199. Time, Tech, & Tasks: The 3 Boundaries That Save Teacher Summers

This is episode 199 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 Sindow, 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 talking about why boundaries are the secret ingredient for summer fun and back to school readiness, and sharing a teacher approved tip for making summer memory magic.

But first, it is time for Try It Tomorrow, a favorite quick win that you can try in your life right away. Tell us about this week's try it tomorrow, Emily.

This week I want you to make a to don't list. It's so simple. Just write down five things you're giving yourself permission to skip this summer. Maybe it's checking your school email daily. Maybe it's redoing your class decor from scratch again.

Put that list somewhere visible, like, you know, on the fridge or in your planner, somewhere where you will see it and think of it as your summer permission slip.

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 and review on Apple podcasts?

Over the years, Emily and I have created an extensive library of back to school products to help you find the tools that will make the start of your new year easier. Today we are spotlighting our pattern blocks activity set.

Now you're probably not ready to think about the first day of school yet, but we have got some great tools to help you check off one of your most important first day tasks with basically no prep. So this one's not too painful to think about. So on the very first morning, your students need something to do when they arrive immediately when they walk in the door.

And this can be so tricky to plan because you haven't taught these students where to get the supplies, or your expectations for managing supplies. On the first day, kids are probably going to be arriving at different times. They often come in really early. And of course, everyone's anxiety is super high.

So for that first day activity, you need something calming, open ended, and easy to engage with. Enter the pattern blocks. You can print off some of our super cute school themed pattern block mats. You put a couple on each desk along with some blocks, and kids can stay happily engaged for 20 or even 30 minutes.

We also have a similar set of activities that use Legos. You get all the same benefits of using the pattern blocks, but it really might be easier to round up a tub of loose Legos than it is to get a class set of pattern blocks.

Plus you might feel like the older kids will have more buy in to the activity when they see Legos instead of pattern blocks, although, in our experience, even the older kids love a pattern block. You can check out the show notes for links to both of these products, and give yourself the relief of knowing that your first activity of the first day is already planned, prepped and ready to go.

So here we are in June, which means that many of you are either done with school or you can see the finish line so close ahead. And if you're anything like we were during our teaching years, you might have some conflicted feelings right about now.

Oh yeah, there's this weird teacher thing that happens in summer. You're exhausted and ready for a break, but you also feel guilty about how excited you are to be done, and then there's this pressure to immediately start being productive.

Oh yes. I remember sitting on my couch the first week of summer break, still in my pajamas at noon or probably three, let's be honest, and feeling just overwhelming guilt. Like, shouldn't I be organizing my classroom library right now? Or shouldn't I be planning next year's reading units?

Instead of watching Doctor Who marathons, right? Or if it's not the heaviness of productivity, guilt weighing you down, it's that niggling sense of panic that you can't quite escape. It's like being circled by a school of sharks, or, are sharks in schools? What do they call those?

Pods, collections, gathering? Whatever sharks do, there is a lot of them, and it feels like they are circling a little bit closer every day. It takes a monumental amount of work to get ready for the new school year, and as much as we just want to relax in our summer, there's always the sense that something is just off to the side waiting to pounce.

It makes me picture those little goblin guys from Disney's Hercules. I think they're called pain and panic, but I think for a teacher, they could easily be called guilt and panic.

Oh definitely. Just picturing them right now, that's perfect. And they are persistent and ruthless, and one of them sounds like Bobcat Goldplate, and that is an extra bummer for sure.

I'm impressed that you knew that guy's name. I know who it is, but I did not know that was that guy's name.

I did live through the 80s, so, you know.

So did I! Most of the 80s.

Only half of them.

60%. Now this may be a controversial opinion, but we believe teachers deserve to enjoy their summer without constant jabs from cartoon imps.

You can never say that we shy away from the hot takes around here.

It's true. If it, if it needs to be said, we're gonna say it. Teachers deserve a break. So we're going to give you the secret weapon for taming teacher guilt and panic, and that weapon is boundaries.

Wah, wah. Very anticlimactic. Boundaries are not the most thrilling content to be talking about, but they are oh so summer saving. That's because teaching doesn't stop, just because our contract does, and if we're not careful, summer just becomes a quieter form of burnout.

But with the right boundaries, you can actually recover and still feel ready by August. Boundaries are the invisible fences that protect your peace, your time, and they let you enjoy your life and still start the year feeling prepared.

Imagine how you might spend a typical summer. You're on call for your family's every need. You end up planning three vacations, organizing the pantry, attending 12 PD webinars, overhauling your math centers, and when back to school season rolls around, guess what? You feel anything but rested.

