The Biggest Hoax? Investigating the Work-Life Balance of Veteran Secondary Teachers in North Mississippi Public Schools

This thesis investigates the struggle with work-life balance among veteran secondary teachers in public North Mississippi schools. Primary research questions include a) How do veteran teachers describe the struggle with work-life balance, b) What coping strategies over their career seem helpful?, and c)What changes could be made to the educational system to better support public school teachers in their pursuit of work-life balance? At what level should those changes occur? Qualitative data was collected by interviewing five teachers from middle and high schools in the North Mississippi region and analyzed to understand emergent themes from the interviews. This research found common experiences, beliefs, and recommendations for change among the five participants concerning the ability to achieve work-life balance as educators in Mississippi public schools.