Why You Should Add More Whimsy to Your Teacher Summer [Episode 268]

Heidi 0:00
This is episode 268 of Teacher Approved.

Heidi 0:05
You’re listening to Teacher Approved, the podcast helping educators elevate what matters and simplify the rest. I’m Heidi.

Emily 0:13
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 0:28
We’re so glad you’re tuning in today. Let’s get to the show.

Emily 0:36
Hey there, thanks for joining us today. In today’s episode, we’re making the case for adding a little whimsy to your summer, plus we’ve got a teacher-approved tip for putting together an analog basket.

Heidi 0:48
But let’s start with a try it tomorrow, where we share a quick one that you can try right away. Emily, what is our suggestion for this week?

Emily 0:56
This week, pick one tiny treat to indulge in. So maybe it’s buying yourself a bouquet of flowers at the grocery store, or picking up the fancy iced coffee from the place that you only let yourself go to sometimes, because it’s, you know, too expensive. Or you know, just getting a new candle, anything like that. It doesn’t have to be big, just claim one small fancy thing, just for you.

Heidi 1:21
I love this. So much of life seems to run on autopilot. We get through the day, there’s the children to wrangle, we put dinner on the table, we collapse. There’s just not a lot of space for enjoying things or noticing things.

Emily 1:36
Yeah, and a tiny indulgence is a reminder that, you know, those small moments are where life happens, so it’s not just the big trips or the milestone events, but, you know, the random Tuesday afternoon when you light a candle and sip your coffee for 10 minutes. Those moments make up a lot more of your life than the big things.

Heidi 1:56
Well, if you like ideas like this one, would you take a second and give us a five star rating and review in your podcast player? It is a small thing that makes a big difference for us, and it helps new listeners find us. So we really, really do appreciate everyone.

Emily 2:09
Yeah, we do. Okay, let’s start with a trip down memory lane. If someone asked, what did you do last summer, could you remember? Not in like a, we went to the beach, but like specifically, what did you do last summer.

Heidi 2:28
And I think for a lot of teachers the answers may be kind of a shrug. You know you had time off, you know you were definitely grateful for that, but most of the summer blurred into, we did some stuff, and then it was August.

Emily 2:40
Yeah, and that’s what we are talking about today, not how to rest more, although we are big fans of rest, but how to make a summer that you’ll remember, and we’re doing that by making the case for a little summer whimsy.

Heidi 2:54
And it does feel a bit whimsical to dedicate a whole episode to whimsy.

Emily 2:58
It does, we’re so whimsy. But that might be like verging into whimsy inception territory. Yeah, and none of us have the brain power to unravel inception at the moment.

Heidi 3:12
No, we’re not doing that. So, instead, let’s start with something that we have been circling around all summer. We’ve talked a lot about recovery, especially in those first weeks of break. And back in episode 262 we made the case that recovery is more than just crashing on the couch.

Emily 3:29
And to be clear, we are fully encouraging you to crash out on the couch, like do that as much as you need to. But often when we talk about teacher recovery, we’re talking about taking things away, everyone wants less stress, less pressure, and fewer responsibilities.

Heidi 3:47
If you remember our 4R recovery framework, all of those taking away things lives under that first R, relax, and that, of course, is important. But if your whole summer is only focused on relaxing, you’re missing three fourths of your recovery plan. The other R’s – refresh, refocus, and recharge – are all about thoughtfully adding things that enrich your life.

Emily 4:13
So, think of summer recovery like a garden bed. You can pull all the weeds, you can clear it out, you can get the soil all ready, even though that doesn’t sound relaxing, that’s essentially the work of relaxing. You’re getting everything out of the way, so you can be still.

Heidi 4:30
And I am told that that’s an important step in gardening.

Emily 4:34
Yeah, we established last week on an outing that we do not have green thumbs. We were trying to get into some gardening, and, it didn’t, it didn’t go well, listeners.

Heidi 4:45
I did manage to kill the one little sprout that I got to show up, but it’s fine. It’s fine.

Emily 4:50
My basil plant is already looking pretty droopy. I need to re-pot it, but I haven’t, ugh, see, we don’t know anything about gardening. We’re making this analogy up.