And that's where boundaries come in, not as another thing to do, but really as a way to protect the season that you're in.

So today, we are walking you through three kinds of boundaries that every teacher should consider this summer: time, tech and task load. We love a list, especially if it can start with the same letter. Now these aren't rigid rules. We're offering you some flexible frameworks that you can adapt to your own life and your own needs.

When you set clear boundaries around your time, your technology use, and your task load, you create space for the kind of recovery that actually prepares you to be the teacher you want to be.

Our teacher approved summer plan, I feel like we should have like a little trademark, copyright or something.

Tmtm.

It has two parts, recovery and readiness. Last week, in Episode 197 we talked all about the four different types of recovery and suggested ways for how you might want to include them in your summer plans.

Summer recovery is the best kind of recovery, so definitely check out that episode if you missed it. But the second part of our summer plan is readiness. We need recovery to refuel after a draining school year, but we need readiness so we don't find ourselves completely burned out by September 15 from trying to get the new year up and running.

The first step to our readiness plan is to imagine how you want to feel as you head into the new school year. If you want to start the school year feeling more prepared than ever, what tasks do you need to accomplish to give you that feeling?

Then the next step is to identify the specific goals that will help you get there. You will probably have some school related goals in there, like reading a couple teaching books, or finally figuring out how to fit more social studies into your day.

And, of course, joining us for the Teacher Summer Talk Summit and the Back to School Success Course, right?

Yes, you definitely want to grab your spots for those in June. But also think about personal goals that can help you get ready for school. Maybe you want to start going to the gym every day now, so that it's already a habit when school rolls around.

Or maybe you want to spend some time this summer trying out easy meal prep ideas so that meal times during the school year are way less frantic.

If you want some help working through these readiness goals, there's a page for this in, you guessed it, our free end of your roadmap that we've been talking about nonstop. If you don't have it yet, what are you doing? There's so much good stuff in there, so go grab that from the link in the show notes if you don't have it.

Once you have an idea of what back to school readiness looks like for you, it's time to put some boundaries around those goals. I know our people pleasers and our perfectionists, they don't love the idea of setting boundaries.

But you need to shove guilt and panic way back down into the underworld by reframing your thinking. Boundaries aren't secretly going to turn you selfish or mean or lazy. They're about being strategic with your resources.

time boundaries. This is about being intentional with when you work on school stuff, and probably more importantly, when you don't.

And I know what some of you are thinking. Emily, I have so much to do. I can't just not work on school things.

We are not suggesting that you don't work on school things ever.

We would be the most hypocritical people ever if we told you not to do school stuff during the summer, since that's the main thing we usually used to do during the summer.

Yep, every summer. But learn from our mistakes and be strategic about when you work on school stuff and how much you're going to do.

So instead of working too much, some teachers don't want to think about it at all. And I know some of you are out there. It's easy to assume summer means we have all the time in the world, but unfortunately, the whole I'll just do school stuff when I feel like it plan often means that we never feel like it until that lovely, motivating sense of panic sets in.

Now it might seem like working too much and not working enough are opposite problems, but they really are two sides of the same coin.

Yeah, it's like guilt and panic had a horrible baby, and that baby is named anxiety.

Babies do cause anxiety. Let's be honest. If we feel anxious, we might cope by throwing ourselves into unrealistic to do lists, or we might cope by ignoring that to do list altogether. Either way, we end up stressed out and really not feeling any more ready.

So let's not do that. Instead, try carving out designated blocks of time for working on school tasks. Those time blocks will look different for everyone, and they'll likely change over the course of the summer.

Yeah, you may decide that you're going to work on school tasks for 30 minutes every morning, and then you can just enjoy the rest of the day. Or you may decide that you're going to work in your classroom every Wednesday. Even just one hour a week for intentional prep can work wonders.

I love this approach because it gives you both structure and freedom. You know you have dedicated work time so you really can relax during your off time without that nagging feeling that you should be doing something productive. You can tell that feeling, hey, I have a plan. Back off.

Another option for managing your time is the monthly approach. Maybe in June you're not going to do any work.

Except, of course, to join us in the Teacher Summer Talk Summit. But don't worry, that's going to be so fun, it won't even feel like work.

That does feel like the perfect thing for June. And then in July, you might do light prep work, and then in August, you can really dive into more focused preparation.

Whatever you decide, the key is making a decision and sticking to it, because when you don't have boundaries, you end up in this weird space where you're not really relaxing but you're not really being productive either.

