Next week marks the end of the longest school year I have ever experienced. It didn't have any more days than a normal school year, but since March of last school year, everything has blended together due to the pandemic. I'm exhausted and mentally taxed. I'm sure other people in the profession can relate. For those that ever wonder why schools have summer breaks, it is not because of the old agrarian calendar of past centuries, it is because the job of teaching is the toughest job around and teachers need some time away to rejuvenate, reflect, and refill their metaphorical buckets. Because of this, I have been thinking a lot about the road ahead.
I've been on numerous road trips with my family over the years and there is one thing that is certainly true. While I love my family dearly, being confined in a vehicle for multiple hours with the same people can raise the anxiety and stress level of all those involved. While there are numerous distractions available like cell phones, music, and DVD players, they can't cure the inevitable tense moments when family members strike a chord and get on your nerves just a bit. It reminds me of the scene in National Lampoon's Vacation when the Griswold's get busted at Walley World.
That is why rest areas are so important. Some might argue that they are for bathroom breaks or to stretch your legs, but for me they provide space and the needed respite from everything going on in the car. Well, we have arrived at the point in the school year road trip where it is time to get off the road and spend some time at the rest area. We need a little space from one another for the sake of our colleagues and for ourselves. This needed space isn't because we don't want to be around our work family, it's because we need a break to learn how much we appreciate one another.
For me, it means taking a break from writing and celebrating the fact that we accomplished what no one has done since 1918 and that is operating a school in the midst of a pandemic. It means that when I come back next year, I'll have to figure out how to write a blog without using the words pandemic, COVID-19, masks, quarantine, etc. I'm sure I'll relapse and infuse them into some of my writing, but I'm looking forward to a significant break. I'm not sure where the road ahead will take me, but I certainly know that I am going to spend a little time at the rest area to stretch my legs and not think about school. I hope you will do the same and if you see me there, all you have to do is give a nod and a wave. I'll know the secret language and meaning behind it.
#OwnYourEpic #FORGE
Posts
