Almost all independent teachers have a one week spring break scheduled. It usually coincides with your public school system’s week long break. This year, my studio waits until the 2nd week of April before our county closes through the Easter weekend. It’s been a longer haul than usual since last year I was on break this week! Year ago, my thoughts about spring break revolved around doing a “catch up” week–purchasing music one day, doing fall enrollment paperwork another, and on and on. As time went by, however, I discovered how cheated I felt using this week as a semi-work week. I told myself I did fun things too like lunch with friends, and movie night. Somehow it just didn’t seem like enough.
At the time, our family schedule didn’t allow for us to travel away for spring break. There was always something one of the children had to do during that week. I tried stay-cations and all the rest. Finally I realized–I need the break as much as the students do. Whether or not I was staying home for the week or not, the studio door was shut and did not reopen until the first morning back. How liberating! Shutting the door literally made me turn off the “teacher mode brain” I had gotten myself into. If paperwork or planning didn’t get done before the students left for break, then I would resume those activities for the first morning back. I found this drove me to get things done early before the break or I would adjust the schedule for when I returned. This year I am leaving town, and I hope many of you are leaving for at least some of the time. But if you are not, truly give yourselves the gift of time away. Things truly will go better with a refreshed teacher when the students return.
I always close my studio for the summer for the last two weeks before school starts. This works out to give me that much needed reprieve before the fall officially begins. It’s not too early to consider where and when you studio will close over the summer. I am a proponent of keeping some kind of summer schedule for both the teacher and the students. That will be covered in a post in the near future. In the meantime, enjoy your week off. Renew and relax–you have earned it!