Yeah, you're not getting the benefits of rest, and you're not doing your best work. It's kind of the worst of both worlds. But when you have clear time boundaries, you can be fully present in whatever you happen to be doing.

So the second type of boundary is around technology, and this one might be the hardest for some of us, many of us, most of us.

Oh, yeah, definitely. We are supposed to be connected all the time, checking email, scrolling Instagram for classroom inspiration, we're just feeding on it constantly.

One simple tech boundary is taking your school email off your phone for the summer. You can still check it on a computer or reinstall it briefly if you really need to, but this makes sure you're not just opening it out of habit and accidentally ruining your summer peace, and who hasn't been there.

Or if that feels too scary, maybe try putting boundaries around when you check it. Maybe you only check your school email once a day, or, even better, once a week.

You could also try being more intentional about which teacher related social media accounts you follow.

Pay attention to how you feel after looking at certain accounts. Hold on to those accounts that make you excited to teach, and then just unsubscribe from the ones that trigger your comparison brain.

Yes, because social media can be such a double edged sword for anyone, but especially teachers, because it can be so inspiring. And hopefully our account is super inspiring for you, but it can also make you feel like everyone else has it more together than you do. We don't want that.

And while we're talking about social media, just a warning to be careful about Pinterest during the summer break. I know we all love Pinterest, but it can quickly turn from inspiration to overwhelm.

If you're going to venture into Pinterest land, try setting a timer. Give yourself 20 minutes to browse, save what you love, and then close the app. Don't let yourself fall into that Pinterest rabbit hole where suddenly it's 2am and you've pinned 47 different bulletin board ideas.

Yeah, nobody needs 47 bulletin board ideas. The goal of tech boundaries isn't to completely disconnect from the teaching world. It's to be intentional about how and when you engage with it.

The internet is so full of quote unquote inspiration, but also full of comparison traps and decision fatigue. So don't let the tech bros steal your summer, because they are designing their apps to be so dang addictive.

Those dang tech bros. Our third type of boundary is around task load. We want to be strategic about what we take on and what we let go.

This one is huge, because teachers are natural overachievers for the most part. We see all the things we could do to improve our classrooms, and we want to do all the things, all of them.

All the things, all the time. But as we have learned the hard way, time and again, trying to do everything usually means you don't do anything particularly well. It's better to focus on a few high impact tasks than to spread yourself thin across dozens of small projects.

Time boundaries and technology boundaries work really well with task boundaries. Once you schedule your productive work time, you want to make sure that that time really is productive, and that means having a clear vision for what needs to be done during that time.

If you're going to go to the trouble of hiring a babysitter for two hours so that you can work in a coffee shop, you don't want to waste 45 minutes of that time just figuring out where to get started. Or what would be even worse, spending 45 minutes in some kind of Tiktok rabbit hole.

Yes. So having a list of tasks is important, but knowing where to start on that list is vital. Back in episode 131 we talked about how to prioritize your summer to do list. Go revisit that episode if you want to deep dive. But the first step is to imagine how you want to feel as you head into the new school year, and then identify specific goals you can set for the summer that will help you get there.

With that to do list in hand, ask yourself, which tasks will help you move closer to feeling prepared, and then you start there. Yes, printing vinyl cubby labels would be super cute, but is that more useful than having your copies made for meet the teacher night?

It's probably definitely not as impactful on your mental load, for sure. We also recommend setting boundaries around other people's expectations. Maybe your principal sends an email in July suggesting everyone update their bulletin boards. You can politely acknowledge it and add it to your to do list for August, or decide it's not a priority this year.

Now, during the summer, you may also find that other people in your life expect you to be at their beck and call because you are on a break. Your neighbor might think that you should be happy to watch her kids because now you have all this time off, or your parents might expect you to come help stain their deck, because, I mean, what else are you doing all day?

When other people think you owe them their time, I've found it often comes from a place of jealousy, even if they aren't aware of it. They wish they had summers off too, while completely ignoring that you still have professional development and planning responsibilities and everything else that comes with being a teacher. Oh, and you're not getting paid for all of that either. Let's not forget that part.

So when this happens, try to assume that people who are claiming your time aren't really aware that they're overstepping. Let's be honest, that might not be true, but at least you'll feel better if you don't jump to the worst conclusions.

And then just say no if you need to, or offer a limited role. Maybe you can watch your neighbor's kid from nine to noon one day a week, or you can help your parents with the deck one afternoon. But you can't take on the whole project.

