Mission Stay Grounded: Back-to-School Season

It’s August and in two weeks it will be the last day of summer vacation for me.

I’ve been hanging out on Threads this week and there are a lot of teachers are talking about back-to-school season. Once August hits, it’s real. I, personally, get excited when it’s time to go back to school. Don’t get me wrong, I love the freedom of summer break, but I also love my students, the mental challenge of teaching, and the structure of a routine.

Seeing people post about August being a month full of Sunday Scaries and the dread they’re feeling isn’t my vibe BUT I do relate to the shift teachers experience going from summer to the school year.

My friend Patience calls this time of year “re-entry.” That term resonates with me because it makes me think about astronauts coming back into the Earth’s atmosphere after being in outer space.

Here’s the thing: astronauts prepare for re-entry. It’s not just something they do.

The spaceship itself is designed to withstand the intensity of re-entry and astronauts know they need to adjust to gravity when they get back to Earth because re-entry is a real, actual thing they need to account for.

I’m starting my 23rd year of teaching and I don’t have re-entry entirely figured out but I have learned to prepare for re-entry and to do my best to keep myself grounded. It’s a giant mental, emotional, and physical shift. I prefer to do what I can to be pro-active about it and boosting my self care now is part of my plan.

If you’re an educator and you’re headed back to school soon, here are some ideas you can start now and continue as you navigate re-entry. And if you’re not an educator, these are ideas for using writing to stay grounded that you can try too!

1. 5-4-3-2-1 - If your mind starts to think of everything you need to do to get ready for the school year and you start planning all the lessons you want to teach, use this exercise to come back to the present moment. You can do this in your head, talk it out with a friend, or write it out. List the numbers 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 down the left side of the page. Then list 5 things you can see, 4 things you can feel, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste. Do this as often as you need to so you can come back to the present moment and quiet your mind.

2. Gratitude Journal - Practicing gratitude is a way to stay positive when there is a lot to do. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, or unsure, reframe everything as an opportunity to be grateful for. Feeling overwhelmed with all there is to do can be reframed as an opportunity slow down, take a deep breath, and take one thing at a time. Feeling frustrated with something not going as you expected can be reframed as an opportunity to let go of that expectation and lean into the current experience. Feeling unsure where to start or what to do can be reframed as an opportunity to pause and trust yourself to make a decision that feels most aligned. Practicing this reframe is a way to practice gratitude for all the opportunities.

3. Daily Diary - This exercise comes from artist and writer Lynda Barry and it’s a great way to reflect on the day. This is great to acknowledge all that you accomplished during the day. Divide your paper into 4 parts. You’ll have two columns and two rows. The first row should be taller than the second row. The columns should be equal. In the top, left space, list 7 things that you did today. In the top, right space, list 7 things that you saw today. In the bottom, left space write something that you heard today. And in the bottom, right space draw something that you saw today. When you’re done, you can give yourself a pat on the back for all that you accomplished.

These are three writing exercises you can do to help yourself during re-entry. I totally get that it’s a stressful time of year and a huge adjustment to go from the freedom of summer to the intensity that comes with be an educator. There is a lot that isn’t in our control but we can do our best with what we can control and using writing to practice self care is a great way to stay grounded during back-to-school season.

What do you do to stay grounded during back-to-school season? Share your tips and advice in the comments. And if you know someone who could use some ideas for navigating re-entry, share this post with them!