A letter to teachers on the eve of Holiday Break
Congratulations!
You’ve made it to the holiday break—a time when coffee can finally be consumed while still hot, and “professional development” means binge-watching your favorite streaming shows guilt-free.
Let’s face it: you’ve just survived a marathon. Not the kind of marathon where people cheer for you at the finish line and hand you a shiny medal. No, this is the kind of marathon where the “cheering” is kids shouting your name every three seconds, the water station is the school water fountain, and instead of a medal, your reward is a stack of essays to grade during lunch.
And yet, you kept going. Why? Because you’re a teacher. You’re part educator, part counselor, part referee, part comedian, and let’s not forget—full-time superhero.
Every single day, you’ve been putting out fires—some metaphorical (meltdowns over math), some suspiciously literal (looking at you, science class experiments). And you did all this while navigating endless emails, attending meetings that could’ve been, let’s face it, an email, and eating granola bars in 90-second intervals because you have duty during lunch.
So here’s the deal: this break is your time. You’ve earned it. Nap unapologetically. Spend entire days in sweatpants. Ignore the pile of grading for just a little while longer (you know it’ll still be there when you get back). And if anyone dares to ask why teachers “need” a holiday break, suggest they spend six hours a day with 25 kindergartners/middle schoolers/ high school freshmen. They’ll understand.
You don’t just deserve more respect and better pay. You deserve a statue in your honor, national holidays named after you, and a Netflix series chronicling your epic classroom tales. But until that happens, at least let this holiday break serve as your mini victory lap.
Thank you for everything you do. Rest up. Rejoice. Recharge. And come back in the new year ready to continue shaping the future—because, let’s be honest, the world would fall apart without us.
Sincerely,
Kathleen Trace
P.S. If you want to accidentally “forget” your school email password until January, I won’t tell anyone. 😉
Looking for more reading material for teachers? Check out these posts:
I recommend reading Brené Brown
Review: Angela Duckworth’s “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance” Recommended reading for future/new teachers
Students AND teachers need mindful moments
How to bring mindful moments into your classroom part 1: meditation
Anecdotes from veteran teachers
Teacher Christmas Present ideas with Amazon links
You must be logged in to post a comment.