Last week, we had February break. It was glorious. I got to walk my kids to school and pick them up. The hug I got from Adi, my middle daughter when she spotted me that first day, on the field waiting for her, at dismissal was priceless. Over the course of the week I had appointments and took my youngest to a birthday celebration. I took walks and Facetimed with my sister more than I have in a long time. All week, I collected bits and pieces and thought I could write an ode to this small pause in time. As we transitioned back to school on Monday, my friend Dawn stopped by to catch up. We both talked about how great the break time had been. We shared stories about catching up on tv, reading, and even work. “I actually didn’t mind getting work done. It was nice to be able to sit and think,” I shared.
“Why is that?” Dawn asked, always good at pushing my thinking. “We’re feeling the crunch and so are the kids. Then we wonder why we’re seeing more and more behaviors.”
Dawn was right. We pack so much into our days. As teachers, our plates are overflowing. Just coming back from break, looking at my schedule, I had a bit of anxiety with all we were squeezing in. RTI meetings, World Read Aloud Day, Women’s History, faculty meetings, new coaching cycles, progress reports, conferences, professional development…
I appreciated February break because there was room for choice, to spend time doing things I cared about, without rushing to the next thing. All of the things on the schedule for this week are valuable, but I don’t feel like I can truly give any of them the time or attention they deserve.
I don’t yet have a solution, but it’s something that I think warrants more thought and conversation.
Where There Is Joy 
The quote you shared is powerful. If makes a good counterpoint to how your spent your break – living and nurturing your inner circle.
I hope you can find ways to breathe more life into this crazy life and times.
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Taking walks. Talking with friends. Hugs from your child. Such simple things we don’t give ourselves. I don’t know the answer either. But being aware is the first step to making small changes. Here’s to more walks, talks and hugs!
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Yes, a break is necessary. I have heard about my cousins working in IT world being busy from morning to night. Just to sit back and relax would do them good.
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Lots more thought and conversations! Yes, I also do my most enjoyable work within the buffer of time. I first wrote my best work, but it’s not necessarily my best work– it’s different work. Your meetings and coaching cycles and progress reports and celebrations and conferences are all important– they feel different though in comparison to work that’s done without the time pressure.
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I can relate to so much of what you’ve written here. I luxuriated in a vacation week without time pressures, and the night before school started could feel my newly-gained tranquility beginning to fracture. I have often said that I don’t think the every-increasing time pressures of school are healthy for me or for my students, and it’s only gotten worse over the years. It’s the major thing that leads me to consider leaving teaching. It’s definitely worthy of a conversation.
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I’m so glad you had that chance to rest and spend quality time with your family. I love the Feb break for the chance to step off the hamster wheel. Now it’s back on again too. My goal in March is to be on top of everything professionally and not feel th at overwhelm and anxiety but there are just so many hours in the day. No answers yet but thoughts worth thinking more about.
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I have three days off this week (day one was today) and I am appreciating the heck out of the pause. That quote resonates with me.
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How do we hold onto some of that vacation feel while still getting the important work done? I really feel the need to prioritize. I’m so busy, but not sure I’m getting the big things accomplished.
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Looking forward to the ode to the pause. I may write an ode to the paws…of the big dog. I do think we drop a lot of serious academics on kids. They came back looking refreshed, even if yesterday had its own stresses.
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Some people think I am crazy that I actually enjoyed working over the break! I’m working on delegating more and prioritizing more so I don’t feel so overwhelmed. I’ll have to tell you about my To Do board that Erika gave me the idea for!
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You mentioned it on the PD Day. I would love to see/hear more!
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As teachers and moms, we push and push ourselves. I’m getting better at hitting the pause button, but my children are adults. Work has taken some space that parenting did. I don’t know if that is a good thing or a bad thing.
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I was drawn to your line “was room for choice, to spend time doing things I cared about, without rushing to the next thing.” How can we incorporate this more into our lives/student’s lives during the school week?
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I’m feeling the same! I am constantly trying to decide what will stay and what needs to be set aside. I”m so glad it seems we’ll make it to June and still be in school this year.
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