The winter break gives teachers the chance to get away from the classroom and rejuvenate before the second half of the year. Teachers: check out these holiday break ideas to help you make the most of your time off. 

Hit the Road 

Nobel Prize-winning author Andre Gide wrote that “One doesn’t discover new lands without consenting to lose sight, for a very long time, of the shore.” For teachers, winter break provides time to lose sight of the shore. Escaping the routines of home and teaching will recharge your batteries for the second semester. 

Read for Pleasure 

Teachers might have a difficult time remembering the last evening they didn’t have to read test papers, essays or professional development materials. The holiday break is a great time to catch up on your personal reading list. And reading is a relaxing activity that you can combine with other holiday break ideas like vacationing. 

Time for Yourself 

If you want to be at your professional best it’s important to make time for your favorite hobbies. Watch a movie you’ve been putting off in favor of grading papers or binge on that TV show all your friends have been talking about. Sometimes holiday break ideas are as simple as taking time for those leisure activities that you usually put off. 

Learn More 

For some teachers, even two weeks over the winter break is wasted time if they don’t spend it working on bettering themselves as professionals. You can work on new approaches in the classroom or new teaching strategies. It just might be worth it to take that extra time to help solve a classroom problem that’s been bothering you, offering you a fresh start when you return for the new year. 

Volunteer Work 

Teaching is demanding. Maintaining the daily workload in and out of the classroom often leaves little time for volunteering. But volunteering can be therapeutic. It’s worth it to consider taking time during the holiday break to focus on helping others. Teaching is a helping profession and volunteering fits right in. 

Whatever holiday break ideas are right for you, taking the time to recharge yourself is important.  You’ll be prepared for the hard and rewarding work of teaching for the rest of the school year.