We don’t know who needs to hear this, but rest is not a reward you have to earn! In this episode, we’re talking all about teacher recovery in summer, why it’s essential, not indulgent, and how to make it happen in a way that feels good. We introduce the Four Rs of Recovery—Relax, Refresh, Refocus, and Recharge—as a practical framework to help you build a personalized recovery plan. From resetting routines to rediscovering joy outside the classroom, this conversation is your permission slip to take the break you deserve.

Prefer to read? Grab the episode transcript and resources in the show notes here: https://www.secondstorywindow.net/podcast/teacher-recovery-in-summer/

Resources:

• Freebie: End of Year Roadmap
• Everything is Tuberculosis, by John Green
• Join the Teacher Approved Club!
• Connect with us on Instagram @2ndstorywindow.
• Shop our teacher-approved resources.
• Join our Facebook group, Teacher Approved
• Leave your review on Apple Podcasts!

Related Episodes to Enjoy:

• Episode 13, Design Your Summer
• Episode 65, Make an Easy Plan for Your Perfect Teacher Summer: Recovery and Readiness
• Episode 130, The 2 Things Teachers Need to Refuel This Summer
• Episode 134, The 10 Stages of Teacher Summer Break
• Episode 196, The 3 Step Plan to Park Those School Thoughts and Enjoy Your Summer Break

Mentioned in this episode:

Set up back-to-school the right way, so the year doesn't come undone by October. Get your free ticket: https://secondstorywindow.net/summertalks

This is episode 197 of Teacher Approved.

You're listening to Teacher Approved, the podcast helping

educators elevate what matters and simplify the rest. I'm

Heidi.

And I'm Emily. We're the creators behind Second Story

Window, where we give research based and teacher approved

strategies that make teaching less stressful and more

effective. You can check out the show notes and resources from

each episode at secondstorywindow.net.

We're so glad you're tuning in today. Let's get to

the show.

Hey there. Thanks for joining us today. In today's

episode, we're diving into why recovery after the school year

is essential, and sharing a teacher approved tip for

creating a summer bucket list that actually helps you recover.

Let's start with a try it tomorrow, where we share a quick

win that you can try right away. Emily, what do you have for us

this week?

This one's simple. Just write a sticky note that says, I

will come back to this later, and then you stick it on your

desk, your laptop, or even your teacher bag. It's your visual

permission slip to pause. Not everything has to be handled

right now.

If you like this idea or anything else we share here on

the podcast, would you take a second and give us a five star

rating? Ratings and reviews are one way that new listeners find

us. So every rating and review is a huge help to us.

It's true, we do a little happy dance every time we get a

new review.

We do.

So this episode is coming to you in early June, which

And if you are anything like we were in our teaching

means many of you are either done with school for the year,

or you can see the finish line just ahead of you.

days, you are probably experiencing a weird mix of

emotions right now. There's relief that the year is ending,

exhaustion for making it through, excitement for the

summer, and maybe even a touch of guilt.

Yeah, and unfortunately, that guilt can be loud. It can

shout at you from lots of places. There might be guilt

about being relieved that the school year is over, or guilt

over what you could have done more for your kids during the

year, and guilt that you had to put so much of your real life on

hold to manage your teacher life.

And of course, we can't forget the summer guilt that you

should be filling your time with projects and plans and

professional development when really all you have the energy

for is moving from the bed to the couch.

Yeah, there were plenty of summers where I would

painstakingly outline an epic color-coded to do list that was

full of huge projects, like revamping the whole math walk,

you know, or reading all the professional development books,

redoing all of the bulletin boards.

All of the things all of the time. That is how we roll.

And Emily, how many of those things actually got done?

Well, you know, it depended on the summer, but

never, all, never, all, my ideas were always too ambitious. But,

you know, my body had other plans, so I'd sleep in, plan to

get started later in the day after I watched a few episodes

of the show I'm binging, you know, and then after a couple

weeks, that guilt creeps in, and I would throw myself into my

projects like I was being paid for it, which, let's not forget,

I was not and neither are you. And then I chomp on the first

day of school, just totally exhausted and bummed out that I

lost my whole summer.

Hmm, maybe that sounds familiar to you like it does to

me. This is such a common experience for teachers. You go

from sprinting full speed to a complete stop, and then there's

the deep spiral into panic mode.