Heidi 4:59
So if it’s wrong, don’t tell us. But tying that back into recovery, you have to clear the path a little bit, clear the bed, but nothing’s going to grow if you never plant the seeds.

Emily 5:09
That that I do know is true, that’s definitely true.

Heidi 5:12
Yeah, that’s kindergarten level on that one. But after relaxing, we got those three other R’s, and we’re not going to go into all of them today. You can go back to episode 262 if you want the breakdown, but what all of those R’s have in common is that they’re about reconnecting with who you are when you’re not being a teacher.

Emily 5:33
For some teachers, this comes pretty naturally, but for a lot of us, even the thought of having to answer, what do you do for fun, just makes you panic.

Heidi 5:41
Oh, 100%. Emily and I used to spend our summers bouncing back and forth between our classrooms, working on big projects.

Emily 5:50
I mean, we would take on like massive curriculum overhauls, like writing something from scratch, like that was, and we loved every minute of it. That’s the crazy part, but I don’t know that we got any of this recovery done.

Heidi 6:05
No, it was fun, but I also kind of have to admit that there was like a darker layer to it for me. Staying busy gave me this feeling of accomplishment, without ever having to stop and consider what I actually want for my life, and am I moving toward that. So, even after Emily moved away, my summers were still just full of that same level of work. Busyness was so much easier than having to sit with those questions, and maybe having to overhaul my life as a result.

Emily 6:38
Right. I think a lot of teachers will see themselves in that description. When you’ve drifted from your sense of self, the idea of finding your way back kind of feels overwhelming.

Heidi 6:50
Yeah, it’s a bit like jumping from a plane with no parachute. So, here is why we are dedicating today to whimsy. It’s because it’s such a low pressure place to start. There’s no soul searching. You don’t have to figure out what’s missing from your life. You just have to open the door to a little bit of playfulness.

Emily 7:10
And our teacher-approved definition of whimsy, who cares what Merriam Webster says.

Heidi 7:15
Well, we care a little bit, because we do like their account.

Emily 7:18
It’s true, they have a very good account on social media, they’re very funny, but our definition of whimsy is deliberately making room for delight, curiosity, surprise, and playfulness. So, on the surface, it probably sounds very frivolous, but it’s an important part of recovery. Whimsy reconnects you with yourself, and it helps you get the most out of your summer in a way that fills your tank back up instead of draining it.

Heidi 7:42
But don’t worry, we’re not getting into the heavy stuff. We’re not going to suggest that you throw a Bridgerton style tea party for 30 of your friends.

Emily 7:50
Although if you are, way to go. I bet your group texts are lively. If you have 30 friends, that’s amazing. But you don’t need 30 friends or tea parties to feel whimsical. All it takes is something as simple as wearing llama earrings or talking to your cat in an accent. Whimsy meets you where you are with whatever energy you have to give.

Heidi 8:14
So, to give a little example from my own life, Emily and I are both big fans of Gretchen Rubin and her podcast, Happier. And every year she talks about how to design your summer so that it feels special and not just three months of sweating. So, a couple of years ago, I took Gretchen’s idea, and I did The Summer of Parks and Rec, because I had never seen that show all the way through. I’d only watched the first season. So my to-do list was watching every episode and listening to the Parks and Rec podcast. It’s pretty low, it’s pretty low key, and I cannot say that that project made me a better person, but it definitely made me a happier one.

Heidi 8:50
And then another summer I did the summer of Audrey Hepburn, so I listened to her biography, and I watched all of her movies in order, not all of them, I couldn’t find all of them on streaming, but all the ones I could. And I have these clear memories of that summer, like one afternoon where I treated myself to a fancy soda, because we get all the fancy sodas here, and I was listening to this story unfold of young Audrey working with the Dutch resistance to take down Nazis. And like this moment was not anything special, but because summer’s our busy season for work, and everything just has to be wedged in around my other responsibilities, having something lighthearted to focus on reminded me that life is about more than my to-do list.

