Time Management Strategies of Parent Teachers in a Selected Public High School: A Phenomenological Study

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Faculty life is full of various duties and responsibilities that are very time-consuming. In the same manner, parenting is multidimensional for it must respond to various needs of children (National Academy of Sciences, 2016, p. 2-4). These two terminologies often connected to each other because of their similarities in terms of responsibilities. Parent-teachers are abundant but there are only a few studies conducted that tackle parent-teachers. Most of the studies are about the relationship of parents to teachers or teachers to students. This study covered the experiences of parent-teachers in time management in work and at home.

METHODS

This study is qualitative phenomenology, which aimed to understand how parent teachers manage their time in school and at home. A semi-structured interview was used in gathering the data necessary for the study. The ten (10) participants in the selected public high school were chosen through purposive sampling guided by the following criteria: (a) a teacher that is currently married; (b) thirty (30) to fifty (50) years old; and (c) at least 1 year in service. The gathered data were analyzed using thematic analysis. This type of analysis includes a collection of data, coding of data and validation of codes, identification of themes and consolidation of data to analyze a set of data.

RESULTS

Parent-teachers describe their experiences in time management as a teacher difficult but manageable and enjoyable for they treat their students as their own children. In terms of time management at home, they consider it less difficult. On the other hand, parent teachers manage their time as both a parent and a teacher by organizing their schedule through a timeline. They have a particular routine that should be followed. Also, they only focus on what will be taken cared of on a particular time span; either work or family. If emergencies come up, parent teachers easily reschedule and prioritize things up. With all these errands, parent teachers have no time for themselves and considering their family bonding as their own leisure time.

DISCUSSIONS

Time of parent-teachers is divided into two; work and family. They prioritize things depending on their urgency and connection to them. Focus, scheduling and following the timeline carefully are the strategies they do to effectively manage their time. Having time for themselves is the least thing parent teachers think of. Despite all of these, parent teachers still manage and enjoy their time as both a parent and a teacher.