And that is totally not healthy, and it's just not

sustainable. Rest is protective and essential, but if you

struggle to feel that way, maybe reframing how you think about

downtime would be useful.

So to help with that reframing, we are revisiting the

four R's of recovery that we talked about way back in episode

13 and in episode 65. But we are adding a fresh perspective,

specifically focusing on why teacher recovery is not just

nice, but necessary, and why the guilt that we feel about it is

misplaced.

So let's just start there. Recovery is not

indulgent. It is necessary. It's a fundamental human need.

Exactly. You are not a machine, and when you push too

hard for too long, your body and your brain start waving little

red flags that might show up as headaches, brain fog, low moods

and that bone deep exhaustion that coffee cannot fix.

Maybe you've noticed some of those flags. It takes actual

intentional rest to manage them. Rest is how your nervous system

resets, how your immune system rebuilds, and how your mind gets

a chance to sift through all of the noise. Ignoring recovery is

what leads to burnout, and we don't want that for us or for

you.

If you're like a lot of teachers, you probably hold

yourself to pretty high standards, and when it comes to

recovery, that might mean that you want to put limits on the

amount of rest that you think you should require. But after

almost a decade of chronic illness, I am here to tell you

that bodies, unfortunately, don't work that way. You need

exactly as much rest as your body wants, even if that doesn't

fit into your schedule.

Yeah, and the amount of recovery you need is directly

proportional to the amount of stress and demand that you've

been under. Teaching is one of the most demanding professions

out there, and teachers make an average of 1500 educational

decisions per day.

That is an enormous cognitive load, and that's just

the instructional decisions. We're not counting all of the

interpersonal, organizational and emotional decisions that

teachers face daily.

And when June hits and you find yourself staring at the

takeout menu like it's an algebra problem, or scrolling

Netflix, unable to choose anything to watch, that is not

laziness. That is just decision fatigue catching up with you.

I've been there. Decision fatigue is no joke, and feeling

tired is not a moral failing. Your brain and body are sending

you important signals and you need to listen, or your brain

and body will make sure that you listen.

Yeah, it's kind of like your check engine light coming

on in your car, like you wouldn't ignore that, right?

It did take me three months to get my car registered

this year. When I went to pick it up, they were out of the

little stickers for the license plate because it'd been so long.

So they didn't have the month that you needed.

I had to mail away for it.

Oh my gosh. Okay, guys, don't take car advice from

Heidi. Just FYI. My service light turned on today in my car

because I will almost need an oil change very soon, and I

already was like, alright, this many miles left, then I need to

get it scheduled, because I am always on top of my car lights.

You can take car advice from me. But okay, moving on from that

analogy, our exhaustion is a warning signal we should pay

attention to. Don't push through it or feel guilty about it or

wait three months to deal with it like Heidi.

Mmm, feels a little pointed.

I'm sorry.

So let's talk through the four R's of recovery. Relax,

refresh, refocus and recharge. Each one plays a unique role in

helping you recover.

So starting with our first R, relaxing means engaging

in activities that are fun, freeing, and make you smile or

laugh. It's the art of doing something simply because it

feels good, not because it checks a box.

But there's also an important mindset component to

recovery. It's about giving yourself permission to just be

without any productivity goals.

That's the hardest part for teachers, isn't it? We're so

used to measuring our worth by what we accomplish, I have to do

a hostage negotiation with myself to feel like reading a

novel during the day is actually okay and I'm not doing anything

wrong.

If it's hard for you to embrace relaxing, try reminding

yourself that relaxation is a form of productivity. It just

looks a little different than grading math tests or vacuuming

your living room. Relaxation is productively giving your brain

the space to sort, heal, and restore.

Oh, I love that reframe, and it resonates with me,

because I have totally felt that guilt, like if I'm not actively

filling my summer with a huge list of tasks, then I'm somehow

falling behind or letting people down. But what if taking the

time for genuine relaxation is actually making you a better

teacher?

Yes, we can't keep pouring from an empty cup. So

Emily, what are some practical ways that teachers can embrace

relaxation without guilt?

Well, first, and I think this is the best way, is to

schedule it. Put do nothing time on your calendar. Sometimes

scheduling something can give you the permission that you need

to follow through. Another idea is to leave your plan book

closed for at least a week, or maybe several weeks, if you can,

after summer starts. Hide your teacher bag in the trunk of your

car where it can't taunt you. And third, try this mantra, my

worth is not measured by my productivity.

