PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

RECHARGING DURING THE SUMMER HOLIDAYS

Teachers are notorious for taking care of everyone but ourselves. The summer holiday provides a perfect chance to change that. It’s a good time to answer the question, “Who are we when we’re not teaching?”

SOME SUGGESTIONS

• Become the learner instead of the teacher. Learn Arabic, kickboxing, pottery, bicycle repair. It takes curiosity, perseverance, and humility to learn a new skill. The struggle and excitement of being a novice can deepen our empathy for our students, who are asked every day to attempt new and difficult things. A lesson one teacher learned from kickboxing classes was that general exhortations – “Keep it up! Nice going!” – are unhelpful. What novices need is coaching and guidance on the specifics.
• Hyphenate yourself. See yourself as a teacher-mum or dad, a teacher-writer and teacher-hiker, among other identities. Strong outside-of-school interests make teachers more interesting and effective with their students.
• Be your full self with your loved ones. Those closest to us often get a depleted version of us during the school week and year. It’s harder to be patient, present, and playful with our own children when you have exhausted those reserves with your students. Hence the importance of the summer holiday when we can relax and give our time and attention to our family.
• Join a new tribe or two. While there’s an instant bond when teachers meet teachers, wherever they meet, it’s good to hang out with people who have radically different professional lives and experience a different kind of camaraderie.

We can love teaching and also acknowledge that it’s hard. We need deep rest and renewal if we’re going to keep doing it well.

Acknowledgement: “We’ve Said Goodbye to This Year’s Students. Now It’s Time to Take Care of Ourselves” by Justin Minkel in Education Week Teacher, June 5, 2019