Heidi: This is episode 197 of Teacher Approved.
You're listening to Teacher Approved, the podcast helping
educators elevate what matters and simplify the rest. I'm
Heidi.
Emily: And I'm Emily. We're the creators behind Second Story
Window, where we give research based and teacher approved
strategies that make teaching less stressful and more
effective. You can check out the show notes and resources from
each episode at secondstorywindow.net.
Heidi: We're so glad you're tuning in today. Let's get to
the show.
Emily: Hey there. Thanks for joining us today. In today's
episode, we're diving into why recovery after the school year
is essential, and sharing a teacher approved tip for
creating a summer bucket list that actually helps you recover.
Heidi: Let's start with a try it tomorrow, where we share a quick
win that you can try right away. Emily, what do you have for us
this week?
Emily: This one's simple. Just write a sticky note that says, I
will come back to this later, and then you stick it on your
desk, your laptop, or even your teacher bag. It's your visual
permission slip to pause. Not everything has to be handled
right now.
Heidi: If you like this idea or anything else we share here on
the podcast, would you take a second and give us a five star
rating? Ratings and reviews are one way that new listeners find
us. So every rating and review is a huge help to us.
Emily: It's true, we do a little happy dance every time we get a
new review.
Heidi: We do.
Emily: So this episode is coming to you in early June, which
Heidi: And if you are anything like we were in our teaching
means many of you are either done with school for the year,
or you can see the finish line just ahead of you.
days, you are probably experiencing a weird mix of
emotions right now. There's relief that the year is ending,
exhaustion for making it through, excitement for the
summer, and maybe even a touch of guilt.
Emily: Yeah, and unfortunately, that guilt can be loud. It can
shout at you from lots of places. There might be guilt
about being relieved that the school year is over, or guilt
over what you could have done more for your kids during the
year, and guilt that you had to put so much of your real life on
hold to manage your teacher life.
Heidi: And of course, we can't forget the summer guilt that you
should be filling your time with projects and plans and
professional development when really all you have the energy
for is moving from the bed to the couch.
Emily: Yeah, there were plenty of summers where I would
painstakingly outline an epic color-coded to do list that was
full of huge projects, like revamping the whole math walk,
you know, or reading all the professional development books,
redoing all of the bulletin boards.
Heidi: All of the things all of the time. That is how we roll.
And Emily, how many of those things actually got done?
Emily: Well, you know, it depended on the summer, but
never, all, never, all, my ideas were always too ambitious. But,
you know, my body had other plans, so I'd sleep in, plan to
get started later in the day after I watched a few episodes
of the show I'm binging, you know, and then after a couple
weeks, that guilt creeps in, and I would throw myself into my
projects like I was being paid for it, which, let's not forget,
I was not and neither are you. And then I chomp on the first
day of school, just totally exhausted and bummed out that I
lost my whole summer.
Heidi: Hmm, maybe that sounds familiar to you like it does to
me. This is such a common experience for teachers. You go
from sprinting full speed to a complete stop, and then there's
the deep spiral into panic mode.
Emily: And that is totally not healthy, and it's just not
sustainable. Rest is protective and essential, but if you
struggle to feel that way, maybe reframing how you think about
downtime would be useful.
Heidi: So to help with that reframing, we are revisiting the
four R's of recovery that we talked about way back in episode
13 and in episode 65. But we are adding a fresh perspective,
specifically focusing on why teacher recovery is not just
nice, but necessary, and why the guilt that we feel about it is
misplaced.
Emily: So let's just start there. Recovery is not
indulgent. It is necessary. It's a fundamental human need.
Heidi: Exactly. You are not a machine, and when you push too
hard for too long, your body and your brain start waving little
red flags that might show up as headaches, brain fog, low moods
and that bone deep exhaustion that coffee cannot fix.
Emily: Maybe you've noticed some of those flags. It takes actual
intentional rest to manage them. Rest is how your nervous system
resets, how your immune system rebuilds, and how your mind gets
a chance to sift through all of the noise. Ignoring recovery is
what leads to burnout, and we don't want that for us or for
you.
Heidi: If you're like a lot of teachers, you probably hold
yourself to pretty high standards, and when it comes to
recovery, that might mean that you want to put limits on the
amount of rest that you think you should require. But after
almost a decade of chronic illness, I am here to tell you
that bodies, unfortunately, don't work that way. You need
exactly as much rest as your body wants, even if that doesn't
fit into your schedule.
