Valuing Rest
April 7, 2025 – Had a Big Breakfast on Sunday
Oh geez… it’s the end of the winter term. I have such mixed feelings about it. I loved my classes. I was teaching EDUC 421 (Assessment and Motivation), EDUC 376 (Numeracy Foundations in the Elementary Years), EDUC 201 (Education Theory and Practice), and EDUC 656 (Instructional Leadership). Honestly, I loved all of these courses for different reasons. Two of the courses are in the teacher education and my classes were focused on the Elementary Years Cohort. The other two classes were in the undergraduate and graduate programs respectively. I learned so much from each of those classes, but also I got to share what I love and love to learn with the students as well. What a gift!! I think that I am about 90% there with feeling good about my pedagogy and honing my craft in a way that is authentic to who I am. Looking back at my former teaching practice, many elements are similar upon reflecting on how I taught secondary mathematics near the end of my time in K-12 schools. But what’s different between my two practices in teaching is taking the intentional time to REST.
One of the things I was working on and developing in 2024 is taking Saturdays as “be a person” day. What I mean by that is, do what you want to do to move life forward without feeling any guilt or shame for not doing work on that day. Often, the work for educators is endless and its often in the mind with no off-switch. I practiced this way throughout my time in K-12 education. I worked around the clock. I remembered working at 2-3 am and I was a new mom, but had returned back to work with new prep. In the dark, I heard a thump, thump, thump. It was my kid coming down the stairs with her blanket and she just stared at me wondering… what the??? Then, she hopped on the couch behind me and went to sleep. Of course, I kept on working. All nighters was a “normal” thing for me to do. I can only imagine the quality of my work after an all-nighter. This story does not mention all of the times I went to work sick. A part of me is very thankful for the COVID-19 pandemic that insists that people to STAY HOME with any symptoms that resembled COVID-19. Strangely, it was a blessing.
Admittedly, I did do a couple of all-nighters this term. My schedule was somewhat brutal in the sense that I had 2 courses back-to-back on Mondays (i.e., 8-hours of instruction) and I had conditioned myself to take Saturdays (which often included part of Fridays and Sundays) off to rest and “be a person.” Even though I know the course content, it takes about a 1:1 ratio of time to prep. I like to make the learning relevant for the learners in my class. And as you know, no person and no class is the same from year to year. The intention to cater each class so that it creates a “scope and sequence” that is personalized for those ho are in the room. A full day of teaching on Mondays, then a night class on Tuesdays and another night class on Thursdays made my schedule for the week. To prepare for and teach on Mondays, everything else is parked. I parked so much stuff that I did not catch up on what I wanted to catch up on during the 5-weeks I did not have this class due to practicum, a long weekend, and weeklong break. I’m astounded. There is so much to do and so little time.
I’m not complaining. I loved these classes and I think it took me the whole 13-weeks to figure out my flow for the term. That is so weird, but it’s true. By the time it came to my last class on Thursday nights, I felt like I got my rhythm. Unfortunately, the term ended. What I do commend myself for is recognizing the need for rest. So, what I noticed is, I cannot do any work after I teach. So, no emails, marking, or meetings on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday nights. I just didn’t have the energy. I would make myself a yummy dinner at home, rest on my recliner, watch some TV, and go to bed (at a decent hour). I needed to do that for myself to regulate my time and work output. I also noticed that a 3-minute email the next morning would take 3-hours to write the night before. Moreover, I noticed that my brain could only hand certain things and information when it was ready and had “space” to think about those things. It made for more sound and reasonable take-action and decision making.
If anything, I wanted to not only do this balance between rest and work viable for me to stay sustainable and happy in my work, I wanted to model this way of being for my students, regardless of what program they are in. I also designed my classes so that they would respect student voice, rest, and activity. I think the “old me” wanted to keep ploughing ahead because I thought that was what was expected from me. Now, I understand, I can plough at my own pace. People can provide feedback, but I needed to be very clear about putting the students (and my wellness and wellbeing) at the centre of my practice. So, I took this weekend off. My last teaching day was last Thursday night. Assignments are due this week. I took the weekend to REST… despite the pile of work and timelines that are ahead of me. I didn’t even blog on the weekend. I did enjoy the company of a friend over breakfast and engaged in a few tasks for my home (i.e., recycling, laundry, food shopping, etc.), and I feel great!!