I love that. I am actually looking at a sticky

note on my computer right now that says productivity is about

more than output. I need this reminder daily that checking

things off a list might feel satisfying in the moment, but it

isn't the true key to happiness, supposedly. I am not less

valuable when I'm scrolling Instagram or, you know, just

doing something for fun, I'm a human doing her best. And

honestly, that is more than enough.

For sure. And I always think I'm a human being, not a

human doing.

Oh, there you go.

Nope. That's too crazy.

That helps. If you also struggle with this, try making a

Or trying some new tea flavors, or organizing your

summer slow list, a list of relaxing things to do, like

watching a whole movie in one sitting, maybe even without your

phone out.

photos, which is something I'm doing this summer, which I have

to say, it doesn't feel that slow. It feels kind of

stressful, but it is a, it is a big fun project, and I'll be so

glad, it's a good, it's a good one. Nothing has to be finished

or optimized, though. So if you don't get it done, it's okay,

because this is about giving yourself permission to just slow

down and be.

Those are some great ideas. I'm kind of tempted to

start my own summer list now, especially if it has things like

afternoon reading breaks and episodes of The Great British

Bake Off.

Our second type of recovery is to refresh. This is

all about reconnecting with the parts of yourself that maybe got

pushed to the side during the school year. It's the you that

exists outside of lesson plans and grading and team meetings.

A refreshful recovery—is refreshful a word? I think it

should be. A refreshful recovery might include hobbies, travel,

long lunches with friends, spending time outside, playing

video games, gardening, cooking, learning something new, calling

up an old friend for a long catch up, or finally finishing

that book that's been sitting on your nightstand since November.

Anything that helps you feel a little more centered fits the

bill.

Since the goal with refreshing is to feel more like

your true self, what's refreshing for one person can

vary wildly from what's refreshing for someone else. So

maybe for you, it's refreshing to write in a journal or binge

watch a comfort show, guilt free, but someone else may need

the excitement of diving into a new craft project.

And don't feel like you have to put limits on what

refreshing looks like. Even a walk around the block with your

dog or whipping up something new in the kitchen can be deeply

refreshing.

And if you're the type of person who finds joy in learning

something new, maybe you should take a class just for fun with

zero tests and definitely no grading. Whatever helps you feel

a little more like yourself and a little more grounded, that is

what refreshing is all about.

If you're stumped for ideas about what feels

refreshing, try making a list of things you enjoyed before

becoming a teacher or a busy mom, and then commit to

revisiting at least one of those things. That doesn't mean it has

to be your whole personality. It can be as simple as subscribing

to accounts related to hiking and photography on social media.

Yeah, even baby steps can move us forward.

And that brings us to the third R in our recovery framework,

refocus.

For a refocused recovery, we're talking about regrounding

yourself in the rhythms that make your life feel manageable

and meaningful and maybe even kind of lovely. It's not about

adding more to your to do list or reinventing your whole life.

It's about gently tuning into what helps you feel functional

and centered.

So try asking yourself, what keeps me fastened to my

foundation? What habits or rituals make me feel most like

myself, not just a teacher, a parent, a partner or the fixer

of all the things, but you know, as like a whole breathing human

person?

Start by listing out the routines and anchors that help

you stay afloat. That could be things like staying on top of

the laundry so your Tuesday doesn't start with an underwear

crisis, or even getting back to a regular exercise habit,

because your body feels better when you move.

That reminds me, I have laundry I need to go move. It's

hard to stay on top of the laundry. Refocusing is all about

returning to your daily rituals with intention and not

obligation. We're not building this into a perfectly optimized

routine that we're going to beat ourselves up for failing to

follow with 100% fidelity. You know that phrase. This is more

about reintroducing a morning walk, stretching with your

coffee, journaling for five minutes while the house is still

quiet, or finally lighting the candle that you keep saving for

the perfect moment.

For you, it might be a date night that reminds you of

who you are outside of carpool duty or a devotional or

meditation that recenters you in something bigger than your

classroom tasks.

Think about your morning and evening transitions. Are

they rushed and chaotic or calm and nourishing? Can you make a

little space to wind down with a cup of tea to prep breakfast the

night before, or to set the tone for your day with sunshine

instead of email, which, guilty.