Emily: Yeah, and the amount of recovery you need is directly
proportional to the amount of stress and demand that you've
been under. Teaching is one of the most demanding professions
out there, and teachers make an average of 1500 educational
decisions per day.
Heidi: That is an enormous cognitive load, and that's just
the instructional decisions. We're not counting all of the
interpersonal, organizational and emotional decisions that
teachers face daily.
Emily: And when June hits and you find yourself staring at the
takeout menu like it's an algebra problem, or scrolling
Netflix, unable to choose anything to watch, that is not
laziness. That is just decision fatigue catching up with you.
Heidi: I've been there. Decision fatigue is no joke, and feeling
tired is not a moral failing. Your brain and body are sending
you important signals and you need to listen, or your brain
and body will make sure that you listen.
Emily: Yeah, it's kind of like your check engine light coming
on in your car, like you wouldn't ignore that, right?
Heidi: It did take me three months to get my car registered
this year. When I went to pick it up, they were out of the
little stickers for the license plate because it'd been so long.
Emily: So they didn't have the month that you needed.
Heidi: I had to mail away for it.
Emily: Oh my gosh. Okay, guys, don't take car advice from
Heidi. Just FYI. My service light turned on today in my car
because I will almost need an oil change very soon, and I
already was like, alright, this many miles left, then I need to
get it scheduled, because I am always on top of my car lights.
You can take car advice from me. But okay, moving on from that
analogy, our exhaustion is a warning signal we should pay
attention to. Don't push through it or feel guilty about it or
wait three months to deal with it like Heidi.
Heidi: Mmm, feels a little pointed.
Emily: I'm sorry.
Heidi: So let's talk through the four R's of recovery. Relax,
refresh, refocus and recharge. Each one plays a unique role in
helping you recover.
Emily: So starting with our first R, relaxing means engaging
in activities that are fun, freeing, and make you smile or
laugh. It's the art of doing something simply because it
feels good, not because it checks a box.
Heidi: But there's also an important mindset component to
recovery. It's about giving yourself permission to just be
without any productivity goals.
Emily: That's the hardest part for teachers, isn't it? We're so
used to measuring our worth by what we accomplish, I have to do
a hostage negotiation with myself to feel like reading a
novel during the day is actually okay and I'm not doing anything
wrong.
Heidi: If it's hard for you to embrace relaxing, try reminding
yourself that relaxation is a form of productivity. It just
looks a little different than grading math tests or vacuuming
your living room. Relaxation is productively giving your brain
the space to sort, heal, and restore.
Emily: Oh, I love that reframe, and it resonates with me,
because I have totally felt that guilt, like if I'm not actively
filling my summer with a huge list of tasks, then I'm somehow
falling behind or letting people down. But what if taking the
time for genuine relaxation is actually making you a better
teacher?
Heidi: Yes, we can't keep pouring from an empty cup. So
Emily, what are some practical ways that teachers can embrace
relaxation without guilt?
Emily: Well, first, and I think this is the best way, is to
schedule it. Put do nothing time on your calendar. Sometimes
scheduling something can give you the permission that you need
to follow through. Another idea is to leave your plan book
closed for at least a week, or maybe several weeks, if you can,
after summer starts. Hide your teacher bag in the trunk of your
car where it can't taunt you. And third, try this mantra, my
worth is not measured by my productivity.
Heidi: I love that. I am actually looking at a sticky
note on my computer right now that says productivity is about
more than output. I need this reminder daily that checking
things off a list might feel satisfying in the moment, but it
isn't the true key to happiness, supposedly. I am not less
valuable when I'm scrolling Instagram or, you know, just
doing something for fun, I'm a human doing her best. And
honestly, that is more than enough.
Emily: For sure. And I always think I'm a human being, not a
human doing.
Heidi: Oh, there you go.
Heidi: Nope. That's too crazy.
Emily: That helps. If you also struggle with this, try making a
Emily: Or trying some new tea flavors, or organizing your
summer slow list, a list of relaxing things to do, like
watching a whole movie in one sitting, maybe even without your
phone out.
photos, which is something I'm doing this summer, which I have
to say, it doesn't feel that slow. It feels kind of
stressful, but it is a, it is a big fun project, and I'll be so
glad, it's a good, it's a good one. Nothing has to be finished
or optimized, though. So if you don't get it done, it's okay,
because this is about giving yourself permission to just slow
down and be.
