SCHOOLS OUT FOR THE SUMMER

Weekends aren’t quite enough. They are welcome, of course, but they aren’t enough. Thank goodness then for the long break.

Apart from our colleagues down-under, most of the northern hemisphere is currently enjoying the summer holidays. Phew. Thank goodness. At long last.

The next few weeks are a chance to detox and deload. To enjoy your ‘happy place’. Perhaps to reframe things for the coming academic year; to decide on priorities and purpose.

And they are a chance to rest.

For many of us though, rest doesn’t come easy. It feels indulgent. When you are constantly ‘on’, being ‘off’ feels odd. It feels lazy.

As teachers we are used to constant motion, to busyness. But, rest is not a vice. Rest is necessary: it’s ointment for the brain, tonic for the body, and elixir for the soul. Whether on a beach, in your garden, in foreign climes, or on mountain climbs, make sure you rest. Separate your striving self, your work self, from the self which is crying out to rest.

Sure, given current workloads, it's almost impossible to fully disconnect, to fully rest. You probably have a pile of marking, planning, preparation, and policy revisions pending. There's merit, wisdom even, in clearing what you can over the holidays. If you don't, you know that on the first day of term you’ll have a 'wish I did' list longer than your 'to do' list. But, how much could wait? How much will still be there - how much won't be any more urgent - come the new term?

Rest provides space and quiet for standing back, for seeing whole. More to the point, work tackled when you are refreshed and recharged will be better work. Rest, paradoxically, is necessary to getting work done.

Rest then. Let go of the paperwork and unburden yourself from the bureaucracy. Tune out the school noise and tune into the soporific sounds of summer. Slow down. Reacquaint yourself with friends and family - with yourself. Delight in idle. Be lazy.

Find your happy place. Enjoy the break. Life is too short to be busy all of the time.

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