Three weeks and counting: What winter break might really mean - The first semester

I loved teaching, but I was really looking forward to the holidays. So when winter break was only a few weeks away, I began an unofficial countdown with my students. Vacation coming up in three weeks…two weeks…one week!

Underlying my expression of enthusiasm was the assumption that my students were as excited about the break as I was, if not more so. They had certainly been more difficult to manage during the early December class periods. Certainly that was a sign of their impatience for their winter break. They had energy, likely inspired by the vacation they saw as the light at the end of our academic tunnel! I was determined to channel that energy into some serious studying. We could push hard now, recover over vacation, then return to school rejuvenated and refreshed.

The flip side of vacation

Ah, the danger of assumptions. The flaws in mine were exposed during a single conversation with a school counselor. She nodded as I described one student whose December demeanor was much different than what I saw the rest of the year. And she listened to my theory that he was over-excited about the upcoming break.

Then she pointed out that she knew these students and their families a little better than I did, and revealed a huge flaw in my theory that winter break was something everyone would enjoy anticipating. The counselor pointed out that this particular child and several of my other students were not acting out because the excitement of a holiday was too much for them to handle. They were acting out because for some, winter “vacation” was an involuntary dismissal from the school setting, and school was the most stable part of their lives.

For several weeks, there would be no cafeteria breakfast at 7 am, and those who received free or reduced lunch at school might have no lunch at all. The school building was warm, while some of their houses were not. Most came from loving families that were simply facing economic struggles, but others came from homes that were less than loving. One of my students was facing her first holiday season since losing her mother.

In short, for many of my students, the days away from school would be hard. While several students anticipated those moments, I constantly emphasized how much we would all enjoy our vacations! After my conversation with the counselor, I realized that my countdown had heightened some students’ anxiety. And my overwhelming, often verbalized enthusiasm for time with my family had left some of my students feeling even more alienated and alone.

Look forward to your vacation. Let students eagerly anticipate a break from seven hours of class work a day. But be sensitive to the fact that for some of our students, time away from school means time in more difficult settings. Let them know you will miss them, and that you’ll be thinking about them from a distance. Let them know that you hope they enjoy their break, but that you also hope they know how much you will enjoy seeing them again after the new year. Even if you are among the secondary school teachers whose students leave to start new courses in January, you can tell those students that your door will be open to them even after they’ve moved into a new semester’s classes.

In other words, this December, provide a sense of constancy in a time that may be unsettling for some of your students. Balance your celebration of the school holidays with a celebration of the kids in your classroom. It’s the perfect time of year to pause and let students know that while you enjoy vacations, you also enjoy being with them.