Summer of Rest: A Built-in Teacher Sabbatical

If I could be an animal, I think I’d be a cat. Nothing sounds better than a slow Sunday afternoon on my porch, curled up in my chair, basking in the warmth of the sun. I just love slow, restful rhythms that help renew my energy for the busy pace of life and ministry. And I love that Scripture, unlike my culture, actually gives me permission to rest.

“So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest” –Hebrews 4:9-11a (ESV)

As teachers, we have a natural window of potential rest built into the school year. Summers have the possibility to be a long season of sabbaths. In fact, these summers could look like a mini-sabbatical.

A sabbatical is an extended period of time intentionally spent on something that’s not your everyday job, for the purpose of discernment, renewal, and rest. Biblically, sabbaticals imitate the practice of shmita known as the ‘year of release’, or the sabbatical year. The shmita allowed land to rest from being farmed for one year. When we go on a sabbatical, we are similarly resting from the every-day cultivation of our work. This can be an effective protection against burnout and exhaustion.

What if we viewed the summer between school years as a mini-sabbatical? What if we intentionally used these weeks to rest, and in that way strive to enter God’s rest, as the author of Hebrews instructs? What would that look like?

For me, as an almost cat, it would include slow days in the sun, with a book and a glass of cold iced tea. For others, it might look more like spending time on activities you love to do, but usually neglect. Maybe you can use the time to train for that race you’ve always wanted to enter or take a summer pottery class you’ve never had the time for.

Here are some practical tidbits:

1. During the final weeks of school, organize your notes and lesson plans so that you can take at least 3 weeks off without looking at work again.
2. Look ahead in your calendar and mark the day you will start prepping for the next school year. I suggest two weeks ahead of school. Commit to putting away work until that day.
3. Pray and reflect on what rest the Lord might be inviting you to. Is it time to withdraw, slow down your social calendar, and focus on fewer events? Or is it time to meet friends, visit family you haven’t seen, and attend those church events you didn’t have time for?
4. If you have a creative bent, find a coloring book to complete during your summer. Attached is a coloring page and prayer activity that may be helpful.
5. If you are a reader, here are some tried and true book suggestions from fellow TeachBeyond teachers:
   1. The Attentive Life by Leighton Ford
   2. Windows of the Soul by Ken Gire
   3. The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer
   4. Resilient: Finding Rest for Your Weary Soul by John Eldridge
   5. How To Human by Carlos Whitaker
   6. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
   7. As Long as the Lemon Tree Grows by Zoulfa Katouh
   8. Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson

Remember, there is no “one size fits all” for how to rest during your summer. However, God does want you to rest. So spend some time praying, think about who He created you to be, and what He might be inviting you to this summer, and “strive to enter the rest” (Hebrews 4:11, ESV).