Happy Monday everyone! School is out, and it is officially summer! At least it is here in Fort Worth. With summer here I know that many of us will have to spend a good chunk of time preparing for summer or fall courses, if you teach ESL for a school district you might be completing a fair bit of professional development, and if you are anything like me you’ll have a mile long to do list around the house of stuff you didn’t quite get to during the year.
BUT, before we all dive head first into a mile long to do list of productivity, I want to take a short pause to talk about self care. Sometimes the best thing we can do for our students and our community is to put our best selves forward, and that is just about impossible without a little self care.
Lloyd Wafer from the IXL blog, wrote a post dedicated to self care for teachers (see here). In his post he says that during the school year most of a teachers energy is directed towards nurturing others and that summer is a perfect opportunity for teachers to nurture themselves, and I cannot agree more. We spend the majority of the year dedicating our time and energy to our communities. If I’m being honest I love it and I plan on doing it again this summer *insert a maniacal teacher laugh*, BUT not before I do a little self care and I suggest that everyone does the same.
Here are my suggestions for a little summer self care:
- Take a nap. No really, give your body some much needed rest.
- Read, for fun this time. No theories and principles of adult learning, at least not right away.
- Finish the TV show you started last July and never got around to finishing.
- Go outside! Take a walk, enjoy a little nature. If you’re in Texas, you might wanna enjoy nature in the morning because those summer afternoons can be brutal!
- Be a tourist in your city. Visit a new place, a new park, or a new restaurant in your city. It’s easy to get caught in a routine during the school year.
- Exercise! Be good to your body.
- Start a journal. Write down your thoughts, what you did, maybe things you’re grateful for, or perhaps journal your way through your Bible as you make a little extra time for faith this summer.
- Spend time with your family and friends (safely of course). One thing this past year and a half has taught us is that time with our loved ones is precious and we have to make the most of it.
- Tackle one of those summer cleaning projects. I know cleaning may not sound super relaxing, but future you will appreciate one less thing on your to do list come the fall.
Pick your favorite thing and get started! Do one, do them all, add your own – all that matters is that you make a little time for you so that you can continue being your best self in all aspects of your life.
For some year-round self care tips for educators, check out this post from The Pathway 2 Success below.
What is your favorite way to practice self care? Tell us in the comments or, send us an email at info@literacyconnexus.org. We’d love to hear from you! As always, blessings and happy teaching.