Teaching is Exhausting.

Teaching is exhausting. There is the sense of presence you need, the constant energy you bring, the give and take between students, the conflicts you must navigate, the sense of pressure about the tests or workload and the tension between what you believe about learning and what the system requires of you.

This is especially true during this quarantine. Teachers have faced the challenges of a constantly changing context. Some have shifted from virtual to hybrid and back to virtual again. Others have taught virtual lessons and spent eight hours a day in front of a video screen talking to what often feels like a void of blank black screens. Educators have been experimenting and reinventing their teaching practice. Their moving through so many new iterations and trying to discover what works. It can feel like being a new teacher all over again. Many teachers I talk to describe the challenges of teaching from home while having kids at home or the difficulties in trying to keep work and life separate when the spaces are the same.

Meanwhile, we have all experienced some level of trauma. Some teachers have lost loved ones to Covid-19 or faced huge financial hardships. Others have delayed weddings, missed out on graduations, or delayed visiting friends and family. Many of us are missing live music or fun dates or dancing or sporting events. During the holidays, many of us were not able to see our families.  Even if you love teaching, it can feel draining right now. And here we are back at it again.

When Teachers Rest, We All Win

People say that teaching is a marathon and I think they are right. Even when you finish a marathon and you cross the finish line and you receive that medal and you are crazy proud of your accomplishments, you still find yourself collapsing on the ground in exhaustion.

That is what winter break was for many of us.

I mention this because I sometimes see a narrative that the “good teachers” are the ones who spend their winter breaks in professional development or in committees planning out lessons. It is easy, as teachers, to get sucked into the martyr syndrome, believing that you should selflessly give everything you have because you are doing it for the children. I call this the “superhero myth.”

Martyrs are not any good to kids. Students need teachers who are energetic and patient. However, this requires rest and restoration. Moreover, students need teachers who are passionate about the content they are teaching, which is why it is a positive thing when teachers spend part of the winter ‘geeking out’ on history or art or math or science. If we want kids to fall in love with reading, it helps to have teachers who spent a part of their winter lost in a fictional world or playing around with ideas in a non-fiction book.

Teaching is an exhausting gig. It is okay to take a break for a week or two (depending on your school calendar). Read a book. Watch movies. Go hiking. Swim. Binge watch Netflix. Kick the soccer ball around with your kids. Go hiking. You have poured your heart and soul into this gig. You should never feel guilty for resting. It is what your students need.

In fact, there’s a ton of interesting research in the book Rest, that suggests we are more productive and more creative when we spend time resting.

This idea is echoed in an article, where author Thomas Oppong wrote:

According to research, the brain gradually stops registering a sight, sound or feeling if that stimulus remains constant over time. You lose your focus and your performance on the task declines.

When faced with a long creative problem, it is best to impose brief breaks on yourself. Brief mental breaks will actually help you stay focused on your task and improve your idea generation approach. A structured downtime can help you do your best work.

We tend to generate redundant ideas when we do not take regular breaks. If you are hesitant to break away because you feel that you are on a roll, be mindful that it might be a false impression. Your brain needs downtime to remain industrious and generate better ideas.

Excerpt From “Finding Renewal on Your Winter Break” by John Spencer