Leaving the classroom may not be easy for some. It can be something like a death, an ending of an era. Although your teaching career may have come to an end, it is not the end of you. You have so much life to live. In this transitional period, there are some key things that I would like for you to remember.
Step One
Rest. Take this time to get some much needed rest. If you are anything like me, especially early in my career, I worked around the clock. From waking up early to prepare lessons to going to bed super late grading papers and providing valuable feedback to all of my 150 students. This is the time where you take care of you by resting. I know it may be challenging, because we are used to doing and there is always something to do. Stop! Rest. Do nothing, in that order. You have saved the world for a hundred-thousand students. Now it is time to take a munch needed break and rest.
Step Two
Self-care is essential. During this time of teacher transition, take this time and do things that are important to you. If you don’t know where to start, start by creating a list of things you like. My list look something like this:
- Hiking
- Massages
- Lunch w/ Friends
- New Experiences
This is just an abbreviated version of my list. Once I got my list, I committed to doing something on my list every day. I planned it out by scheduling it in my calendar. I can’t share with you the positive impact self-care has had on my teacher transitioning period.
Step Three
This is may not be a real step, but I just want to remind you to be gentle with yourself. Leaving the classroom may not be an easy feat. It comes with strings attached. The most important one is the heart string. I know when I left the classroom, sometimes I felt guilty. I felt guilty for leaving my kids and doing anything that brought me pleasure. I quickly had to move past that. Be gentle with you. Give yourself time to figure out your next moves. Give yourself time to find your way. Give yourself time to figure it all out.
As a teacher, one of our many attributes is that we are self-less givers. Now it is time to take this very same attribute and apply it to oneself. Take this time to rest, provide self-care, and be gentle with oneself as you transition out of the classroom.
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