This time of year can feel like a lot. On Saturday, I was in a kindergarten classroom helping my bonus daughter hang bulletin boards. Her former school closed in June, and she was only provided a day and a half to get her new room, in a new school, set up for this year’s kindergarten students. For many educators, the year has already begun, calendars are full, emails keep arriving, and there always seems to be one more thing to do. In the middle of all that activity, it’s easy to put yourself at the bottom of the list.
But here’s a gentle reminder: you are part of the learning environment, too.
Before we can bring our best selves to our students, it helps to pause and check in with ourselves. What is the “inner music” you’re carrying into the day? Is it calm and grounded? Rushed and scattered? Tired? Hopeful? A little bit of everything?
Our students feel what we bring into the room. They don’t need us to be perfectly calm or endlessly energized. They need us to be present. They need connection. And often, that connection begins with us taking a moment to center ourselves. I want to offer a few skills that may help you during this busy season, some I wish I had an easier time accessing in my 20+ years working on a school campus.
Press pause (Nurturing Myself)
Centering doesn’t have to mean an hour of meditation or a perfectly quiet morning. Sometimes it’s simply taking three slow breaths before opening the classroom door. It might be stepping outside for a few minutes, drinking your coffee without checking your email, listening to a favorite song, or giving yourself permission to sit quietly in your car before heading home. These small moments count.
Think of your resilience like a battery. You can keep drawing from it, but eventually, it needs to be recharged. What fills yours? Maybe it’s laughter with a colleague. A walk. Time with family. Music. Reading. A creative project. A good meal. Ten minutes with absolutely nothing on the agenda. Whatever it is, make space for it without guilt. Recharging isn’t stepping away from your work. It’s part of sustaining the work.
Notice what went right (Finding Gratitude)
When the days are busy, our brains can become experts at cataloging everything that went wrong: the lesson that didn’t land, the difficult conversation, the forgotten task, the unexpected disruption. Try balancing the scale. At the end of the day, ask yourself: What went right?
Maybe a student who usually stays quiet volunteered an answer. Maybe your class laughed together. Maybe you handled a challenging moment with more patience than you would have a month ago. Maybe you simply made it through a demanding day and showed up again. Celebrate those little moments. Noticing them consistently builds pathways in the brain to rewire.
So, as the pace picks up, remember to start with yourself. Check your inner music. Take a breath. Recharge your resilience battery. Look for the good that is already happening. Then walk back into the classroom (or workplace or living room) from that centered place. I see you.
Those you care for will feel the difference—and so will you.
With resilience,
Emily and the Dovetail Team