The 3 Step Plan to Park Those School Thoughts and Enjoy Your Summer Break [Episode 196]

Heidi  0:01

This is episode 196 of Teacher Approved.

 

Heidi  0:06

You’re listening to Teacher Approved, the podcast helping educators elevate what matters and simplify the rest. I’m Heidi.

 

Emily  0:14

And I’m Emily. We’re the creators behind Second Story Window, 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.

 

Heidi  0:29

We’re so glad you’re tuning in today. Let’s get to the show.

 

Emily  0:37

Hey there. Thanks for joining us today. In today’s episode, we are sharing our simple three step approach to help you mentally wrap up the school year without carrying a bag of stress into your summer.

 

Heidi  0:49

Let’s start with a try it tomorrow, where we share a quick win that you can try right away. Emily, what is our suggestion this week?

 

Emily  0:55

Our try it tomorrow is to designate a school task cutoff date and stick to it. So before the final bell rings, decide on a specific day and time when all school related work must cease. Communicate this to colleagues, if necessary, and most importantly, commit to it yourself.

 

Heidi  1:13

Absolutely. You deserve to firmly shut the door on school life as you head into the wonderful world that is summer life. If you need some accountability, make sure to communicate your cutoff date to people who will hold you accountable for sticking to it, and then shut the door on school and enjoy your time off.

 

Emily  1:32

If you like this idea or anything else we share on the podcast, would you do us a favor and give us a five star rating and review in Apple podcasts?

 

Heidi  1:41

It is that time of year where one foot is still in the classroom and the other is already halfway into summer break. Mentally, you’re probably clocked out, and emotionally, you might be riding that roller coaster between, I can’t wait to be done and I still have a million things to do.

 

Emily  1:57

If that sounds familiar, you are absolutely not alone. We all know that feeling, and what makes it even harder is that our teacher brains never really shut off.

 

Heidi  2:06

Oh, my goodness, yes, you’re supposed to be relaxing, but there’s always that voice saying, if you don’t get it done now, you’re going to regret it in August. Meanwhile, you are so exhausted you can barely remember to bring your lunch to school, let alone plan for next fall.

 

Emily  2:20

The good news is that you don’t have to stay stuck in those feelings. We want you to finish the year feeling grounded and confident, not like you’re limping to the finish line, dragging your to do list like a strip of toilet paper stuck to your shoe. With a few simple mindset shifts and practical tools, you can leave school feeling more done than undone.

 

Heidi  2:42

We are calling this our May/June crossover plan. It’s not about adding more to your plate. It’s about giving you permission to wrap things up with intention so you can actually enjoy your summer.

 

Emily  2:53

You deserve a real break, not one where you’re constantly checking email or waking up in a cold sweat because you dreamed you forgot to turn in your textbook inventory.

 

Heidi  3:02

The May/June crossover plan has three parts: capture and contain, prep for the pause, and close the loop. Our goal is to give you a simple framework that will allow you to mentally clock out without dropping any balls or carrying your teacher guilt into summer.

 

Emily  3:17

Man, we do love a list. So let’s dive into part one of our list, which is capture and contain. So this is all about giving your brain some breathing room. If you’re like most teachers right now, your brain is trying to tie up a lot of loose ends at once. It’s like having a very full, very chaotic parking lot inside your head. There are cars everywhere, some are parked in actual spaces, and some are double parked, and then some are just abandoned in the middle of the lane, which is kind of how it feels like when everybody’s at the school for a band concert and the parents have just given up trying to find a place to park, and it’s just mass chaos. So if you’ve been there, you can visualize what I’m visualizing.

 

Heidi  3:58

Those cars are all your thoughts, worries, and to do’s. Did I remember to submit my supply list? What if I tried a different seating arrangement next year? I should really laminate those anchor charts before I leave.

 

Emily  4:09

So what if we could park some of those thought cars? The thoughts aren’t the problem. The problem is that the thoughts have nowhere to go. They’re stuck in gridlock and taking up valuable mental real estate when your brain desperately needs a vacation,

 

Heidi  4:25

The solution is simple, but it is powerful. Create an actual physical parking lot for all of those thoughts. You sometimes call this a brain dump, but, you know, I kind of like thinking of it as a summer parking lot. You’re not getting rid of the cars, you’re just giving them an organized place to hang out while you’re away.

 

Emily  4:43

Your parking lot can be as simple as a stack of sticky notes or a dedicated notebook, or you can just have a Google doc titled For August. Whatever system helps you breathe easier is the right one for you.

