I’m writing this post from Miami where I’m soaking up every possible ray of sun. This was a last-minute trip. I’m lucky that my father retired here, but I also knew that I should probably work on recharging this week. Once I saw that I could book a flight for less than $300, I couldn’t reserve my seat fast enough.
Recharging for me this week involves laying by the pool but also reflecting on the school year thus far. I enjoy what I do, and I enjoy thinking about it. I am now thinking about all of my thinking, though. It seems I’ve developed a pattern for school vacation weeks, specifically Christmas/New Year’s break, February break, and April break. It goes something like this:
Leading to time off: I’m excited for the opportunity to sleep in, to wake up slow, to wear whatever I want, to workout whenever I want to, and to reflect on my classroom practices. I sometimes start a list of items to adjust or realign. This time around, for example, I planned on going through some student surveys so I could gather data on what my current students like and dislike about my class.
During vacation: I catch up on sleep, but I also spend too much time on social media. This kind of mindless activity is necessary, I know. I can’t always be working. I shouldn’t always be working. Still, I can’t help but feel like I’m wasting time when I’m not being productive. I typically end up in a coffeeshop at least a few days during vacation.
Post-break: I return to work refreshed and ready to rock it in my classroom. I may try to implement slight improvements to my teaching or classroom routines, but it’s never quite the amazing, over-the-top adjustments I had envisioned prior to and during my time off. Here again, I realize this is probably normal. “Don’t be so hard on yourself,” I think. Sometimes I even listen.
Who can relate?
Carolina
