How quickly does free time flit away. After a full week off, we return to work tomorrow morning. Sometimes I wonder why we play with our schedules and shift our routines because it can throw a person’s system way out of whack. But there is that need for re-energizing both physically and mentally.
Spring break allows us to walk away from the schools for a brief time. We are suppose to use the time for rest and relaxation, correct? Wrong, students and teachers alike seem to use these days in a wide range of ways, i.e. spring cleaning, research reports, vacation travels, medical check-ups, etc., which usually ends up leaving us exhausted and needing to return to the routine rhythms of the school year to re-establish our balance.
And I am talking about the educational work world, but what about the rest of the American work world? I continue to be amazed at how little emphasis is placed on having American workers get rest and relaxation time. Why does it appear that the corporate world does not value the American worker? Repeatedly the corporate world seems to “use up” the American workers. They have required overtime, they demand that a task gets done regardless of the hours on the clock, the lack of breaks, or with little regard of the worker’s role in a family.
Thank goodness I have a profession which has a schedule which allows breaks. Unfortunately, I watch my students whose families are continually challenged to maintain a healthy family unit despite the exhaustion of the working parents. I sure do wish we could figure out a means of being proactive for the mental, emotional and physical well-being of the American worker. Wouldn’t it help with raising the upcoming generations?
In reports I have read, our country has the worst record of vacation days, daily schedules, options for family leave as compared to the other developed countries in the world. This, of course, does not include the less developed countries, but we need to look at the research. Wouldn’t it be in the best interest of the corporate world to have workers who are refreshed, happy, and valued? Wouldn’t the workers be more productive, more innovative, more loyal?
Tomorrow I will return to the classroom. I will establish a comfortable daily routine. But during the next eight weeks, there will be an enormous push to see that the students are performing at their best, reaching their graduation goals, and ending a school year with the best results we can reach. I pray that each of the students and their families will also be able to return to a comfortable routine. I must remember to value the students, value my fellow workers, and keep my own balance.
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