 

Heidi  4:54

The key is to have one specific place where you capture every random thought, every idea or worry that pops into your head over the next few weeks, and we do mean everything. I need to move the bookshelf to the other wall. Or consider a new morning routine. Ask about that grant for the garden project.

 

Emily  5:12

So because we want to capture those thoughts immediately, your parking lot needs to be where you are. So using a notebook for your thoughts is great unless you find yourself wide awake in the middle of the night with an urgent thought and nowhere to write it down because you left your notebook at school.

 

Heidi  5:27

Oh, that is a guaranteed way to ensure that you’re not gonna be getting back to sleep anytime soon. So make sure that whatever you use for your thought parking lot is something that you can easily access anytime you need it.

 

Emily  5:39

It may seem too good to be true, but we promise that writing down your thoughts is kind of a magical way to decrease your anxiety level. Our brains are great idea machines, but they are not built to be remembering machines, but once you write something down, your brain can let go.

 

Heidi  5:56

This strategy helps you gently shift into summer mode with peace of mind. I started doing something like this years ago, and it completely changed how I transitioned into summer. Instead of carrying this invisible backpack of things that I should be thinking about, I just dumped it all in a document and then closed my laptop.

 

Emily  6:14

Yeah, and using a document is a better idea than what I do, which is just send myself emails where the thought is the subject line, because then sometimes the next day, I’m like, what and what even was this? And my inbox is a mess. Don’t, don’t do that. Use a doc.

 

Heidi  6:31

And then you have to do something with that email and put that information somewhere where you can use it.

 

Emily  6:36

And then it gets buried in my email by other emails, and then I see it, like, a month later, I’m like, Oh my gosh, I forgot about that. So that’s not a good approach. Use a doc. And what’s great about this approach is that you’re not ignoring these thoughts or or like pretending that they don’t matter. You’re just containing them so they don’t take over your well deserved break.

 

Heidi  6:55

Right now is not the time for action. We’re just committing to remembering. That’s the limit of what we can handle right now. This gives your brain the comfort of knowing it’s not going to lose thoughts without forcing you to act on them immediately before they’re forgotten.

 

Emily  7:11

And then when you come back in August, you will have this gift waiting for you—all your end of your insights and ideas captured when they were fresh in your mind.

 

Heidi  7:20

Now, if you want to take this to the next level, we have several different to do pages in our end of year roadmap. There’s a general brain dump page called my summer to do list, plus there are pages for May through August, so you can schedule when you might want to try to do some of those tasks on your to do list.

 

Emily  7:38

All roads lead back to the end of year roadmap at this time of year.

 

Heidi  7:41

No joke.

 

Emily  7:43

If you want to organize that brain dump list, there’s a sheet called tasks by location, and this helps you maximize your energy and time. And then there’s a task status list, where you can identify each task’s first steps. Writing down the first step for each task can lift a huge weight off your shoulders. When it’s time to do some school work, you’ll already know exactly where to start, which is often the hardest part.

 

Heidi  8:05

There is zero expectation that you should use every one of those lists, but there’s enough there that there should be something that helps you build the system that you need. The link to our free end of year roadmap is in the show notes. But even if you just grab a notebook and start scribbling, you are still giving yourself a huge gift.

 

Emily  8:23

Okay. So with all of those swirling thoughts captured, it’s time for part two of the May/June crossover plan, prep for the pause. This is where we set the stage for a real break.

 

Heidi  8:35

The question to ask yourself here is, what can I put in place now so I can fully pause later? The goal isn’t to pretend that teaching doesn’t exist for two months. As nice as that would be, it’s just not realistic for most of us. Instead, it’s about creating clear boundaries so that when you do think about school, it is intentional rather than intrusive.

 

Emily  8:57

One simple way to make space for your summer pause is to move your teacher bag and put it out of sight. You can put it in your closet, and keep it in the trunk of your car, out of sight, out of mind, but still easy to get if you do need it.

 

Heidi  9:12

Another game changer is setting your out of office message, something simple like, thanks for your email. I’m currently on summer break, and I will respond when school resumes in August. If this is urgent, please contact the school. This sets a clear boundary that protects your time and it also manages expectations.

 

Emily  9:29

While you’re at it, delete or hide those school related apps on your phone. You can temporarily remove any school email, grading, or communication apps and reinstall them when school nears, if you really have to have those on your phone.

 

Heidi  9:44

And now’s the time to batch any lingering to do tasks. If you know you need to submit final receipts or purge that drawer of mystery supplies, try and tackle it now. Don’t let these tasks bleed into your first weeks of summer.

