Beth Pandolpho

Every student deserves a classroom space where they feel psychologically safe and a sense of belonging: free to voice their opinions, make mistakes, and ask for help. This type of classroom culture doesn’t magically appear; it needs to be cultivated by a caring, responsive teacher and sustained over time. One way for teachers to provide a strong foundation for learning is to cocreate a values-aligned classroom with their students.

When we began our careers at the same high school, we cobbled together classroom ideas as an act of survival, leaning on each other and a few generous colleagues who shared their resources and hard-earned wisdom. Nearly 30 years later, new teachers have a different struggle: muddling through what seems like a fire hose of ideas from teacher marketplaces, Google searches, and social media platforms, which to us seems more difficult than having less to sift through and fewer decisions to make.

Many educators spend the summer searching for some kind of balance between restoration and productivity. Over the years, we both have learned that the more intentionally we spend our free time, the more likely we are to return to school refreshed and energized. We recommend the following three practices to reconnect, reflect, and restore this summer.