Take a Break

On Sunday, January 3, I saw the all-too-familiar posts on Facebook--sobering realizations from my Facebook friends that winter break was coming to a close, and the time had come to head back to work and school. Along with these posts, people included humorous videos and memes that captured the hyperbolized emotions of this impending event.  One favorite among my own family was this cute little girl who couldn't even open her eyes as she forced down her cereal before heading off to school:

My boys, 4th and 5th graders, both giggled and said this was the perfect example of how they would be feeling on Monday morning.  (Fortunately, it wasn't quite this bad. They might have actually opened their eyes as they consumed their clementines and protein bars.)

As for me, the one that spoke most to me was this video, which was posted as the response to the all-too familiar question for educators: "What work did you do over break?"

Break. According to Merriam-Webster, a break is defined as "a respite from work, school or duty." The problem is that for those in education, a break becomes a chance to catch up or get ahead--grading a hefty stack of papers or projects, reading those professional books or journal articles that sound amazing but you haven't gotten to yet,  or even meeting with colleagues to do some lesson planning at a coffee shop.  With rapidly evolving technology and increasing demands in the world of education, educators' breaks just become our time to complete work without too much more work piling up.  It's an opportunity to finally get our heads above water to take a breath of air.  As you can see, though, using a break to work really isn't a break at all.  And I've been as guilty as the rest of my colleagues when it comes to breaks.

As any educator knows, teaching is an emotional job.  We work with children, so we can't help but form bonds with them that we carry with us beyond the school day--playing and replaying that interaction with a struggling student that didn't go well, thinking about how to help a student that just faced a family tragedy, or coming up with ways to get through to a student who seems unreachable at times.  All of this thinking and strategizing often occurs for me on the drive home, as I'm preparing dinner, or on the treadmill--on my time.  As a result, when I'm working, I'm working almost around the clock.  (I have even solved a few conundrums in my dreams.)  

So when winter break came around this school year, I finally decided to allow myself a break. No checking my e-mails obsessively.  No lesson planning.  No professional reading--just reading for fun! After 18 years in education, I finally took two weeks to enjoy my family, see friends, celebrate the holidays, and decompress.

This year's true break from my job left me well-rested, refreshed, and excited to go back to work today. I realized that my old way of approaching break--working in order to get ahead--didn't really help me get ahead at all.  Sure, it might give me a few weeks of plans or a smaller pile of papers to grade on my desk, but I missed out on time with others and time for myself.  It's no surprise, then, that in the past I came back to work still feeling a bit drained or overwhelmed.  Fortunately, I can report things are quite different this year; this year I return to school supercharged, raring to go, with a clear head, a sparkle in my eye, and without a lick of guilt when someone asks me "What work did you do over break?"  A simple two-week break provided me the energy, clarity, and enthusiasm I need to conquer the challenges that await me.  Bring it!