Teachers – 3 Things To Do Over a Holiday Break

Teachers, you probably spend a lot of time telling your students how to make the best use of “off” time for their studies, but how often do you make a plan for yours? Just like students, you may want to sleep in, relax, or take in a movie or two, but holiday breaks can be excellent times to find additional ways to refresh yourself, too.

One of the best ways to do this is to take up a new hobby or interest over the break. Think of your holiday breaks as your school time. If you spend some time learning new things or new skills, you’ll find that your brain remains stimulated and challenged, but because you are doing something that you are genuinely interested in, it doesn’t wear you out. For instance, maybe you take up a new exercise or dance class during this time, or you use this time to start learning a new foreign language. It can be almost anything, but try spending some time developing something new in your life.

A second way to recharge your batteries over the break is to do volunteer work, preferably through an organization that works with some segment of the population other than students. From time to time, teachers can find that their immersion in a student-driven world gives them a disconnected feeling towards adults or the “grown up” world. By spending more time with older adults, and volunteering to serve their needs, it renews your purpose and motivation for helping create leaders for the next generation. By reminding yourself of what’s at stake, it becomes easier to prepare your students to grow up wisely.

And a third thing to do to reenergize your mind and spirit over a holiday break is to hone your skills, too. Pick up that teaching methods book that you’ve been wanting to read, or visit the bookstore to see what’s new on the shelves. Review any articles that you’ve ripped out of magazines for posterity and be sure that you’ve actually been implementing those tips that you’ve found so helpful in theory. When you’ve done that, review the lessons you have planned for the first classes back after the holiday. If they don’t work with the new methods, change them up before your return.

There’s nothing wrong with sleeping in or movies, but sometimes, all that those things do is fuel your desire to do more of them, making it difficult to go back to work when the holiday is over. When this happens, you return with a sluggish, grumpy attitude rather than one of excitement and enthusiasm. The solution is in having a plan that builds in some refreshing but stimulating activities over the holiday break and to enjoy some extra sleep or a movie, too.