Emily 9:33
Yeah, and I feel like for us, because now we serve teachers and summer is like go time for us, it’s really easy to just like let the summer pass by, and so I do think adding in these rituals or moments of whimsy can really help you feel connected to your summer. A couple years ago, I think I talked about it here on the podcast when I came up with the idea, which is that I wanted to have the summer of movies. So I just had this realization that I love going to the movies, it’s just this nice escape where you’re fully locked into something and not being distracted and just enjoying a movie, and then you can get your little movie snacks and watch previews. I just, I just love it.

Emily 10:15
It’s even better now that all of the theaters around us have very nice recliner seats and things like that. But it was such a nice summer having this thing that I wanted to do feel more like something I should do, because I had set the intention to do it, so then it did give me that thrill of, like, check, I’m checking things off of my list. But it is just easier to prioritize something when you name it.

Heidi 10:42
And I love how expansive this idea is. You can have the summer of anything, really, the summer of trying every ice cream parlor in town, or reading on the porch, or learning the names of the birds in your yard. We recently downloaded the Merlin app, so we are becoming experts.

Emily 11:01
I sent my youngest out with that to check on some birds that she was watching, and they flew away, so she didn’t, she didn’t catch anything, but she tried doing some fake noises, thinking that she could trick it, and I have to tell you, the Merlin app is too smart, she could not trick it.

Heidi 11:19
It’s a wild Eloise. Now before you chalk all this up to just, you know, fluffy feel-good nonsense. There is some real psychology backing this up. Heavy emotions like stress narrow our attention. So, think about how we all feel in the middle of testing season. We are just zeroed in on the problems and tracking all the deadlines and all the things that need fixing.

Emily 11:43
And that’s useful when you’re trying to survive a hard stretch, but it can wreak havoc on your mind and your body if you spend every day wound up like that.

Heidi 11:53
Yeah, that’s how we end up with brain fog and insomnia and digestive issues.

Emily 11:59
And if it goes too long, we end up with problems like heart disease and autoimmune disorders. So it’s really important to learn to manage your stress.

Heidi 12:09
And one way to do that is to lean into lighter feelings. Where stress and anxiety narrow our focus to whatever problem is right in front of us, delight and playfulness do the opposite; they help us see the possibilities again.

Emily 12:24
And now we’re going to use real research here. Researcher Barbara Fredrickson calls this broaden and build theory. So, the idea is that we counter the narrowness that stress brings by opening up to emotions and behaviors that broaden attention. So, over time, those broadened moments help us build lasting relationships, skills, and coping strategies.

Heidi 12:47
Or in other words, whimsy is not just a TikTok trend, it’s part of how we heal and come out even stronger on the other side.

Emily 12:55
And I just think this is especially important for teachers all day long, you’re scanning for who needs help, what’s missing, what did I forget, what problem is about to become my problem. I mean, that is really the job, to be waiting for an issue all day long.

Heidi 13:11
Yeah, that is the job, which is why teaching has a way of swallowing up huge parts of who you are. You become the planner, the organizer, the caretaker, the problem solver, and your world gets a little smaller without you even noticing.

Emily 13:25
So, summer isn’t only a break from the stress, it’s also your chance to widen the lens again. So, you spent 10 months narrowing. Summer is when you get to broaden back out.

Heidi 13:35
You know, we love reflection questions around here. So, let’s take a minute to think about a couple things. First, what did you love before teaching took up so much of your attention? And second, what are you curious about right now?

Emily 13:50
And this is the thing about those summer themes. The summer of Audrey Hepburn wasn’t really about Audrey Hepburn, right, Heidi?

Heidi 13:58
No, it really wasn’t. It was about having a no stress reason to walk away from my computer sometimes. I just used Audrey and also Leslie Knope as my doorways.

Emily 14:10
Right. And my movie summer wasn’t really about movies, it was about me realizing, like, oh, there’s this thing that I actually really enjoy, and I’m never doing it, because I haven’t made any space for it in my life. So now I need to make the space for it.

Heidi 14:26
It’s a chronic problem. When we were at the nursery the other day, I came home, and I can’t tell you, like, I had so much guilt that we had gone to the nursery in the afternoon.

