Teachers with second jobs are often incredibly dedicated and hardworking individuals. Despite their passion for teaching, many teachers take on additional jobs to make ends meet or to maybe even just pursue their different interests in other fields. Some teachers work as tutors, coaches, or even in retail or hospitality. Balancing multiple jobs can be challenging, but these teachers do it because they genuinely care about their students and want to provide the best education possible. Their commitment to their work is truly something that should be appreciated.
Some teachers like POHS & Medical Terminology Charity Butler and SPED Helper Mileyda Diaz are teachers that have been working second jobs along with being employed at schools, and that can take a lot of resilience.
“I actually have two other jobs,” said Butler. “ I teach court-appointed classes over the weekend online and those classes are taught to meet people’s lifestyle and needs. The primary goal of the class is to be a valuable social change agent for young people and adults across the country. The court will appoint them to take a class to kind of rehabilitate themselves back into society. After that, I also run my own nonprofit organization.”
With Butler having two other jobs along with working as a teacher, managing time can become something that becomes tedious and draining, but still, she finds a way to balance all three jobs with the time that she has each week.
“It is a delicate balance and I feel like I do work a lot,” said Butler. “Sometimes I do not get my weekends off, and I work a lot as far as keeping up on my teacher duties. I work through my breaks and try to get things graded. I try to do my lesson planning during my free time at work like if the students are working independently, I try to plan the lessons for the next week, just to kind of stay on top of it and also to have a little bit of personal time when I get home.”
Although the balancing of the different jobs can become unnerving, the accomplishment and purpose that can be brought from having these jobs can make up for the stress of time management.
“The purpose of my nonprofit organization @sketchwithapurpose.com and basically what it is, it’s inspirational art classes that I teach just to help people reflect on their positive self-image and be able to know that they have a purpose,” said Butler. “I think there is a lot of mental illness, depression, anxiety and people not loving themselves, where they are wanting to be something that they’re not. And I think it’s just a great way to be able to just encourage people in their self-image and have a piece of artwork where they can look at their home to remember that they are beautifully and wonderfully made by God.”
With Butler’s obstacles and accomplishments in her jobs that she pursues along with being a teacher, Diaz also has another job other than being a Helper that she pursues.
“I work in WBL(Work Based Learning) with Mrs. Denson & Mrs. Riddle,” said Diaz. “We help students make career decisions, network with potential employers, and develop job skills relevant to future employment. We also take our students out of campus to different companies, so we coach them on how to work.”
With Diaz being a helper for Special Education students during school days, her days consist of many adventures. After school, she embarks on another journey as a floral designer.
“I also have a part-time job at Kroger as a Floral Designer. It is a creative Job and I love it! I’m so happy to work as a floral designer in the largest florist in the world,” said Diaz. “I also enjoy talking with the customers because they always have a story to tell you about why they are buying the flowers.”
Kroger is the largest florist in the world (via Moneywise), and along with working as a floral designer and also being a helper during school, Diaz is the founder and main instructor at Color Circus Art Camps.
“I am also happy to say that I have my own business,” said Diaz. “I am the founder and main instructor at Color Circus Art Camps. I teach Art To Kids between 5 and 13 years old and I work to stimulate and enhance the artistic capabilities of the children. Art is one of my passions!”
Johnson • Jul 2, 2024 at 3:37 pm
It is a growing concern that teachers move into career fields due to financial needs. Having 1-2 other jobs can be distracting and draining. The rise of costs, and the slow rise of teacher incomes can facilitate these necesities. High rents, rising house costs add to their concerns too.
Teachers arent in it for the money, yet the necessary costs do bring a level of need. Things such as costs of children, college, insurance set a level that a single income cannot always match.