Teaching in 2020-2021: A Year-Long Workout by Holly Mawn

Every year on January 1st as people make resolutions, gyms and workout apps invariably tell us that they have just the thing to get us (back) in shape. As a teacher in the 2020-2021 school year, I am here to say that I do not need a new gym or app this year, because I am in the midst of the hardest workout of my teaching life, and if you’re a teacher this year, so are you.

This year feels like that moment when you think your body could not possibly do one more burpee, but the instructor tells you that you have 10 more, and somehow you manage to eke them out. This year feels like in spin class when you’re sprinting to an upbeat tempo, heart racing, legs burning, and you think the song is about to end, but then there’s actually one more chorus, so you have to keep pushing. And you know how during an intense workout 60 seconds feels like a year and 3 minutes feels like an eternity? This year feels like that, too. 

I like to think of teaching in the 2020-2021 school year as a really, really hard workout. Like a year-long P90X video. Like if you think of the HARDEST workout you can imagine, and then throw in some extra burpees, just for fun. 

We are all working so hard. Every single day. We are changing lessons to fit new models of education. We are checking multiple online platforms to make sure kids are getting meaningful feedback. We are managing health and safety protocols that no one even fathomed before August. We are pouring our hearts and souls into this work so that our students can grow, learn, and, most importantly, feel supported.  

I know that at the end of a hard workout I am usually sore and tired. But I am also always so proud. That feeling of accomplishment -- of knowing that I sprinted for 20 more seconds, that I lifted that dumbbell one more time, or, yes, even that I did that last burpee as the clock wound down (I really hate burpees) -- can’t be undone, and that leaves me feeling good. So I am hoping that whenever this school year ends, it also feels like that. 

Recently, though, and perhaps thanks to the New Year’s resolutions flying around, I have realized that my analogy about this year as a hard workout is incomplete. I have been skipping over an essential part of any exercise routine: rest. Even the best athletes in the world are not training 100% of the time. Even the hardest workouts have rest and active recovery built into them. Because no one can push that hard -- it’s not how our bodies work. Without a chance to rest, our muscles would never actually get stronger, and our bodies would quite literally stop.

I have been working as if I am in that unexpected final sprint all day, every day. What I am beginning to realize, though, is that if I push myself to give 100% to school every single day, without taking time to rest, I will never become a better teacher. My students will never get to fully benefit from my teaching. 

Rest from exercise gives the body a chance to absorb the work it’s done, then recover and rebuild stronger. Rest from teaching does the same thing. A colleague recently commented on how her best lesson plans come to her in the shower, and I’m sure that’s not uncommon. When we take time to rest, even in a small way such as in the shower, we free up our minds to reflect, refresh, and come back stronger. A problem that seems insurmountable in the middle of the school day can actually feel manageable once your brain has a minute to turn off and recharge. When we give ourselves time to breathe, and even relax, we can come back to teaching with a renewed interest, with fresh perspective. We come back stronger, ready to be better versions of ourselves so that we can give our students what they need.  

So as we enter the 2021 part of this school year, I am challenging myself to find moments to build rest into my day. It is not enough to tell myself, “I’ll rest over the weekend,” or “I just need to push through and make it to break.” Rest needs to be a part of every day, even (maybe especially) when report cards are due and Zoom is crashing. Don’t get me wrong, I still plan to give it my all. Instead of thinking of it as an all-out sprint, though, I am reframing this year-long, grueling workout to include rest. I am changing my mindset so that I can come out of this school year in June not only proud, but also a better teacher. I invite you to do the same. 

 

Holly is a third grade language arts teacher at an all-girls independent school in Pittsburgh. A New England native, she has enjoyed getting to know Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania over the past 2 years, especially by biking the numerous trails surrounding the city.