I am a teacher on Spring Break! To the non-educators out there, that means I am a person who gets an entire week off to do whatever I want. I can sleep in, I can relax, I can go on vacation without having to take days off of work, etc. You’re not entirely wrong in your thinking, but you are also not 100% right!

To those who are educators, Spring Break is a week that you can catch up on lesson plans, grades, cleaning up your classroom and getting it ready for the last quarter of the year, cleaning your house, catching up on laundry, etc. You’re not wrong in your thinking either, but……

This is my 10th year teaching. I have used my previous Spring Breaks for numerous things. I have taken trips, I have gotten caught up on work, and I have also stayed so busy with “life stuff” that I worked my entire Spring Break away. I have learned, the hard way from some years, that it’s OK to actually take a Spring BREAK!

Teachers wear several different hats during the day. Our job is mentally and physically exhausting. Most teachers do not just work from 7-3. If we don’t bring things home to work on, I can guarantee that we are thinking about at least one of our students. We are trying to mentally prepare for an upcoming meeting. We are trying to create a fun activity for our students, while also being sure to teach the standards that the state tells us to teach. We are preparing for an upcoming observation. Plus, we are doing all of this all while trying to be the best parent, spouse, friend, family member that we can be.

I understand that Spring Break gives us days for doctor appointments, trips, cleaning, catching up on anything and everything, but let’s not forget that we need, and should use our time, to give ourselves a break. If we want to be the best we can be, we have to recharge our batteries! If all we do over break is stress, and continue to run, run, run, how long will it be before we run our batteries down completely?

I hear and see teachers saying things like, “I don’t know how much longer I can do this,” “I’m mentally worn out,” “I’m not as happy as I used to be,” etc…I get it! I’ve said these things myself! Our job is HARD, and most people don’t understand just how hard it is. My question to you, however, is what have you done to recharge lately? Have you done anything to help take care of you?

If you are not in education, I encourage you to not give your teacher friends/family a hard time for taking the time on their breaks to actually take a break. Most of you say, “I could never be a teacher” yet, when it comes time for us to have one of those breaks, all you say is, “I wish I could have as many breaks as you do,” “must be nice to be able to be off as much as you are.” Please quit. You make us feel bad for giving ourselves the time to relieve our mental load (The mental load that consists of 20+ kids’ well being, whether or not we are doing our best and teaching effectively, plus our personal things.). If you really wanted “as many breaks as we get,” you would’ve went into education….oh wait, you already told us you could never do our job……food for thought!

If you are one of those educators who just can’t sit still, you have to feel like you are being productive, I challenge you to set some relaxing, stress free goals. Read a certain amount of books, pick out a TV show to binge, finish a puzzle, etc. Just please don’t over do it, clean your entire house all week, and never rest! Your students need your best self when we go back to school.

I write all this knowing that I have a thousand things to do. I have a mission trip next week, I have my kids’ clothes to get ready for consignment, appointments tomorrow and Friday, two cars that need oil changes, and boxes in storage to go through. However, I’m going to binge watch Grey’s Anatomy, while I do some of these things, and really try to give myself a break. I pray that you do too!