Photo by THE 5TH
School is out. Yea! It may have been a rough year, or it may have been a great year; but either way, educators need to recharge during the summer so they are raring to go when school starts in the fall. One of the problems of educators, it that they need to come to their students with a "full cup." Need some suggestions for recharging your batteries this summer? We’ve got some! Here are five ways to recharge this summer.
Change Up Your Routine
School days can be pretty repetitive. Wake up, shower, brush teeth, eat breakfast, drive to work, blah, blah, blah. Sometimes the best way to renew yourself is to change up your routine. So take a vacation, or go on some day trips to local attractions. You could also visit family or old friends. Even if the journey seems like a hassle, you’ll probably come back with some fresh perspectives!
Get Into a Good Book
Whether it’s a traditional book or an audiobook, one of the best ways to recharge is by leaving your own world behind and entering into someone else’s! Whether you like mystery and suspense, science fiction, or biography, there is nothing like journeying into a new place with new people! You could also combine this interest with a trip to your local library where you can read or listen to your book in a completely quiet place!
Start a Hobby
You may have a favorite hobby that has made its way to the back burner; summer can be a great time bring it to the front again! You could also start a new hobby, maybe something you thought might be fun but never tried. You could even find a group online that holds local meetings where people can work on their hobbies together. Having time set aside can make focusing on your hobby a lot easier!
Go Outside
Nature, by its very nature, is rejuvenating. Pun intended. Nature is imperfect and can show us that we don’t have to be either. Watching trees swaying in the wind and listening to birds sing can be quite soothing. You could combine this with a walk by a river, or a day trip to a beautiful spot near you. Even if it’s only in your backyard, dip your feet in the kiddy pool and relax!
Accomplish a House Project
Ah, accomplishment. Nothing feels quite as good as a job completed. While school was in session, you may not have had time to complete that nagging project that was staring you in the face every day. Now is the time! It could be cleaning, painting, or having something repaired; but once you do it (or even better, hire it out), you can heave a sigh of relief, and be released from the nagging when school starts back up again!
To read more about how one teacher decided to completely “unplug” for the summer, check out this article from We Are Teachers.
After a long summer, and you have rejuvenated yourself, there are many actions you can take to avoid burn out during the school year. This, in turn, will give you more energy to make systematic changes in your classroom. This KUED article has tips to help you build that resiliency.