Ahhh, Fall Break

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Ah, yes, fall break. Right on time… my ECE director noted that it means we are ¼ of the way through the year!

I got excited, then a little sad. It’s sad that the state of being a professional in the field of education is so often a never-ending countdown to the end of the year.

It’s such a hard paradigm to navigate. We got into this work to make a difference and because we generally enjoy working with learners. We enjoy supporting exploration and discovery. We thrive when we get to share knowledge and excitement.

Yet, somehow, we get overtaken by the drudgery and end up just counting the days to the next break.

IF we are counting the days because we are looking forward to a trip or exciting activity, then I fully support that! I have several countdown app widgets on my phone’s screen. (189 days to Italy with my Mom!)

But if we are counting the days because we can’t wait to just NOT work… that’s what makes me sad.

And I don't think that's an individual failure. By no means do I intend to shame anyone who is counting down to “NO WORK.” Most of our work environments do not do a particularly good job of supporting us as humans, and it’s really hard to hang onto the passion and excitement that brought us here when we’re beat down every week.

Which is why I do the work that I do (in addition to my .5 FTE with preschoolers!).

I want to help schools, districts, and teams build workplaces where the adults have a chance to thrive at work AND at home. And one of the ways I think we can do that is through Playful Work Design.

Not by making work “fun.”

Not by adding a spirit week to an already ridiculous workload. Not by putting a ping-pong table in the staff lounge. And definitely not by telling exhausted educators they need to have a better attitude.

Playful Work Design asks us to look at the work itself.

Where have we lost autonomy? Where has curiosity disappeared? What parts of our work still feel meaningful or interesting? What makes an ordinary Tuesday feel a little more like US? What parts of the environment are making the work unnecessarily hard? And what could we change—not just as individuals, but as teams and organizations—to make it easier for human beings to actually thrive there?

Because I don't think the goal should be to create a workplace that you never want to leave. Breaks are GOOD. Vacations are GOOD. Rest is GOOD. Please go on a trip (or staycation!).

I want to look forward to Italy because ITALY. 🍝

I just don't want the only thing getting us through our work to be the promise that eventually we won't have to do it.

I want educators to get to the end of a week tired because they did meaningful and rewarding (and yet demanding) work—not completely depleted by all the unnecessary crap surrounding that work.

And I want us to be able to get excited about fall break without needing fall break to save us.

THAT is the kind of workplace I want to help build.

So, please enjoy your break. Or your random Tuesday in October if your district has decided fall break is not a thing. 😂

Keep playing!