Heidi: Those are some great ideas. I'm kind of tempted to
start my own summer list now, especially if it has things like
afternoon reading breaks and episodes of The Great British
Bake Off.
Emily: Our second type of recovery is to refresh. This is
all about reconnecting with the parts of yourself that maybe got
pushed to the side during the school year. It's the you that
exists outside of lesson plans and grading and team meetings.
Heidi: A refreshful recovery—is refreshful a word? I think it
should be. A refreshful recovery might include hobbies, travel,
long lunches with friends, spending time outside, playing
video games, gardening, cooking, learning something new, calling
up an old friend for a long catch up, or finally finishing
that book that's been sitting on your nightstand since November.
Anything that helps you feel a little more centered fits the
bill.
Emily: Since the goal with refreshing is to feel more like
your true self, what's refreshing for one person can
vary wildly from what's refreshing for someone else. So
maybe for you, it's refreshing to write in a journal or binge
watch a comfort show, guilt free, but someone else may need
the excitement of diving into a new craft project.
Heidi: And don't feel like you have to put limits on what
refreshing looks like. Even a walk around the block with your
dog or whipping up something new in the kitchen can be deeply
refreshing.
Emily: And if you're the type of person who finds joy in learning
something new, maybe you should take a class just for fun with
zero tests and definitely no grading. Whatever helps you feel
a little more like yourself and a little more grounded, that is
what refreshing is all about.
Heidi: If you're stumped for ideas about what feels
refreshing, try making a list of things you enjoyed before
becoming a teacher or a busy mom, and then commit to
revisiting at least one of those things. That doesn't mean it has
to be your whole personality. It can be as simple as subscribing
to accounts related to hiking and photography on social media.
Emily: Yeah, even baby steps can move us forward.
And that brings us to the third R in our recovery framework,
refocus.
Heidi: For a refocused recovery, we're talking about regrounding
yourself in the rhythms that make your life feel manageable
and meaningful and maybe even kind of lovely. It's not about
adding more to your to do list or reinventing your whole life.
It's about gently tuning into what helps you feel functional
and centered.
Emily: So try asking yourself, what keeps me fastened to my
foundation? What habits or rituals make me feel most like
myself, not just a teacher, a parent, a partner or the fixer
of all the things, but you know, as like a whole breathing human
person?
Heidi: Start by listing out the routines and anchors that help
you stay afloat. That could be things like staying on top of
the laundry so your Tuesday doesn't start with an underwear
crisis, or even getting back to a regular exercise habit,
because your body feels better when you move.
Emily: That reminds me, I have laundry I need to go move. It's
hard to stay on top of the laundry. Refocusing is all about
returning to your daily rituals with intention and not
obligation. We're not building this into a perfectly optimized
routine that we're going to beat ourselves up for failing to
follow with 100% fidelity. You know that phrase. This is more
about reintroducing a morning walk, stretching with your
coffee, journaling for five minutes while the house is still
quiet, or finally lighting the candle that you keep saving for
the perfect moment.
Heidi: For you, it might be a date night that reminds you of
who you are outside of carpool duty or a devotional or
meditation that recenters you in something bigger than your
classroom tasks.
Emily: Think about your morning and evening transitions. Are
they rushed and chaotic or calm and nourishing? Can you make a
little space to wind down with a cup of tea to prep breakfast the
night before, or to set the tone for your day with sunshine
instead of email, which, guilty.
Heidi: Refocusing isn't glamorous, but it is really
powerful for me. I think it might be the most effective form
of recovery. It helps me put things back in place, both
literally and figuratively, if you could see my house, so that
I can face the next chapter from a place of calm and strength,
instead of burnout and disarray.
Emily: When the school year is in full swing, we so often move
into survival mode. Everything gets compressed, and the first
things to go are usually the small, quiet rhythms that
actually make us feel like a really happy, healthy human.
Summer is the chance to reset that so plan to refocus on
whatever routines make your body feel cared for, your mind feel
clear, and your home feel rich and happy.
Heidi: And that brings us to our final R, which is to recharge.
This emphasizes activities that fill you up with energy and
excitement.