Emily 14:34
I know, in the middle of a work day.

Heidi 14:37
And I just was like, what? What is going on in my brain that I can’t let this go?

Emily 14:43
Uh huh.

Heidi 14:43
We are just so conditioned to justify everything. We don’t move unless it counts as exercise. We track the minutes that we’re spending on our phones. We feel guilty if the books we read aren’t serious enough. Everything has to earn its keep.

Emily 14:56
But I have a secret for you, the. Rules are made up. You are a grown-up. You can do something just because it interests you. It doesn’t have to be productive, and it doesn’t have to make you better. It can just be fun and silly and completely pointless if we want it to be.

Heidi 15:16
And that is what whimsy gives you. It creates room for experiences that don’t have to justify themselves. And the funny thing is those things tend to end up being some of the most meaningful parts of life anyway.

Emily 15:30
But the catch is that those moments almost never just happen on their own. So, if you want some place to start, use Gretchen Rubin’s idea of giving your summer a theme. This year maybe you want the summer of state parks, or the summer of musicals, or the summer of library visits.

Heidi 15:46
The nice thing about a theme is that it creates anticipation and a little bit of structure, but there’s not too much extra work involved.

Emily 15:54
And that brings us right back to the question that we started with. Years from now, the summer of 2026 might not mean anything if you hear that, but you might remember, oh, that was my summer of wildflowers.

Heidi 16:05
So, if you need a whimsical on-ramp, try naming your summer. But if you want to go a different route, why not try something we are calling a whimsy menu. So, here’s the problem it solves: when we are tired, we default, and the default is almost always scrolling.

Emily 16:23
Yes, so guilty every time. So, to combat that, let’s make some decisions ahead of time. Find a moment when you have a little energy and make a plan that you’ll benefit from later when you’re feeling sluggish. It’s, you know, the gift for your future self. We love to do it. So, start with a list of categories, and if you need some ideas, you could try creative, outdoor, social, silly, or curious.

Heidi 16:47
And then think about some things you might want to do in each category. You will be more likely to follow through if you make the item specific. So, instead of writing “have fun,” write, “try three new homemade popscroll recipes,” or instead of, “spend more time outside,” put, “walk the trail behind the library every Tuesday.” That way you know if you have achieved your goal or not.

Emily 17:09
And remember, this is not about chasing productivity, so please mix in some easy ones.

Heidi 17:15
Or honestly, do all easy if that’s more realistic for your season. No one’s grading you.

Emily 17:21
Yeah, this is a menu, not a contract. You are not failing your summer if you don’t get to all of it. You’re just giving yourself good options for the moment you’d otherwise reach for your phone.

Heidi 17:32
And even though we are moving into July, there is still a lot of summer left. So, what do you want to get out of it? What would help you broaden your view?

Emily 17:40
So try naming your summer. Follow a curiosity. My friend just told me that she’s super into sandhill cranes right now. I was like, okay, I love it. And you know, watch the movies, give yourself something to remember, and give yourself a chance to just be a person again before it’s time to be a teacher.

Heidi 18:00
And this is exactly the spirit behind something we’ve got coming up that we are so excited about, it’s almost time for our annual teacher summer talk summit.

Emily 18:09
And I’m so excited about this. This is something we do every summer, it’s been a few years of doing this now, and what is really important to us, if we’re going to ask teachers to come spend some of their personal time working on professional development, then we’re going to make sure you have a really good time. So last year our theme was 90s theme, a 90s summer theme, and oh, we went hard. Anyone who was at it knows we leaned all the way into the 90s. We had a snack food, 90s snack food bracket that we voted on to figure out what was the best 90 snack, and we just had such a fun time.

Emily 18:48
And so I knew we needed a different theme this year. I wasn’t sure we could top it until I came up with summer camp theme, and not just any summer camp, like parent trap summer camp, like, very nostalgic, all the fun. We are going to have a total blast, and you’ll get to get ready for back to school from the comfort of your own couch. And then, along the way, you can earn merit badges. This is the part I’m so excited about. And then also the chance to win prizes while you’re learning, so it’s win, win, win.

