Spending ninety minutes a day in someone’s class doesn’t necessarily mean you know their lives after school hours. Many teachers have passion projects, side jobs, and even other full-time jobs that take up their time outside of school. Communications and photography teacher Ashley Dogoli balances her work at school with running her own business.                                                                                                                                        

   “I am a full time wedding photographer, so I wouldn’t call it a side job, I would call it my other main job, so I have two full-time jobs,” Dogoli said. “I’ve been a wedding photographer twice as long as I’ve been a teacher.”

   Teaching is known to be a very time consuming job, but when you have more than one of those time consuming jobs, it can be very stressful. On the flip side, those outside jobs are also something that can potentially give teachers a break from the stresses of teaching. Regardless, Dogoli finds every moment she can spare to manage her never-ending to-do list. 

   “I have very limited time. In my spare time at work, when I don’t have to do the morning announcements, I try to find time to edit my pictures, send emails or anything else I need to do,” Dogoli said.

   One of the things that makes this balance difficult is all of the hidden tasks Dogoli and other teachers do in and outside of the classroom that keep the school running seamlessly. 

   “It’s not that it’s hard, it’s just a whole lot more time consuming than I ever thought it would be. Not only is it just being invested in your students, there’s also a lot of stuff behind the scenes that you have to do,” Dogoli said. 

   Dogoli uses her time in this building to make the school a better place, but many happy newlywed couples would agree she makes their world a better place too.