As I write this column, it is spring in Washington, D.C., which means tourists are crowding the city to experience the cherry blossoms in full bloom. The city takes on a majestic array of colors and, knowing that cherry blossoms appear briefly, tourists and residents crowd the banks of the tidal basin to capture the fleeting days of the beauty that erupts every spring in D.C.
It seems to me that educators' summers are akin to this spring ritual. Educators look forward to taking time from their rigorous schedules to relax, knowing that these moments will be fleeting and need to be savored—just like the annual viewing of the cherry blossoms. Summer should provide opportunities for educators to recharge and truly enjoy their families and friends—time to laugh, pause at the edge of a lake, ride a wave or two, or explore a new trail. That novel gathering dust needs to be opened and the long-forgotten hobby calls to be rediscovered. An educator's summer is much too fleeting and much too rushed.
Graduate coursework, summer institutes, working with colleagues to create new units of study, and enhancing instructional strategies compress the summer months even further. The educator becomes the student. No matter the learning activity, educators pack a lot into a limited summer. However, as you read this newsletter, I hope you have found time to recharge and reconnect: both are essential to growing our hearts just as much as we focus on growing our minds.
Recharging allows us to recall with fondness why we chose this incredible profession and how we can make the next school year even better than the one that just ended. We face challenges every school year that zap our energy and, at times, make us question whether we have the resolve to return for another year; however, our students are counting on us to not just return re-energized, but to make them feel like they are the best class we will ever have.
When you think about your students this summer, I hope you take time to recall even those small moments that may have made a big difference for your students. Perhaps one of them is Juan, who feels a bit safer because he knew you would harbor him from the kids who bullied him on his way to school. Perhaps one is Donita, whose tummy was a little bit fuller because you treated her to your stash of cheese and crackers when she couldn't get breakfast at home. Perhaps one is Andy, who needed extra time to turn in an assignment because his family was struggling with his mother's sudden illness. Perhaps you didn't realize how much you mattered, but your students did.
August will roll around once again, and your excitement for the new school year will be just as acute as that of your students. Recharging and reconnecting fuels our resolve to start a new school year with optimism and commitment to be better, to make the difference, to matter. Here's to the kids who teach us so much and to the educators who learn from them every day! ASCD is proud to be a partner on this journey.
