As teachers, we all love that big six week holiday break… so much so, that we even count the number of days left until the holidays arrive. It’s our chance to relax, unwind, and not think about work for a week or two. But as well all know, those six weeks do not last forever, and at some point, we have to go back to work… the gruelling thought of having to go back. That’s not to say that we don’t love what we do, but it is hard going back after such a long time off.
So…
Here are a few helpful ideas you could do and use to help you get into the swing and get the right ‘mind-set’ ready for going back to school.
Be prepared – there is nothing worse than not being prepared before you go back. No teacher should enter a school unsure of what they are doing or what schemes of work they will be teaching. Rather than leaving everything until the very last minute, get an early ‘heads-up’ on your planning and what you are going to teach for the term. The earlier you sort out these details, the less stressed you will feel in your final days of the six weeks holiday.
Get in routine – most of us tend to get into different sleeping patterns over the holidays… late nights… lay-ins in the morning… lazing around! this makes it difficult to go back as we have to get used to the early mornings, the traveling, the stresses that come with the job (which will be another blog). A good tip is to get up early for your last week of the holiday. It is the hardest thing to do as you are still in holiday mode, and know you don’t really have to get up, but it is just enough to get you back into routines of getting up. This coincides with getting an early night’s sleep. Again easier said than done, as it is oh so easy to be restless throughout the night and und up getting no sleep at all, waking up super tired. Hopefully, if you do this a week before you go back, it will just be enough to get your body clocks back into work mode
Teacher mode – as teachers, we have an in-school and an out-of-school persona. Our in-school persona is well mannered, polite, prim, proper and punctual. As soon as we walk through those school gates, teacher mode kicks in. Be sure that you are entering the school as Mr. Smith the music teacher and not Graham, from down the pub. Be sure that you enter the school as Miss Webb the Science teacher and not Kate from down the Bookies. What we do in our personal lives should in no way affect our professional lives, so get into teacher mode.
Set yourself goal treats – having something to look forward to over the next up and coming half term makes the time go quicker when teaching. A treat to look forward to is another aspiration for all of the hard work that you put in over the teaching period.
Health check – I tend to eat a lot of rubbish food over the school holidays, it’s one of my ways of unwinding. Eating healthily on your final week will tune your body up, and make you feel fresher in mind. I am not advising any diets or exercise regimes by any means, just, perhaps, exchanging that McDonalds treat to a Cesar salad maybe, to give you that extra edge.
I hope these tips will help in beating that going back to school blues
Andy T
