As we develop KG Education, our goal is to incorporate wellness in our vision of professional learning for educators. Taking care of ourselves needs to be an important priority (for all people, not just teachers), but it is all too easy to ignore/skip/not prioritize our wellness activities. I am passionate about my work as an educator and there have been many times when I’ve ignored my own wellness in pursuit of some goal or task related to my work. I have made some gains in this area and *often* (not always) do better at making time for my own wellness. We hope that we can help other educators make time for wellness by integrating wellness practices with our learning retreats. Something I read recently really got me thinking about the importance of self-care and how we perceive it…
This summer, I traveled to Fiji with my husband. Travel is often a form of wellness for me as I’m good at truly taking a break and recharging when I have somewhere sunny to lounge in the sun and read for hours (and no access to my home or my work). There were many hours of sun-soaking and reading on this trip. One of the books I started reading, You are a Badass by Jen Sincero, included a quote that really resonated with me.
“The better our bodies feel, the happier and more productive we are.” YES!! I think one of the reasons that we can ignore our own personal wellness is because we sometimes look at it as a luxury. For me, this quote puts that notion into question. Is wellness something fun and extra and luxurious or is it a way to ensure our happiness and productivity? I think that we can be much more productive as educators if we are taking care of ourselves. If you’re like me and you sometimes have difficulty making time for wellness, try thinking of it this way: looking after yourself will increase your productivity, therefore resulting in better work (even though you took some time for wellness rather than work).
Summer holidays make it pretty easy for me to incorporate wellness: I do yoga and workout, I ride my horses, I spend time with family and friends. When I have all day to fit these things in, it seems pretty doable to look after my body. (Sometimes I even actually do some work too 😉 ) Some of you are already back to school and some of you are thinking ahead and preparing for students to return in September. As we approach this back to school season, it can become harder to make time for self-care. Are you feeling it already? We get it. We struggle to find balance between work and wellness too.
So… As you begin planning for a fabulous year of teaching and learning, we encourage you to make a plan for taking care of yourself too! We’re big fans of yoga and walking. We both enjoy travel and reading. I love horseback riding and Devon enjoys time with her dogs. We’re trying to include wellness in our daily lives and we hope you will too. What wellness practice will you include in your back to school routine? Drop us a comment and let us know your game plan for self-care this year!