 

Emily  10:00

It may be helpful to block off specific time, like maybe a day or even just an afternoon after the students leave, to knock out all those tasks at once. It’s so much better to stay late one day in June than to have these tasks hanging over your head in July.

 

Heidi  10:16

You could even try scheduling a classroom cleanup day with your work besties team up for mutual accountability and make classroom cleanup social, rather than isolating. Having others help makes tasks more enjoyable and efficient and bonus points if you bring some snacks.

 

Emily  10:32

In episode 194 we talked about the three bin system for breaking down your classroom. So you set up one bin for any summer work you know that you will actually do, one for your classroom setup materials, and one for the first week of school essentials. Label them, stack them where you can get to them and walk away.

 

Heidi  10:50

Being intentional about preparing for summer isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing just enough to allow your brain to actually shut off and your body to rest, because you deserve a real break.

 

Emily  11:04

And that brings us to the third part of our May/June crossover plan, which is close the loop. This is where we give ourselves emotional closure on the school year. We often talk about student closure, but like we mentioned last week, teacher closure matters just as much.

 

Heidi  11:20

I think this might be one of the most overlooked parts of transitioning to summer, but it’s so important. Teaching isn’t just a job, it is personal. Each year is a journey with its own highs and lows, victories and challenges. Without some kind of closure, it’s easy to carry those emotions, especially the heavy ones, like frustration or disappointment, right into your summer.

 

Emily  11:44

Small rituals can make a big difference. So on the last day of school, I liked to take a photo of my empty classroom, all tucked up for summer hibernation. There’s something so satisfying about seeing that clean slate and knowing it’s ready for a fresh start in the fall.

 

Heidi  11:58

And don’t underestimate the power of simply saying goodbye to your room. Walk around, touch the walls, sit at your desk, lean into the Marie Kondo woowoo-ness of it all, thank your room for all of the wonder that it held this year. Even though the carpet is old and it doesn’t have enough outlets and you never know what the temperature will be, you and your classroom are a pretty good team.

 

Emily  12:20

Another idea is to write a quick note of encouragement to your future self, highlighting what went well this year and what you hope for next year, and then you could tuck it into your desk drawer to read on your first morning back at work.

 

Heidi  12:32

In episode 195 we talked about closing the school year with heart. The idea is to honor what you’ve accomplished and acknowledge any difficulties before moving on. You deserve to start somewhere with a sense of peace and not panic or regret. These small rituals help you draw a line between the school year and your break.

 

Emily  12:50

And that is our May/June crossover plan. Capture the thoughts swirling in your brain, prep for your exit so you can truly pause, and close the loop with simple emotional closure. It’s not complicated, but it makes a world of difference.

 

Heidi  13:04

You don’t have to be perfectly planned. You just need a clear exit ramp and a little compassion for yourself.

 

Emily  13:10

Do you want a little help making that exit smoother? Well, then download our end of your roadmap. It’s totally free and full of simple prompts and checklists to help you finish strong without the stress. You’ll find a link in our show notes.

 

Heidi  13:23

But if you’re feeling the pull to rest and the tug to regroup, you are absolutely not alone. That’s why the teacher summer talks are coming in June, to help you gently shift into summer reflection and feel ready for what’s next without the pressure. So stay tuned. You are going to love this.

 

Emily  13:42

Oh, you really are. So go give future you the gift of a peaceful start to summer, because you have earned it.

 

Heidi  13:49

We would love to hear your end of year rituals, or how you mentally transition to summer. Come join the conversation in our Teacher Approved Facebook group.

 

Emily  13:57

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 create a classroom closing checklist. Tell us more about this. Heidi.

 

Heidi  14:11

Well, make a comprehensive list of everything that must be done before you leave your classroom at the end of the year. For example, all of the fun stuff, like inventorying your cleaning supplies, organizing textbooks, checking in all the technology, maybe hiding that coffee maker you’re not supposed to have in your room. Check off the items systematically so you can mentally release those responsibilities.

 

Emily  14:34

And don’t forget to turn your grades in, because Heidi knows from experience, they’ll chase you down in during summer if you forget to do that.

 

Heidi  14:41

Did have that problem one year.

 

Emily  14:44

To help you out with this, we’ve added some pages to our end of your roadmap freebie. Yes, we’re talking about it some more. You can’t trust us with digital products because they’re just too easy to extend. So give us a couple years, and this will be a 75 page freebie, and you’ll be glad you have it. But for what we just added, there’s a checklist for packing up your room, there’s a page to write a letter to your future self for back to school encouragement, there’s an inventory sheet for any classroom items you need to inventory at the end of the year. And then there’s a sheet so you can keep track of what you put in your three bins. Remember your classroom resources bin, your need first bin, and your first week of school bin.

