Mid-year is a time when teachers need a chance to recharge and avoid burnout. The first months of the school year, teachers and their students spent time getting to know each other and the classroom structure. Now, Montessori classrooms are starting to normalize and children are learning to work together. But this doesn’t mean the day is any less stressful for teachers. Progress reports will be due soon and staying on top of routine tasks like recordkeeping and rotating materials continue to take up valuable time. Even if your school does not offer a winter break, a long weekend with a day or two extra can work wonders for rest and a little bit of catching up. Before the winter holidays and New Year, set aside time to get ahead of chores and schedule self-care to ease the stress of fall. Read on for tips and suggestions to have a relaxing start to the next half of the school year.

1. One Task Per Day

Before any long weekend or break, check your calendar and work in extra classroom time after the children have been dismissed. Even fifteen extra minutes every day will give you time to complete a deep cleaning of the shelves, especially in Early Childhood classrooms where children’s cleaning contributions are more limited than in Elementary classrooms. An extra hour will give time not only for cleaning, but catching up on recordkeeping, as well. By scheduling time into your calendar in advance, your vacation time becomes free of nagging worries about the classroom. Teachers need to give themselves a complete break.

2. Wait, I Have Too Many Tasks!

Well, sometimes that happens. It’s important to find ways to balance extra work and vacation time. Each individual will find a unique solution. Try different strategies. If you are comfortable addressing some work tasks from home, dedicate a couple of hours to school tasks. Remember to be realistic and prioritize. Ask yourself whether the task truly must be completed by the end of break. Also, check in with administration to prioritize and discuss your workload. Work as a team to create a manageable plan so that school tasks do not necessarily have to be completed at home.

3. I’m Out of the Office—for Real

Deciding how to handle work communications is essential to set healthy boundaries between vacation and work. For vacation time, set up an automated email message that lets administrators and school families know that you are unavailable. The second sentence can simply state when you’ll be back at school so they know when to expect an answer to their messages. Of course, for emergencies administrators might contact a teacher over break, but thankfully those situations don’t arise often.

4. Ask For Help

Taking care of children, elderly family members, pets, a household, and more takes its toll on how well a teacher can enjoy time off. Go through your list of friends and family to see if playdates and other exchanges for care can be arranged.

5. Schedule Self-Care

A break is time to calm your nervous system down from the hectic daily schedule. Meditation and exercise are both moments to clear the mind and connect to the body. Sleep is also essential to health. If you fell off a regular sleep routine during autumn, try to restore it. Always talk to your doctor or mental health professional for serious concerns and for healthy lifestyle suggestions.

6. Cross Out the “Shoulds”

It’s important to separate your “shoulds” and your “musts.” Go through your tasks and chores marking which have to be completed and which can be let go. Write down the ones that can be set aside for a later date and revisited. Focus on the bare minimum of your “musts.” Once completed your time will be free of guilt and you can concentrate on what brings you joy.

7. Holiday Get-Togethers

Ask yourself, is this event essential? If so, then ask how can I make it less stressful? Prioritize who’s visiting over the holidays and whom you want to see. If there are family obligations that are stressful, look for ways to set boundaries, limit your time, and talk to a mental health professional before the event. Past family dramas and emotional upheavals can be resurrected when we return to certain settings. Talking to a mental health professional could give you strategies to alleviate emotional pain.

8. Stay on Budget

Slipping into debt is a stressor. Plan your gift giving and entertaining budget in advance. Then devise a strategy that helps you stay on budget. For winter holidays, talk to friends and family and agree upon a gift limit or try a homemade gift exchange. Not exchanging gifts is also an option. Host a potluck party rather than cooking the entire meal yourself. It saves on budget and can be fun for guests to try new foods. (Be sure to check for food allergies and dietary restrictions.)

9. Let Yourself Go & Laugh!

It’s guaranteed that something won’t go according to plan: a family member might get sick, a child will throw a tantrum, or someone will get into an argument. The scenarios are endless. Try to take a step back and view the situation from afar. Did the incident truly ruin the entire event? Your entire vacation? Oftentimes, we take mishaps seriously and cause ourselves more stress. If the situation doesn’t require the ER or other interventions, see if everyone can just let it go.

10. Reflect

Mid-year is the perfect time for teachers to reflect on what is working in the classroom and at home. There is enough time for both arenas to change, if needed. For instance, in the classroom if story time is not going as smoothly as it has in past years, ask yourself why. Is it the way this group of students interacts? Are the age-ratios unbalanced? Once you have an idea of what is causing story time unrest, you can brainstorm solutions. Try using movement-based stories, incorporating flannel boards, leaving more time for discussion, or choosing shorter books. Likewise, teachers can reflect on what is working at home and what isn’t. Does exercise time feel rushed and is often put aside? Ask yourself what is taking up that time. Enlist help to take care of chores or help with children. Prioritizing your health will go a long way to reduce stress.

Enjoying a break from work should not be optional. Take steps to leave work at school, prioritize tasks, and set boundaries. Once you have those areas organized, sit back and relax. You’ll be recharged and refreshed to finish the next half of the school year stressing less.

About the Author

V. Kulikow is a former Montessori teacher and youth services librarian. She currently works as a UX designer and enjoys content creation both with words and images. On weekends you can find her gardening, taking nature photos, and working on her garden design certification through the Native Plant Trust.

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The opinions expressed in Montessori Life are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the position of AMS.