The end of Spring Break is nigh for this teacher.
Throughout grad. school I had Spring Break too. I find that since earning my doctorate, I savor these sweet mini-vacations sprinkled throughout the academic year more than I ever did then. While in grad. school there was the constant pressure of needing to get stuff done. Grading, collecting data, analyzing data, writing an abstract for a conference, writing a publication, editing a publication, writing the dissertation, etc…
That’s not to say there aren’t things to be done during the breaks as a teacher. I took some time during the week to finalize grades and input quarter 3 grades. Today I took time to plan lessons for the ecology unit for my A.P. students.
But mostly, I shut those little voices up who whisper and nag about all of the things that need to be done. I weigh the worth of a task before adding it to my to-do list during a break time. Is doing this now really going to help me or my students? If the answer is no, then it can wait. I spent too many years with my nose to the grindstone to keep it up anymore. There are tradeoffs to everything, and I can’t continue sacrificing my sanity and my health for others.
I’m glad I’ve started to change in that regard, because I do feel restored this week. I biked. I volunteered. I walked. I made stuff. I wrote. I read. I ate tasty food. I slept (a lot). I drank tasty beverages. I shot my bow. I cleaned. I watched movies and shows I wanted to watch. I went to Renaissance festival. I met new people.
After a week of doing those things, I find I’m ready to go back. I want to interact with my students and colleagues again. I want to help my students be successful in their upcoming exams and impart on them any final words of wisdom about biology I can.
*Sidenote* – I also want to start making money again. (You see, even though teachers get these breaks we only get paid for the 198 days we teach. Basically, I paid myself to take this break. Just pointing this out for those who think teachers get paid vacations. Not so much…)