 

Heidi  15:21

Now if you’ve already downloaded the end of your roadmap, you might be thinking, great ladies, I already have this. But don’t worry, it is so easy to add these new pages. I promise it’s so easy. If you have downloaded the roadmap, but you haven’t filled anything out yet, just delete the old version and download the new version.

 

Emily  15:37

That’s for sure the easiest way. But if you have written a few things in your roadmap, but not a lot, download the new version and copy and paste anything you’ve written into the new document, and then delete your old one.

 

Heidi  15:48

If you have written a lot in your roadmap and you don’t feel like copying and pasting, go ahead and download the new roadmap and then look at the pages we’ve just added. For any pages that you want to add to your current roadmap, just click the little tab at the bottom of the page on the new download. This will bring up a bunch of options like delete and duplicate, but the option you want is copy to. So when you click that, it’ll bring up option and you want copy to existing spreadsheet. And then you can select your roadmap file, and it will copy it right in there. Once you have copied over any of the new sheets that you want, you can just delete the file that you downloaded.

 

Emily  16:26

I promise it’s way easier than it sounds, and there’s so much good stuff in there. We just don’t want you to miss any of it as we keep adding really awesome new additions to it. So make sure to head to the show notes so you can grab your own copy or update your copy if you need the latest one.

 

Heidi  16:42

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

 

Emily  16:47

Well, I’m giving extra credit to something super sexy. It’s my new dandruff comb. I was like, why does it have to be called that?? I told you it was super sexy. The thing about this comb is that it has hollow teeth, so it exfoliates your scalp when you comb it across your scalp. And then what’s cool about it is it has a little button that cleans it out after.

 

Heidi  17:11

Gross.

 

Emily  17:12

No, it’s not gross. It’s not gross. I promise it’s not gross. It’s not, it’s less gross than having your scalp flakes end up your clothes.

 

Heidi  17:21

That’s very true. Yeah.

 

Emily  17:22

So it gets it out of your hair very easily. It feels really good. And I feel like my scalp has been like, extra clean since I started using this.

 

Heidi  17:30

Well, that does sound like a win.

 

Emily  17:31

I’m gonna turn you into a fan instead of a hater.

 

Heidi  17:38

We’ll see.

 

Emily  17:38

I know that dandruff scales run in our family, so don’t try to pretend you’re better than my dandruff comb.

 

Heidi  17:45

Don’t out our dirty laundry on a national podcast!

 

Emily  17:51

Sorry mom for bringing shame on our family. What are you giving extra credit to you, Heidi? Better bring something really good after that mocking.

 

Heidi  18:00

Oh, it is excellent. It is so lovely and centering and healing. So I’m giving extra credit to JaxKelly’s shower affirmation cards. These are really just such a simple way to add a little brightness to your day. These cards are made from like, some special material, probably plasticky, so it makes them waterproof. So you just choose one, I like to choose one at random, and then you get your shower wall a little wet, and the card just sticks to it. And then while you’re showering, you can remind yourself that I am creating a life of passion and purpose, or I am open and ready to receive amazing possibilities.

 

Heidi  18:38

They have several different sets for things like abundance, anxiety and positivity and lots more than that. And they have sets for kids and teens as well. I think these are really unique gifts, especially if you have someone who might be going through a hard time. And I also think these are really helpful if you happen to be in a place right now where that thinking time in the shower might lead to spiraling thoughts. So I give these 10 stars out of 10 stars, I don’t know, how many stars do you think can get? This gets all of them. They’re just really lovely, a little bit of brightness in a world that can sometimes feel overwhelming.

 

Heidi  18:38

So you can use the dandruff comb and then take a shower, and then, if you’re lucky, you’ll pull out one that’s like, I’m still worthy, even though I have dandruff sometimes.

 

Heidi  18:51

They have some pretty specific ones, so they probably have that.

 

Emily  19:19

If not, you can just make your own card to add to the set.

 

Heidi  19:36

That is it for today’s episode. Use our May/June crossover plan to mentally clock out without dropping the ball, and don’t forget our teacher approved tip to create a checklist for packing up your classroom.

 

Heidi  19:49

We hope you enjoyed this episode of Teacher Approved. I’m Heidi.

 

Emily  19:53

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.

 

Heidi  20:00

You can connect with us and other teachers in the Teacher Approved Facebook group. We’ll see you here next week. Bye for now.

 

Emily  20:06

Bye.