By The Educator Collaborative 2023-2025 Associate Member Christie Nold
In the world of education, summer is…complex. It can be a time of rejuvenation, rest, anxiety, isolation, connection–all of these things and sometimes all at once. Students return in the fall recounting their days of travel soccer, talking about their favorite summer camp, relaying the hours spent at their summer job, or keeping their heads down in order to avoid confronting summer at all. As educators, our role involves creating community by bringing all of these students, and their varied experiences, together. There have been many fantastic pieces on how to begin the year for students. Rather than focus on the creation of these routines and community, I’d like to consider the transition from summer to fall for educators.
Like the summer experiences of our students, summer can bring with it varied experiences for educators. Some might take the opportunity to travel, to get outside at every opportunity. Others might be busy caring for a loved one who is making a transition, working a second job, or tending to children. Summer can also be spent engaging in professional learning, preparing a classroom, or writing curriculum. Likely, it is spent engaging in many of these things! This year, I’ve tried to devote my summer to slowing down, spending time with family, and “readying” myself for fall.
In the past, I’ve found it challenging to ease into summer. My mind buzzed with school happenings, my body began to crash, and I’d sleep through waves of unmet exhaustion from the previous year. Then came July, then August–and before I knew it, I was back at it. For the past six summers, I’ve spent summer solstice weekend camping. First alone, then alongside my partner; now, with our family and others. This time spent outside and away from my devices has created a kind of space that has developed the sense of ease I’d been missing.
This summer, in addition to our now-annual camping trip, I added a journaling practice to begin and end each day. I’ve been using the five-minute journal and have also had success in the past with any notebook/paper that allows me to capture my thoughts. What is it that I’m grateful for? What am I hoping for out of my day? At the end of the day, as I wind down, I reflect on the things that made that day wonderful and anything that might have felt like a missed opportunity. This simple routine has helped me stay grounded despite the many challenges in our world today.
My final offering to myself has been to “prepare” for fall. This has included the intellectual prep necessary to engage in new content and upcoming professional learning days, but also storing blueberries and raspberries in the freezer, cleaning out my closet (literally), and organizing corners of our house. I know that despite my best efforts, fall will likely feel like drinking from a fire hose–AND I believe that Fall Me will be thankful that things are a bit more “in order.”
I recognize that many of the items on my list–camping in green spaces, access to berry farms, time I can devote to work/home without the pressures of a second job–are a blessing that not all people have access to. I also hope that some of these feel transferable and might help mitigate any challenges summer often brings. Finding a place for a quiet walk, taking a moment to jot down a gratitude list, really allowing your body to stretch, sorting through a closet or pantry, cooking a meal that you can freeze and enjoy during a particularly busy evening.
For many of us, the school year can be a blur. It involves so much of our passion, intellect, organizing capacity, and courage. As much as you’re able, I hope you can find a sense of ease in these last few days or weeks as we all prepare for another year.