But, you know, still say no. You can say no, and I know it is so hard to do, but it does get better with practice, and you are not unreasonable to decline an assignment that you didn't ask for. The goal isn't to be rebellious or difficult. The goal is to protect your energy for the things that truly matter in your life.

So as you're making your summer plans, remember these three kinds of boundaries. Time boundaries to help you be strategic about when you work and when you rest. Technology boundaries to create space from the constant input of teacher demands. And task load boundaries to focus on what truly matters instead of trying to do everything.

When you have clear boundaries, you can be fully present in whatever you're doing. When it's work time, you can focus completely on the task at hand, and when it's rest time, you can truly rest without guilt. We're saying no to teacher guilt.

Again, you can count on us to stand up and say the unpopular things. No to teacher guilt. Plus boundaries help prevent the end of summer panic. When you have boundaries and stick to them, you end up with a much more realistic sense of what you can accomplish. No more over promising to yourself and then feeling disappointed.

If saying no is a struggle for you, like it is for so many people, try thinking of everything you get to say yes to because you're not taking on too much. You get to say yes to enjoying your unpaid time off. You get to say yes to reconnecting with loved ones. You get to say yes to rediscovering the parts of your life that just kind of get buried during the school year.

And most importantly, you get to say yes to showing up in August well rested and excited about teaching, even if your bulletin boards aren't Pinterest perfect. And whose are, really?

Teacher well-being directly impacts student outcomes. When you take care of yourself, you are taking care of your students too. Your future students deserve a teacher who's rested, excited and ready to give them their best, and boundaries are what make that possible.

We would love to hear what you are saying no to this summer. Come join the conversation in our teacher approved Facebook group. 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 make a summer sensorium. Tell us about it, Heidi.

So we talked about this back in episode 134, but since it happens to be summer again, it seems like a good time to revisit this topic. So I learned about this from Gretchen Rubin on her podcast, Happier?

Yeah.

Somehow that didn't seem right. Your sensorium is your different sensory perception taken as a whole. Our brain takes the different inputs from each of our senses and then assembles them into what our perceived experience of a moment is. So in this episode, we have talked a lot about what to say no to, but it is also important to prioritize the things that we want to say yes to.

And hopefully one of the things you want to say yes to is really experiencing your summer break. Take a minute to think of your favorite summer sights, sounds, touches, tastes and smells, and then make a plan for how to include them in your summer activities. This will help ensure that you're really

Yeah, and summer's, summer's great. We really need to soak this in. Think how enriched and rejuvenated you'll feel after a summer of sweet, drippy watermelon and those chlorine scented kids and twinkling fireflies and living room dance parties and walking barefoot in the grass.

Summer has some really great sensory opportunities, so do what you can to soak them all up.

To wrap up the show we are sharing what we're giving extra credit to this week. Emily, what gets your extra credit?

Well, my extra credit is something that I think all of us can appreciate and connect to, which is turning off almost all of my many daily alarms for summer.

Ah, the best feeling.

Giving so much extra credit to that. Having three kids at three different schools has meant a lot of running around to get everyone where they needed to be last year, and it was just the best treat the other day to turn all of those off, and I get to enjoy sleeping in pretty much every day, which is my ultimate joy in life.

I love that so much for you, that is such a treat.

Thank you. What are you giving extra credit to, Heidi?

Well, I'm giving extra credit to Resident Alien season four, since it finally started. My favorite kind of TV show, if you've been here for a while, you probably heard me talking about this, but I love a TV show that is quirky with a big heart. So things like Ghosts, what are some other favorites?

Ted Lasso.

Ted Lasso! Oh, yeah, Community, Office, obviously. And this show gets five stars for both quirkiness and big heartedness. So if you are unfamiliar, Harry is an alien who crash lands on Earth, and so to fit in, he kind of has to cosplay as the town doctor. And as he does so, he learns all the ups and downs of being human along the way. He's obsessed with Law and Order and pie and his mortal enemy is a nine year old boy, and the insults that they sling back and forth at

Well, you've harassed me about it for years now, so I am, I am committing that I will finally watch this, because I'm out of all my other shows, so I'm gonna watch this one.

Well, I'm glad you got to the bottom of the bucket, and as Sheriff Mike would say, Ladies love their buckets.

I'm excited to know what that means.

And it is streaming on like three different things. So I think it's on Sci Fi, it's on USA, and it's on Peacock, and it might even be on Netflix. So it's easy to find these days.

Sweet.

That is it for today's episode. Boundaries are the secret ingredient for a summer that is both joyful and successful.

And don't forget our teacher approved tip to create your own summer sensorium list.

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.