need to get your students' parents used to this idea, but it makes so much more sense. If you plan it out in advance and let students know (I like to send out a calendar at the beginning of each semester), you will be able to enjoy those times (such as Christmas break, your summer vacation, etc.) without worrying about not being paid for a couple of weeks out of the month. When the semester's tuition is broken up into equal monthly payments, you are essentially getting paid vacation time.
In addition to the obvious holiday breaks (Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc.) I like to take days off such as my birthday, family birthdays (don't want to be teaching on my child's birthday, no sirree!), any holidays that land on a teaching day that my husband is not in school, etc. You work hard, give yourself a break!
Happy Tuesday!
Labels: Jenny Boster, Lesson Scheduling, Teaching Tip Tuesday