Refocusing isn't glamorous, but it is really

powerful for me. I think it might be the most effective form

of recovery. It helps me put things back in place, both

literally and figuratively, if you could see my house, so that

I can face the next chapter from a place of calm and strength,

instead of burnout and disarray.

When the school year is in full swing, we so often move

into survival mode. Everything gets compressed, and the first

things to go are usually the small, quiet rhythms that

actually make us feel like a really happy, healthy human.

Summer is the chance to reset that so plan to refocus on

whatever routines make your body feel cared for, your mind feel

clear, and your home feel rich and happy.

And that brings us to our final R, which is to recharge.

This emphasizes activities that fill you up with energy and

excitement.

Recharging is about building up positive energy by

actively refueling. Now this is different from our first R,

relaxing.

Try thinking of relaxing versus recharging as checking

out versus checking in. Relaxing can involve a lot of losing

yourself in something enjoyable or even just something that's

non demanding, like spending two hours playing a game on your

phone. Recharging, though, is more about dialing in. It's

rediscovering the things that light you up.

Now, what recharges one person might completely drain

another. There's no one size fits all approach,

unfortunately. So you're going to have to think about what

gives you energy, mentally, emotionally and physically. For

one it might be solo walks with the podcast. For someone else,

it might be hiking with friends, baking or organizing a drawer, I

know, but that really can be energizing.

If you're not sure what recharges you, take notes. Pay

attention to what leaves you feeling better and not drained

afterward. Keep a list of quick ideas so when your energy is

low, you don't have to guess what might boost that energy

level back up.

Yeah, I love that, because when you're tired, it's

hard to think of what would help. Having a pre made list

will make a big difference. And just remember there's no right

way to recharge. The goal is just to find what works for you

and make space for it.

And remember that even small changes in a routine can

have a big impact on how recharged we feel.

Yeah, it's just being proactive about energy

management, and it's something I've realized lately too, that,

like, I know that what I'm doing is actually a recharging

activity, if when I'm done with that, I'm, like, excited and not

like, uh. You know, so believe me, scrolling the phone for a

long time does not leave me feeling like that.

No, I can imagine that that wouldn't work. Well, that's

a really good thing to pay attention to. Another aspect of

recharging is identifying and eliminating energy drains. For

me, I found that a surprising drain was having the news on

while getting ready in the morning. Nobody needs that in

their life, so switching to music made an immediate

difference in my energy level.

Yeah, and it's worth noting that what recharges you

might change over time or in different seasons of life. The

activities that filled your tank five years ago just might not do

the job anymore.

Oh, that's such a good point. It's worth reassessing

regularly and being open to discovering new sources of

energy.

Okay, so let's recap those four Rs of teacher

recovery. First is relax, give yourself permission to rest

without guilt. Second is refresh, reconnect with who you

are outside of teaching. Refocus is to rebuild the rhythms that

keep your life running, and then to recharge is to find what

fills your tank and do more of it.

Many teachers worry that if they fully embrace these four

Rs during summer, they'll somehow be less prepared for the

next school year. And if you feel that guilt hovering around

you, I want you to shoo it away right now.

Yeah, there's this misconception that rest and

preparation are opposites, but recovery is preparation. That's

how we come back stronger.

And research does back us up on this one. Studies show

that adequate recovery periods lead to higher productivity,

better decision making, and greater resilience when

challenges arise.

So if you're feeling guilty about not using your

summer to revamp your entire curriculum or reorganize your

classroom library, just let that guilt go.

Yeah, your future students deserve a teacher who's

rested, recharged and ready to give them their best, not

because she hustled all summer, but because she took care of

herself.

If you know a teacher who could use a little permission to

rest, would you send this episode their way and come share

your recovery plans with us in our Facebook group? We could all

benefit from the ideas.

Now for our teacher approved Tip of the Week, where we share an

actionable tip to help you elevate what matters and

simplify the rest. This week's teacher approved tip is to make

your own personalized summer recovery plan. Tell us about it,

Heidi.

Well, most summer lists focus on fun activities or

travel plans, which is great. We're totally here for that. But

teachers, I recommend creating a 4R recovery bucket list that

deliberately incorporates activities from each of our

recovery categories.

Oh, I love this idea. So what does that look like in

practice?

Well start by grabbing our free end of year roadmap

from the show notes. There's a page in there that is set up to

help you tailor the perfect recovery plan for you. Now, all

of this is in Google Sheets, so you can type right on the page.