Emily: Recharging is about building up positive energy by
actively refueling. Now this is different from our first R,
relaxing.
Heidi: Try thinking of relaxing versus recharging as checking
out versus checking in. Relaxing can involve a lot of losing
yourself in something enjoyable or even just something that's
non demanding, like spending two hours playing a game on your
phone. Recharging, though, is more about dialing in. It's
rediscovering the things that light you up.
Emily: Now, what recharges one person might completely drain
another. There's no one size fits all approach,
unfortunately. So you're going to have to think about what
gives you energy, mentally, emotionally and physically. For
one it might be solo walks with the podcast. For someone else,
it might be hiking with friends, baking or organizing a drawer, I
know, but that really can be energizing.
Heidi: If you're not sure what recharges you, take notes. Pay
attention to what leaves you feeling better and not drained
afterward. Keep a list of quick ideas so when your energy is
low, you don't have to guess what might boost that energy
level back up.
Emily: Yeah, I love that, because when you're tired, it's
hard to think of what would help. Having a pre made list
will make a big difference. And just remember there's no right
way to recharge. The goal is just to find what works for you
and make space for it.
Heidi: And remember that even small changes in a routine can
have a big impact on how recharged we feel.
Emily: Yeah, it's just being proactive about energy
management, and it's something I've realized lately too, that,
like, I know that what I'm doing is actually a recharging
activity, if when I'm done with that, I'm, like, excited and not
like, uh. You know, so believe me, scrolling the phone for a
long time does not leave me feeling like that.
Heidi: No, I can imagine that that wouldn't work. Well, that's
a really good thing to pay attention to. Another aspect of
recharging is identifying and eliminating energy drains. For
me, I found that a surprising drain was having the news on
while getting ready in the morning. Nobody needs that in
their life, so switching to music made an immediate
difference in my energy level.
Emily: Yeah, and it's worth noting that what recharges you
might change over time or in different seasons of life. The
activities that filled your tank five years ago just might not do
the job anymore.
Heidi: Oh, that's such a good point. It's worth reassessing
regularly and being open to discovering new sources of
energy.
Emily: Okay, so let's recap those four Rs of teacher
recovery. First is relax, give yourself permission to rest
without guilt. Second is refresh, reconnect with who you
are outside of teaching. Refocus is to rebuild the rhythms that
keep your life running, and then to recharge is to find what
fills your tank and do more of it.
Heidi: Many teachers worry that if they fully embrace these four
Rs during summer, they'll somehow be less prepared for the
next school year. And if you feel that guilt hovering around
you, I want you to shoo it away right now.
Emily: Yeah, there's this misconception that rest and
preparation are opposites, but recovery is preparation. That's
how we come back stronger.
Heidi: And research does back us up on this one. Studies show
that adequate recovery periods lead to higher productivity,
better decision making, and greater resilience when
challenges arise.
Emily: So if you're feeling guilty about not using your
summer to revamp your entire curriculum or reorganize your
classroom library, just let that guilt go.
Heidi: Yeah, your future students deserve a teacher who's
rested, recharged and ready to give them their best, not
because she hustled all summer, but because she took care of
herself.
Emily: If you know a teacher who could use a little permission to
rest, would you send this episode their way and come share
your recovery plans with us in our Facebook group? We could all
benefit from the ideas.
Now for our teacher approved Tip of the Week, where we share an
actionable tip to help you elevate what matters and
simplify the rest. This week's teacher approved tip is to make
your own personalized summer recovery plan. Tell us about it,
Heidi.
Heidi: Well, most summer lists focus on fun activities or
travel plans, which is great. We're totally here for that. But
teachers, I recommend creating a 4R recovery bucket list that
deliberately incorporates activities from each of our
recovery categories.
Emily: Oh, I love this idea. So what does that look like in
practice?
Heidi: Well start by grabbing our free end of year roadmap
from the show notes. There's a page in there that is set up to
help you tailor the perfect recovery plan for you. Now, all
of this is in Google Sheets, so you can type right on the page.
And I like that, because it's just so much quicker than
handwriting. You start by reflecting on where you're at as
the school year wraps up and envisioning what you need to get
out of your summer. And then there are boxes for the 4 Rs of
recovery—relax, refresh, refocus and recharge.
