April is the cruelest month…

At least for educators it is. Why? It’s because spring break wasn’t nearly long enough, and the finish line is still so far away. So what can we do to get that last burst of energy needed to get to the end? Here’s my primary suggestion: double down on getting enough rest for yourself. I know that seems counterintuitive, but unless you take your need to rest seriously, you’ll be dragging to the finish. A marathon runner can’t just stop and sit down on the route, but YOU can and should. Let me give you another analogy from sports. Do you know why major league baseball pitchers try to take so much time between pitches? Because every second they are at rest contributes to greater speed on their next fast ball. Their muscles regroup. Your teaching muscles need to regroup, too, so stop prepping all the time, do something totally different, and recover them! Remember that preparation expands to fill the time you give it, so just give it less time. Trust yourself a little bit. Be creative. The students are not showing up right now because they have Zoom and pandemic fatigue, so every bit of creativity you can give to class goes an extra long way right now. And, as always, keep calm and teach on!