The weekend after Thanksgiving is a treat, isn’t it? It is meant for rest and leftovers and maybe some holiday decor, too. I have gone to bed before 9:15 for the last three days, and my favorite leftover this year was my mom’s pumpkin cheesecake. The Christmas tree is up, and the house is lit. The kids have written and rewritten (in expanded form) their Santa lists and are now settling into a general state of antsy boredom that indicates a readiness for school tomorrow.
I actually quite love the three weeks between holiday breaks in public school. I feel a little freer to do things that are underlined with cheer, like there is a little extra time for card-making or festive coloring. The principals may look the other way when our construction paper cutouts don’t necessarily meet common core standards for language arts instruction. I love the canned food drives and the giving trees that we are still allowed to have in our hallways.
This week, I will also finish a professional development class that I have been taking this semester about how educators can take care of themselves in order to take better care of others. It has been an interesting experiment in self-reflection, some good (like the no-pressure tidbits of joy I share below) and some intense (a personal mission statement I am supposed to live by? I can’t commit!). There have been joyous Aha’s (like, when you look for the good, you actually see a lot of good!) and reality checks (Did you know that most people spend 47% of of their time thinking about something else, like what is coming next or what they didn’t get right before, rather than being in the present moment?).
We explored all kinds of topics from revisiting why we chose our profession to building community, telling empowering stories, to meditation and mindfulness, all of which can be a bit heavy. But, we also got to collect some smaller things that bring us joy, purpose, and calm.
When you need five minutes to recharge and daydream, here are some fun and beautiful places to visit:
Zen on a city street corner (I love the grandmother.)
Best Christmas Villages in the World
USA’s Most Beautiful Small Towns
Find your Marigold (meant for teachers but could be applied in every place of work)
Make Cards for Hospitalized Kids
Make Bread (this one is a family favorite)
Check out these amazing photographs! (the one of the prairie dog and bald eagle is local to us)
Spark Interview (personal, of course, but reminds me of many of my “why’s”)
