Transcript

Hey, Teacher Friends. Antoine here and welcome to this week's episode of the Teacher Support Network Podcast. So you made it this year. School year is already done for you, or maybe in that final stretch, counting down the days. Either way, summer's calling and it's almost over for the year. But here's the big question.

As teachers and educators, how do we rest without getting rusty and how do we grow without grinding too hard during the summer? So today we're gonna talk about the summer balance of resting and recharging, and also using the downtime to continue to grow professionally. Because you're healing and your personal well-being and your professional growth don't have to be enemies.  They can actually partner together if we let them. 

So first let's talk about the reality of summer. Let's just name it.  You're tired and not just, “I need a nap tired,”  But deep down in your bones, “don't talk to me about bulletin boards, lesson planning, grading, and IEP writing tired.” I'm talking about that kind of tiredness.  And yet for some, or many of us, depending on who you are, there could be some feelings of guilt that may come up for you. Guilt for not using the summer to maybe lesson plan or prep for those first weeks of this new school year, or just not being what you feel like is productive over the summer.

But let me say it plain and clear to you. Rest is productive. Rest helps recharge you. Rest is really, really healthy. So next, let's just talk about maybe three ways you can recharge this summer without the overwhelm. 

So the first way is this. Give yourself permission to pause. Literally block out a few days or weeks to do nothing school related.

I'm just talking about nothing. You've done a lot every day for the past couple of months. And so now just have a few days or weeks of just nothing school related. Unplug. Breathe. Nap without apology. It's not about being lazy and it's not lazy. It's actually human.  Rest is part of what we need to grow and to replenish.

The second way to recharge is, um, kind of reset your routine. Now, I know as a teacher for me, it was hard for me to adjust to the first few weeks of summer to a different routine than what my body and mind was used to during the regular school year. That might be the same for you as well.

So I suggest ease into some new rhythms that bring you life and joy. Maybe daily walks, creating a summertime playlist, or just even going to a park and just enjoying the sunshine. It doesn't have to be perfect, but just make it intentional and meaningful to you. And the third way  to consider recharging without the overwhelm is to reconnect with joy.

Remember what lights you up outside of the classroom. For many of us, we're so busy during the school year that we forget what those things are that really fill our cup. So let me ask you.   Is it dancing? cooking? singing? hiking? reading? connecting with people? going to shows or concerts? There's so many more things that can help bring you life and fill your cup.

The school year is always so busy, so let your soul play a little bit. That's how you begin to really refill your teacher tank and get reconnected to yourself again. 

So we talked about the reality of summer and the need to rest and recharge. So now let's talk about ways to grow professionally this particular summer in a way that's kind of low key. So now that you're recharging, when you feel ready to stretch a little bit professionally without the hustle, this is how you can do it. 

I want you to think of it as like low lift PD or professional learning for the summer that YOU get to control. I emphasize the “YOU” because sometimes we have to go to particular professional development trainings and stuff that our school and district requires and wants us to do.

But in the summer, think about what you want to be learning to help you in your teaching practice. Here's some ideas to consider: 1) Tune into some other teacher podcast. I mean, you're already here on my podcast, so you're winning already, right? Haha (Lol). And I will be putting out episodes in the summer as well, so you're welcome to tune into those. But there are plenty of other teacher podcasts that are out there on different subjects and different topics that can really help you grow and you can get other ideas from other educators. 

Another way to do that is to grab an audio book or a book that can help you grow in your teaching practice next year. Maybe something related to lesson planning or your particular subject area or particular strategies that you wanna use or just other things related to, um, your, your practice and what you need. 

Then the third way to grow professionally in a low lift way is check out one or two short, I’d say less than two hour workshops related to your teaching practice. There are plenty of these kinds of workshops and PDs out there, and I say choose one or two if that's what you wanna do. Something that's short, less than two hours, and let that fill you up with something  new professionally. 

Get the information from there and see how you can implement it and start the school year off strong with some of the new growth that you've learned from these workshops. Let your learning ride shotgun while you clean, walk, hit the gym, or sip your ice coffee. Like I said, it is your choice and you get to choose. 

Finally, after recharging and having some low lift professional growth this summer, reflect on the past school year and reimagine the upcoming school year in the fall. This is really that kind of sweet spot.  You start by really asking yourself, “what worked this year? What drained me this year? What boundaries do I want to protect next year,  and where and who can I invite for more support?” And I suggest when you do this, take some time to journal and write down your answers.  

Put a pen to paper so you can really see it and go back to it. Then take some time to actually just walk away from it and come back and see how that's gonna help you reimagine what you want your year to really start off with next year. This reflection really sets you up to lead with clarity, not chaos in the upcoming school year.

So in closing, here's the summer rhythm that I want you to consider implementing or even adjusting as you see fit. So that's rest, recharging and reconnecting with things that fill your cup, considering some low lift professional growth opportunities, and then reflecting and reimagining what you want during the next school year.

Remember, you're not falling behind, you're finding your center, and you're not just resting, you're rebuilding. 

Now before we wrap up this episode, let me slide in this gentle invitation for you. So you may already be receiving my weekly email newsletter because you grabbed one of my free teacher resource downloads in the past.  If you haven't, you still can do that. You can look in the show notes in the resource section, but if you're not on my email list, please consider subscribing to my Teacher Support Network Newsletter. The newsletter will give you weekly doses of practical strategies, tips, resources, and inspiration to support you on your teaching journey.

Coming soon in the newsletter we'll have early invites to a summer PD workshop that I will be personally hosting on making Gen Ed and SpEd teacher collaboration stronger, along with new tools and resources to support collaboration while supporting students with disabilities and struggling learners in your classrooms.

So just head over to the resource section of the show notes to find the link. Or you can go directly now to your browser and type in antoinemccoy.com/newsletter.  Again, that's antoinemccoy.com/newsletter and join with the rest of the crew. It's free. It's weekly. It's made for you. 

So that's it for now.  Until next time, have a great week!

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