And I like that, because it's just so much quicker than

handwriting. You start by reflecting on where you're at as

the school year wraps up and envisioning what you need to get

out of your summer. And then there are boxes for the 4 Rs of

recovery—relax, refresh, refocus and recharge.

The next step is to brainstorm three to five

specific activities for each category that you want to

prioritize this summer. And make these concrete ideas, not just

relax more. You might really need to focus on recharging,

which is totally fine, but try to come up with a few ideas for

each area of recovery.

Yeah, exactly. So for relax, you might write, read the

new Emily Henry novel, or catch up on The Last of Us.

Although I have to say, I don't think the Last of Us is

relaxing. If you do, tell me about it. I tried to watch it

just recently. I was like, I need to get on this. I love

Pedro Pascal. And I was like, oh, no, this is stressful.

No, definitely not for me.

But if it's relaxing for you, you should put it on your

list.

For refresh, it could be go to sunset yoga at least three

times, or practice playing the piano three times a week.

And then what are the other two Rs?

Well for refocus, you might include something like,

figure out a meal planning system that doesn't make my

brain melt, or buy a tray to hold all of the water bottles

that the kids keep leaving around the house.

Oh, seriously.

And for recharge, it might be hike a new trail every

week, or visit the local flea market.

So once you have all that filled in, the key is keeping

your planner visible, print it off and stick it on your

refrigerator or as your phone lock screen.

If you need some accountability, try to commit to

doing at least one activity each week of your summer break.

Yeah. That ensures balanced recovery across all

dimensions of well being, not just physical rest.

Exactly. And here's a bonus tip for each item, note

how you will know if it was successful. This helps you

recognize when an activity is truly serving your recovery

needs and when it's not.

To wrap up the show, we are sharing what we're giving extra

credit to this week. Emily, what gets your extra credit?

Well, I'm giving extra credit to the extremely not

relaxing book from John Green called Everything is

Tuberculosis, the history and persistence of our deadliest

infection.

Not much of a beach read.

No, indeed, it is not. But I just finished reading

this, and it's just really on my mind right now. And to be clear,

I thought I pretty much understood tuberculosis, but it

turns out I did not. The book was just so eye opening to learn

not only how tuberculosis works, but to understand how it's been

just deeply intertwined with humanity over time. And really

the most mind blowing and frustrating thing I learned is

about how this disease is curable, yet it is the deadliest

disease in the world due to a healthcare inequality. So I get

it. This is a heavy topic, but the book is short and the

information is really compelling and digestible. And John Green

makes any topic easy to listen to or read, I feel like. And I

might just turn into him bringing up tuberculosis in

every conversation from now on. So be prepared, if you know me.

If you follow him on social media, he kind of does a

bit, I guess, where people will be like, well, how does this

relate to tuberculosis? And he'll be like, Oh, easy. And

it's kind of like the worst version of the Six Degrees of

Kevin Bacon.

That makes me think of My Big Fat Greek writing, when the

dad's like, give me any word, and I'll tell you how it came

from Greek. It's like that, but with tuberculosis.

A little less fun, but very interesting.

It's informative, if nothing else. So what's your

extra credit, Heidi?

Well my extra credit goes to something very different. It

is the little Torani syrup bottles that you can get at

World Market. I picked up some the other day that came in a

special spring sampler variety pack. And it has been so fun.

I've been adding hibiscus and lavender to the Clearly Canadian

that I also got at World Market. So just a fancy little midday

drink for Heidi.

I love clearly Canadian. I'll have to get some mini

Torani bottles too.

They're so cute.

That's it for today's episode. Teacher recovery isn't laziness.

It's a necessity that directly impacts your effectiveness in

the classroom and in life.

And don't forget our teacher approved tip, which is

to create a 4R recovery bucket list to ensure you're addressing

all dimensions of teacher wellbeing this summer. And you

can get that in the end of your roadmap, which is linked in the

show notes. You know we couldn't do a whole episode where we

didn't talk about the end of your roadmap again.

We hope you enjoyed this episode of teacher approved. I'm

Heidi.

And I'm Emily. Thank you for listening. Be sure to follow

or subscribe in your podcast app so that you never miss an

episode.

You can connect with us and other teachers in the

Teacher Approved Facebook group. We'll see you here next week.

Bye for now.

Bye.