What will I do in the holidays? 5 great ideas to refresh and inspire you.

Congratulations on making it through third term! I hope you all have your feet up and are enjoying the feeling of being master of your own destiny for a couple of weeks. So what can you do to make the most of these glorious spring days?

1. Read fantastic books.

Choose authors that inspire you and fill you with ideas. Read new children’s and young adult’s books that might add something meaningful to your class next term. Read books that you loved as a child and reconnect with old friends between the pages. Look for articles and e-books online, written by educators and academics, that will feed your teacher’s soul and build your passion for education.

2. Change your routine! Throw away your timetable and relish eating and drinking at any hour of the day. Break the recess and lunch cycle and meet friends for brunch or a loooong lunch. Even if you don’t actually go away for the holidays you will feel the beautiful release that change can bring.

3. Take some time to explore. Network and connect with expert educators online. Build your PLN. Join Twitter, do some lurking, listen to some podcasts and watch some excellent TEDtalks. Follow the trails you find that lead you to a deeper understanding of something new.

4. Feed your soul.

Whatever sparks the coal of deep joy in you- walking in nature, running, writing poetry, painting, re-decorating, gardening, driving down a country road, watching the sun rise and set - do it! Teaching is one of the most demanding professions on the planet. Being switched on in front of a room full of students, or a staff room full of colleagues, takes a lot out of even the most extra of extraverts. Holidays are an opportunity to make deposits into your wellbeing account. By the end of term three the debits are likely to have seriously outweighed the credits.

5. Plan just enough.

No teacher likes the feeling of panic when the last golden days of the holidays begin to dwindle. Avoid the creeping, nagging stress monster by giving yourself some valuable hours to plan for your first days back in term four. Start the engine early enough to be ready and relaxed on day one.

A prepared teacher is a calm and happy teacher.