Emily: The next step is to brainstorm three to five
specific activities for each category that you want to
prioritize this summer. And make these concrete ideas, not just
relax more. You might really need to focus on recharging,
which is totally fine, but try to come up with a few ideas for
each area of recovery.
Heidi: Yeah, exactly. So for relax, you might write, read the
new Emily Henry novel, or catch up on The Last of Us.
Emily: Although I have to say, I don't think the Last of Us is
relaxing. If you do, tell me about it. I tried to watch it
just recently. I was like, I need to get on this. I love
Pedro Pascal. And I was like, oh, no, this is stressful.
Heidi: No, definitely not for me.
Emily: But if it's relaxing for you, you should put it on your
list.
Heidi: For refresh, it could be go to sunset yoga at least three
times, or practice playing the piano three times a week.
Emily: And then what are the other two Rs?
Heidi: Well for refocus, you might include something like,
figure out a meal planning system that doesn't make my
brain melt, or buy a tray to hold all of the water bottles
that the kids keep leaving around the house.
Emily: Oh, seriously.
Heidi: And for recharge, it might be hike a new trail every
week, or visit the local flea market.
Emily: So once you have all that filled in, the key is keeping
your planner visible, print it off and stick it on your
refrigerator or as your phone lock screen.
Heidi: If you need some accountability, try to commit to
doing at least one activity each week of your summer break.
Emily: Yeah. That ensures balanced recovery across all
dimensions of well being, not just physical rest.
Heidi: Exactly. And here's a bonus tip for each item, note
how you will know if it was successful. This helps you
recognize when an activity is truly serving your recovery
needs and when it's not.
To wrap up the show, we are sharing what we're giving extra
credit to this week. Emily, what gets your extra credit?
Emily: Well, I'm giving extra credit to the extremely not
relaxing book from John Green called Everything is
Tuberculosis, the history and persistence of our deadliest
infection.
Heidi: Not much of a beach read.
Emily: No, indeed, it is not. But I just finished reading
this, and it's just really on my mind right now. And to be clear,
I thought I pretty much understood tuberculosis, but it
turns out I did not. The book was just so eye opening to learn
not only how tuberculosis works, but to understand how it's been
just deeply intertwined with humanity over time. And really
the most mind blowing and frustrating thing I learned is
about how this disease is curable, yet it is the deadliest
disease in the world due to a healthcare inequality. So I get
it. This is a heavy topic, but the book is short and the
information is really compelling and digestible. And John Green
makes any topic easy to listen to or read, I feel like. And I
might just turn into him bringing up tuberculosis in
every conversation from now on. So be prepared, if you know me.
Heidi: If you follow him on social media, he kind of does a
bit, I guess, where people will be like, well, how does this
relate to tuberculosis? And he'll be like, Oh, easy. And
it's kind of like the worst version of the Six Degrees of
Kevin Bacon.
Emily: That makes me think of My Big Fat Greek writing, when the
dad's like, give me any word, and I'll tell you how it came
from Greek. It's like that, but with tuberculosis.
Heidi: A little less fun, but very interesting.
Emily: It's informative, if nothing else. So what's your
extra credit, Heidi?
Heidi: Well my extra credit goes to something very different. It
is the little Torani syrup bottles that you can get at
World Market. I picked up some the other day that came in a
special spring sampler variety pack. And it has been so fun.
I've been adding hibiscus and lavender to the Clearly Canadian
that I also got at World Market. So just a fancy little midday
drink for Heidi.
Emily: I love clearly Canadian. I'll have to get some mini
Torani bottles too.
Heidi: They're so cute.
That's it for today's episode. Teacher recovery isn't laziness.
It's a necessity that directly impacts your effectiveness in
the classroom and in life.
Emily: And don't forget our teacher approved tip, which is
to create a 4R recovery bucket list to ensure you're addressing
all dimensions of teacher wellbeing this summer. And you
can get that in the end of your roadmap, which is linked in the
show notes. You know we couldn't do a whole episode where we
didn't talk about the end of your roadmap again.
Heidi: We hope you enjoyed this episode of teacher approved. I'm
Heidi.
Emily: And I'm Emily. Thank you for listening. Be sure to follow
or subscribe in your podcast app so that you never miss an
episode.
Heidi: You can connect with us and other teachers in the
Teacher Approved Facebook group. We'll see you here next week.
Bye for now.
Emily: Bye.