Rest Is Not a Reward

You've sprung a leak and what to do about it.

Here's a quote, a resource, a book, and an affirmation to help power you through the rest of the week.

QUOTE

"Our minds must relax: they will rise better and keener after a rest... a short period of rest and relaxation will restore our powers. Unremitting effort leads to a kind of mental dullness and lethargy." - Seneca

RESOURCE

You Can't Pour From a Container That Has a Hole in It

You've heard the empty cup metaphor. You probably used it with a parent at some point. And you've almost certainly ignored it for yourself.

Here's why the metaphor usually fails teachers: it implies that rest fills you back up, and then you're good to go again. But if the conditions that drain you haven't changed — the 34-kid class, the 47 unread emails, the meeting that should have been an email — you're just filling a leaky container. Recovery without structural change is maintenance, not restoration.

That's why the R in STRONG isn't just about sleep or weekends. It's about treating rest as a practice — something you build into the system, not something you earn at the end of a hard stretch.

The research is clear. Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith's work on the seven types of rest — physical, mental, emotional, social, sensory, creative, and spiritual — shows that most teachers are exhausted not just because they're sleeping badly, but because they're getting almost none of the other six. You can sleep eight hours and still wake up depleted if what you actually needed was two hours without anyone needing anything from you.

Try it this week — one R practice for each day:

Sensory rest: Five minutes of silence after school before you check your phone. Just five.
Mental rest: One transition in your day where you don't plan, problem-solve, or prep — you just move from one thing to the next.
Social rest: Give yourself permission to not respond to one non-urgent message today. It will still be there tomorrow.

None of those require a yoga mat or a weekend retreat. They require a small, deliberate choice. That's the STRONG Teacher way — not 100% different, just 1% better.

Only after we do some of these things deliberately can our minds "Rise Better."

BOOK

The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron - This one might surprise you — it's not a teacher book or a wellness book. But Cameron's core argument, that creativity and recovery are deeply linked, connects to teaching in many ways. Check it out.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Your purchases through these links help support this newsletter at no extra cost to you. Thank you.

WORTH YOUR TIME

Happiness is contagious.
Does less tech mean more time for teachers?
"Letting it Rip" with a STRONG Teacher Reflection.
The algorithm is sneaky.

AFFIRMATION

Rest is not something I earn — it is something I practice, and I am allowed to begin today.

What STRONG Teacher Core members received last week: STRONG Teacher's Reflection Guide: It's a practice — one that puts the STRONG Framework to work in your actual teaching week, not as an abstract idea but as something you do with a pen in your hand before you leave the building. The Reflection Guide walks you through each of the six pillars — what to write, why it matters, and how to fill it out without overthinking it.

Subscribe Already!

Stay STRONG, Jeremy