Heidi 19:20
It’s basically permission to make getting ready for fall feel a little more whimsy and a lot less like a chore.

Emily 19:27
The summit is free, and the tickets open up on July 1. So, mark your calendar, and believe me, we will have all the details for you as we get closer.

Emily 19:36
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 make an analog bag. So, tell us about an analog bag, Heidi.

Heidi 19:50
Well, if you are online a lot, like I am, this is something you’re probably familiar with, because it’s kind of everywhere right now.

Emily 19:57
It’s the it thing, this summer.

Heidi 19:59
That and whimsy, but I think everyone is latching onto it, because it makes so much sense. The idea is to just round up a bunch of stuff that you can do while you’re relaxing, instead of scrolling your phone. So, in my analog bag, I have a couple of books, a needle punching project that I’m just learning how to do, some puzzle books that I got for my birthday, a sticker by number book, and then I also have this little word game tin called Cue List that our mom got us for Easter.

Emily 20:27
Oh, yeah, yeah.

Heidi 20:28
It’s perfect because it’s just a one-player game, and then you just need something to store it all in, so that it’s as handy to reach for as your phone. Obviously, I have the perk of not having kids around, so I don’t have to worry about kids getting into it. I’m using a felt diaper tote, but I’ve seen people use baskets or canvas bags, or even fun gardening totes.

Emily 20:47
Yeah, and you just want to look for something that has a lot of little pockets, I think, because sometimes there’s just little bits and pieces for some of the things you might want to add.

Heidi 20:55
So, I’ll put a link in the show notes to the diaper tote I’m using. It’s really nice, it’s got little pockets on the side and big spaces in the middle, and then your challenge this week is to start rounding up stuff at your house, because I bet you’ve got more bits and pieces scattered all over that would work well for an analog bag. You probably don’t even need to buy anything, but this is a good reason to use the stuff that you’ve always been meaning to get to.

Heidi 21:16
To wrap up the show, we are sharing what we’re giving extra credit to this week. Emily, what gets your extra credit?

Emily 21:21
Well, I wanted to think of something whimsy for the extra credit this week, so I am giving extra credit to myself for this idea. No, I’m giving extra credit to rock exchanges. So I had the thought that out by my little free library in my yard, it would be perfect to have a little rock exchange there, so the kids in the neighborhood can decorate rocks, and they can come drop them off, and they can grab one of the other ones and take it home, and then they can drop them off places where they want to, you know, you can just leave a cute rock in the park, or whatever. So I just thought it was such a fun little summery thing to do, and so my extra credit actually is going to the paint markers that I found that are supposed to be good for rocks.

Heidi 22:04
That’s such a fun idea. I don’t have painted rocks, but I’ve got some random rocks that kids might like.

Emily 22:09
Oh, I do love your ladybug rocks.

Heidi 22:11
Oh, that’s a fun idea. Maybe I’ll bring those over. They’re just sad in my yard right now. I inherited someone’s rock collection that got passed from, like, I think someone’s parents had collected, and it made its way to me. So, I got these like pretty rocks. I don’t do it, but maybe the kids would want to decorate them.

Emily 22:29
Yes, maybe that’s a good idea. What are you giving extra credit to, Heidi?

Heidi 22:34
Well, also in the theme of whimsy, I’m giving extra credit to plant magnets. Have you seen these, Emily?

Emily 22:41
Yes.

Heidi 22:41
They’re so fun. They’re just like little magnetic eyes or shapes that you can put on the leaves of your plants. So, I’ve got this big tall snake plant in the corner, the one plant I’ve managed to keep alive. So, I put all these little eyes on it, and it just makes me laugh. I love it. It’s not very expensive, it doesn’t take up any extra space, so I’ll put a link in the show notes, but there’s tons of brands out there. If you want something to make you smile, plant magnets are it.

Emily 23:09
I love it.

Heidi 23:10
That is it for today’s episode. Pick a theme for your summer, make yourself a whimsy menu, and give yourself a summer worth remembering.

Heidi 23:19
We hope you enjoyed this episode of Teacher Approved. I’m Heidi.

Emily 23:23
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 23:29
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 23:36
Bye.