Summer is Not a Time Frame, But a Mindset.

I was recently reminded about the power of people and what you can learn when stepping away from your normal routine when two seemingly divergent situations intersected into an unexpected set of affirmations. 

An interview with Jorgen Klopp, a revered soccer manager, caught my attention when he was reflecting on his looming retirement. Klopp explained, "Other top managers collect trophies, I collect relationships." (Situation #1)

There are strong parallels between a successful soccer team and school teams in that they both operate as high performing cross-functioning teams. So much of the functionality of schools is built on the relationships that fuel the drive to do the incredibly meaningful and complex work that is part and parcel of every school. While most of these relationships are formed and fortified in the foxholes of our daily work, these relationships can also be quickly formed with those with whom we have a short but intense shared experience. In a recent workshop with 35 other middle school educators, I saw these quick bonds form in just two days (Situation #2) through sharing thoughts and feelings of philosophy, finding joy in the same aspects of school life, and the shared collective empathy over sometimes feeling like you are on an island. 

These seemingly unconnected situations revealed themselves with wonderful timing on the heels of summer, which of course is a ripe time to think about what school people need to recharge. Whether you have the summer free from school obligations or are year-round, it is an important time nonetheless to reconnect and re-engage with what you need for yourself.

The first question to ask is simple: what do you need to fill your bucket? Here are some ideas to get started to help promote curiosity and a sense of what is important to you and your work.

Here are some ideas to get started:

• Start making your way through the list of music, books, movies, shows, podcasts, and other media that the school year does not always properly allow for.
  
  
• Create a list of things to do that is the antithesis to the dreaded punch list. Is there something new you want to try? Or to learn with a friend? 
  
  
• Begin writing. Write about anything and to no one in particular. A wise mentor once told me that no idea is an idea until it is shared, and writing is a great way to make that introduction.
  
  
• Commit yourself to checking out 2-3 books each week from the library, and do your best to read what you can even if it is skimming. Keep what holds you, and return what does not.
  
  
• Take a class at a local university or something online. Relish in being a student to help spark that inner learner that is so easily pushed aside in service of others. 
  
  
• Begin thinking about goals you may have since it is a fresher time to reflect back on this past year and begin thinking about how to make progress moving forward. 
  
  
• Think about the kind of professional development that will enrich you next year. If your school requires advance planning due to limited resources, then the time the plan is now.
  
  
• Email folks at peer schools to plan for video conference meet-ups to build your network. If that feels too daunting, then gather those you know around a common goal/task.
  
  
• Write thank you notes. What better way to end your week than by making someone else's week with a surprise note?
  
  
• Start a book group for those in your network. Need two ideas to get started? Hidden Potential by Adam Grant and Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Berkman. Don't have time to read? Listen to a podcast. Need two ideas to get started? What Evolutionary Biology Can Teach Us About Diet, Exercise, and Staying Alive from the Plain English and The Eclipse Chaser from The Daily podcast.

Whatever is on your list this summer, I hope that it goes a long way in filling your bucket. Summer is not a time frame, but a mindset. Allow yourself the grace to indulge in what you want and give yourself time for what you need. Soak it all up and do what you can to remind yourself of how much fun it is to be in a profession where summer still has meaning.

Stepping away from the normal (Divergent Situation #2) and leveraging your relationships (Divergent Situation #1) can converge to give you what you need this summer to come back ready for a fresh new year and a fresh new set of possibilities.

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Tung Trinh is the Dean of Faculty at the Collegiate School (Richmond)