Earlier this month, my mom got a new glasses prescription. Together, we went to COSTCO to pick out new frames. For me, choosing new frames can be a challenge because in order to see what the new frames look like…I need my glasses. It’s a catch-22. As we were trying on new frames, I stood as close to the mirror as possible, but that caused its own problem because when I got too close, all I could see was my nose.
That’s how I felt at the end of last semester: I was so close to my classroom that all I could see was school. In the last few weeks of the semester (during crunch time), several things hit a crisis point, and that’s all I could see. While some of those things were within my control, many of them were not. Nevertheless, I was fixated.
As a result, when break started, my bucket was empty. Although there were school tasks I wanted to accomplish over break (ie-revising my Gatsby quizzes), I realized I needed to take a step back.
I needed some perspective.
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Why Perspective Matters
As Psychology Today indicates, ”when our focus is too narrow, it can lead us to miss the big picture.” For me, my entire focus had become school, so I was neglecting other important parts of my life. Not only was I neglecting my family and my health, I was also not enjoying school. For the first time in my life, going to school had become a job, not a joy. And that’s how I knew it was time to take a step back.
Getting some perspective has helped me refocus my classroom goals and priorities. Over the course of the semester, our students grow and evolve, but so do we! The goals we set at the beginning of the school year may no longer be appropriate, so refocusing can help us revise those goals so they meet our reality. For this reason, getting some perspective has also let me recommit to my goals with a growth mindset: instead of feeling like I failed to meet my goals, I adjusted my goals to meet me where I am as a teacher.
Most importantly, getting some perspective has let me reconnect with my teacher truth. At the end of the day, I love teaching and learning. When my focus became too narrow, I lost sight of that joy. After a winter break with little curricular content, I feel excited and energized to meet my students on the first day back from break
How to Find Perspective
I cannot simply turn off the part of my mind that thinks about school, but over break, I made a concerted effort not to dwell in my classroom and not to visit my classroom. Here are the three steps I took to practice perspective:
Finish First: Before break, I made sure my grades were finished. At the time, this made me feel very crunched for time, but getting the grading done before the final bell really helped me take some time for myself this break.
Leave Prepared: Similarly, I stayed late on the day break began. This may seem counterintuitive, but I am almost completely ready for the first day back from break. Except for printing class rosters (which will continue to change up until the first bell), I am ready for when students return. This has given me great peace of mind over the break.
Unplug: During break, I’ve also worked to stay out of my school email. I have glanced at it a couple times, but none of the subject lines have been emergent. So I’m letting them sit there. Letters of recommendation and supply orders can all wait. This has helped me create the distance that provides perspective.
Maintaining Perspective
Since my mom picked up her new glasses prescription, she’s been able to better see the world around her. As I return to school this week, I hope to maintain some of that perspective. While I am excited to dive back into the classroom and meet my new students, I also hope to keep the big picture in mind and not get sucked into minutiae. What are your other suggestions for maintaining perspective? Let me know in the comments.
Photos by David Travis and Nicole Honeywill on Unsplash
