Spring Break Bucket List

Every year, we seem to drag our way toward spring break, arms outstretched for signs of a little time off. It’s been a long road, but over the next month or so, most educators in America will get a little respite. Some people have grand plans that involve travel, while others just want to stay home and bury their heads in the proverbial sand a little. No matter what your plans might be, consider the bucket list below a strong list of suggestions for resetting and recharging, no matter where you are or what you’re doing.

1. No grading. Nope. None.

I’ve often said with total seriousness that if grading papers were not a part of teaching, most people would last in the profession much longer. We might not be able to do much about the workload that piles up while school is in session, but taking grading on break means that our work follows us home and hangs over our heads. To anyone who hates that feeling, it’s probably worth trying to push through and get a lot done the week before break so that we can get a true vacation.

2. Sleep.

With all the demands of teaching, we can lose sleep for a variety of reasons, from staying up late to grade (see number one) to worrying about students. While it can be tempting to stay up late every night of break and make the most of rare free time, think about trying to get a solid eight hours of rest each night. It doesn’t hurt to disconnect from any devices about an hour before bedtime, either. That way, we can focus on rejuvenating the mind as well as the body.

3. Hello, sunshine!

A huge percentage of American adults are deficient in Vitamin D, which is particularly the case with individuals who do not get outside enough each day. School buildings are cavernous and often windowless, and it’s easy to remain indoors, especially for secondary teachers who do not supervise recess. During spring break, the weather is just starting to get milder in many parts of the country. Unless it’s raining, try to schedule some time each day to see the sun, even if it’s only a few minutes. Not only will going outside boost levels of Vitamin D, but it will also improve overall mindset and align circadian rhythms.

4. Just say no to email.

If your phone is set to “ding” whenever an email comes in, turn that feature off during break and try to avoid opening any app that houses work communications. When we think about what is both important and urgent, email rarely falls into that category, but responding right away to whatever falls into our inboxes creates a false sense of where priorities lie. There are reasons to check email over an extended summer break, but it’s harder to justify staying connected over spring break. Turning off notifications is freeing, not to mention an automatic stressbuster.

5. Channel What About Bob?

In the film What About Bob?, an anxious character named Bob (played by Bill Murray) asks his psychiatrist for help, and the advice he receives is this: “Take a vacation from your problems.” While this movie is comedic and the guidance Bob receives has strong limits that are hardly therapeutic in any kind of genuine sense, there is something to be said for taking a break from thinking about those day-to-day work details that tend to wake us up in the middle of the night. 

6. Use the bathroom.

It might sound a little tongue-in-cheek (with justification), but teachers on break enjoy the rare gift of not having accessible and clean bathrooms along with the time to use them. To be honest, being able to use the bathroom shouldn’t be considered a vacation perk, but that is just one of the many realities of teaching that people who work outside of education often fail to understand. 

7. Eat a nice lunch.

Anyone who works in a school building knows that lunch is a “maybe.” Best intentions aside, there are too many interruptions that come up during lunch, from kids coming to get help to meetings that can’t fit into any other part of the day. More often than not, lunch might wind up becoming an afterthought that may or may not happen. During spring break, we can commit to eating meals at a scheduled time, and even taking a little more care over what we enjoy. 

8. Make a Free Cone Day plan!

In the months of March and April, national ice cream retailers like Dairy Queen and Ben and Jerry’s have a “free cone day.” While ice cream is a good idea any day of the week, it can be a lot of fun to gather some friends and enjoy a treat in the sunshine, free of charge. 

9. Read a book.

When school is in session, we are all intensely plugged into devices, even after hours. For many of us, sitting down with a good book has become a luxury that we rarely have the opportunity to enjoy. It can be doubly hard when we’re tuned into phones or other distractions, so during break, think about being inaccessible for at least part of the day so that enjoying a few hours of reading time is not an absolute impossibility.

10. Give Hygge a shot.

Whether we decide to read a book or not, leaning into being comfortable is always a good idea. Hygge is a concept that The New Yorker refers to as “the Danish obsession with getting cozy,” and people typically think about the winter months when Hygge comes up. However, after a long stretch from winter break to now, there is nothing wrong with being cozy even as temperatures might start heating up again, especially because there is a spiritually refreshing aspect to engaging in hygge.  

No matter what kind of spring break any of us have planned, here’s hoping that it is a time that is full of joyful and restorative moments. Working in education can be tough both physically and mentally, and taking the time to recharge is a necessary step to heading toward June without a serious case of burnout.

Written by Miriam Plotinsky, Education World Contributing Writer

Miriam Plotinsky is an instructional specialist with Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland, where she has taught and led for more than 20 years. She is the author of several education books with W.W. Norton and ASCD. She is also a National Board-Certified Teacher with additional certification in administration and supervision. She can be reached at www.miriamplotinsky.com or via Twitter: @MirPloMCPS