The Art of Letting It Go at the End of the Day (and the beginning of the summer)...Why balance is not a luxury — it is a requirement

My confession...

I clock out of work no later than 3:15pm every single day. I also clock in every morning by 6:30, sometimes earlier. Up until about December of this school year, I was going in on weekends too.

When I leave the building, I do not always actually leave. Most evenings I am still working from home. Grading. Planning. Responding to emails. For me it is mostly relaxing, mostly. When it stops feeling relaxing, I step away. But the line between work and rest is something I have had to learn to draw, and I will not pretend I have it all figured out.

I share this because I want you to know that this is not a post written from a place of having it all together. It is written from a place of still figuring it out, just like you.

Why it matters

A teacher who does not replenish their cup simply cannot pour into others. That is not a suggestion. That is a fact.

The students who will sit in your classroom in August need you whole. They need your patience, your creativity, your energy, and your presence. None of those things are renewable without rest. None of them survive a teacher who has spent twelve straight months running on empty.

Letting go is not laziness. It is stewardship of the gift you have been given to teach.

What letting go can look like

It does not have to be elaborate. Consistent, focused prayer or meditation. A workout that clears your head. A phone call or text exchange with an old friend who makes you laugh. A good book. A great show. A slow walk with no destination. Whatever it is that reminds you that you are a full human being with a life outside of your classroom.

Find it. Protect it. Return to it as often as you need to.

The invitation

This summer, practice letting go. Not just of the school year, but of the pressure to always be on. The emails can wait. The planning can have boundaries. The version of you that shows up for your students every day deserves the same care and attention you give everyone else.

Start there.

💜💚 Teaching: The Real — Real texts. Real topics. Real thinking.