School Year Shut Down: Getting Our Souls Ready for Summer

Dear colleague,

Yesterday I took the chance to walk to work. I live close to my school, but I don't often walk.

Yesterday, though, I felt the need. So I did.

On the walk, I spent some time reflecting on the school year that's drawing to a close. On the students I've gotten to teach, whose faces I've gotten to know; on the countless colleagues I admire who won't be teaching next year, heading into earlier-than-expected retirements; on the faces of colleagues I've visited with in schools around the country.

And I'll tell ya — it felt good to just think on these things, think on these groups of people.

I also asked myself something I've been doing a lot lately: what's next for me in my work?

I mean, I know teaching's involved. I know I love my school and my students and my small town in West Michigan — blemishes and all, these are a people and a place I'm called to.

And I know writing's involved. I know there are so many ideas and sentences and paragraphs and articles and chapters in me that need out. Ten years into my blogging experiment (the blog's birthday was just a week ago!), and I can think of no other professional activity as gratifying as corresponding with you via the things I'm thinking and learning.

Teaching and writing, helping schools and teams, learning and sharing: these aren't going anywhere for me. Whether the coming year's labors help 1 or 100 students, help 1 or 1,000 colleagues — I intend to do it.

But that doesn't mean I intend to ignore my soul's need for rest this summer.

So, over the next couple of weeks, I'll be sharing a series of brief exercises meant to help us shut down our school years.

Beginnings and endings are important in this work — but not just because of how they impact our students. They're important for us, too.

To close out the article, let me suggest an exercise for this weekend: take a walk. And as you do, reflect on:

• Students you've taught this year.
• Colleagues you've known this year who are retiring or switching careers.
• The work you have ahead of you — meaning, the work your soul feels tugged toward.

The walk won't resolve all the hard and difficult and confusing that these questions may bring; but amidst all that muck, I promise there's good.

Best to you,
DSJR