Dear Parents,
You and your student have been grinding since August or September when it comes to their education. You have been showing up for Zooms or dragging yourselves to the drop-off line or bus stop each and everyday. I want to encourage you to take a break during this holiday recess and put school on the back burner to avoid burnout!
Below are five things to remember during your child’s winter break from school. Before you get yourself all worried or inflict self-guilt, I want you to know that I am an educator and plan to do these things too!
Temporarily Delete the School Apps from Your Devices
With the way the school year has panned out thus far during the pandemic, we are more connected to our devices than ever before. You get notifications anytime your student sneezes let alone anytime the teacher pops in a new grade in the online grading system. I’m not saying abandon screens completely (hello, screen time saves us all!), temporarily DELETE the school apps from your devices. Repeat after me: My family is on a break from school; we will resume all obligations on January 4.
Give Your Teachers a Break
While no one should ever feel like they can’t reach out to their child’s teacher, one should really consider the context of their email before sending. While on break, please refrain from emailing the teacher any business-related concerns. Everyone has been working hard so far this school year to ensure success. Therefore, everyone, including the teacher, deserves rest during winter break.
Read for Fun or Not At All
Winter break isn’t like summer break. It is just a two-week window of time to rest and recharge. While many schools send home reading logs and packets to keep students fresh during the extended summer break, this is not the time. Please don’t punish your child with reading, instead make it a time for fun. You might even consider this: maybe your high school student is burned out. Perhaps putting down the books, ALL the books is just what their brain needs.
Don’t Talk About It!
Seriously. Unless it comes up in a positive way, do not bring up school in conversation. It is so important to set that boundary and give yourself a total and complete break. ‘Out of sight, out of mind’ comes into play here.
Rest. Recharge. Relax.
When it comes down to winter break, give yourself a chance to rest, relax, and recharge. It has been a doozy of a school year so far. Give yourself, your student, and your family permission to set school upon the shelf (next to the elf!), and come back to it in two weeks. You are allowed and encouraged to spend time with your family without the added responsibility of academics.
