Finding Our Wellsprings
I love to travel, especially in the summer. For many years, I have been in the habit of hopping on a plane a day or two after school gets out and heading west for the summer. When my daughter was young, this trip was a way for us to spend precious time with family in Oregon and for her to get to know the beautiful place I grew up. As the years went by, though, the trip has evolved into what I like to term my annual West Coast adventure. Of course, I still spend time with family and catch up with old friends, but I also devote myself to seeing new places and immersing myself in the breathtaking landscapes of the west. Whether I land in California or Oregon or Washington, my agenda is the same: to get lost in the beauty of the mountains and the desert, the waterfalls and the beaches. I hike and swim, explore and marvel, not only at the awe-inspiring nature I encounter, but also at my incredible good fortune to be doing what I love.
My summer travel is not only my reset button, it is my soul restoration, my wild heart’s renewal—my wellspring of energy and inspiration.
As I write that last sentence, I can’t help but think of that word, wellspring. It’s a sweet one, right? A tiny bit antiquated and formal, but also gentle and timeless; two good things in one simple word. Oxford says it means “an original and bountiful source of something” but when you actually see the word in action, it’s almost always connected to something elevated and important. A wellspring of creativity, or a wellspring of generosity or a wellspring of grace. You rarely see a wellspring of boredom, or a wellspring of greediness, although certainly those things also have an original and bountiful source. Nope, wellspring has what we English teachers like to call a positive connotation and like so many words in the English language, it is conflated with a meaning that is more than its dictionary definition. And, I like it. And, moreover, I like the idea it conjures up. That idea that there is an original and bountiful source of all the really good things we need in this world. Things like inspiration and creativity, gratitude and grace.
At this point in my life and career, I am very happy to have found my own reliable wellspring—an activity that I know will transport me, like a bullet train, directly to my best, most satisfied and inspired self. My summer travels. What I’ve come to realize lately, though, is how this wellspring of mine not only improves the quality of my life, but it also improves the quality of my work. I am a better, more engaged, and more effective teacher because of how I spend my summers. And just as importantly, I am more enthusiastic and satisfied with my job. Yes, even after all these years in the classroom (today, I start year 35) I can honestly say that I still love teaching and while I might be incessantly daydreaming about my next big adventure, I rarely daydream about my retirement.
And because I believe I’m onto something here, I want to make a strong argument to every teacher I know to find your wellspring. And then pour a whole lot of energy and resources into doing it. Regularly. And often. We teachers, in particular, need to find this reliable source of energy and inspiration, especially in the summer. Why? Because, when we sign up to be a teacher, we agree to a lopsided equation, an equation in which we are always expected to give more than we receive. Regardless of working conditions, school culture or how many and what types of students are in front of us, we are expected to show up every day with a smile on our face and consistently and enthusiastically give and guide, teach and nurture, adapt and perform. There is very little room for a bad day, and even less room for normal human responses like disappointment, impatience, or negativity. We are always expected to be appropriately on and always expected to put out students first.
And, that is exactly why we need to put ourselves first in the summer. In those months when school is not in session, we teachers need to give ourselves permission to find our wellsprings—our bountiful source of energy and inspiration—and fill our cups.
Now I realize that all teachers don’t have the luxury—or the desire, for that matter—to drop everything and to go wandering around the country all summer. But then again, my wellspring is not your wellspring. For some people, their wellspring is spending the summer pursuing their favorite hobbies or passions. I have a colleague who starts most summer mornings trout fishing in a stream near his house. Another who takes a baking class. Another who bought a boat and yet, another, who works as a caddy at a golf course, so that he can play golf all summer. Of course, so many teachers are also parents and the summer break affords them time to reconnect with their kids, without the pressure of their busy schedules. In fact, I think most teachers would say that quality family time in the summer is their primary wellspring.
Other teachers work in the summer, often because they need to make additional income, and for them, finding their wellspring can be more challenging. I am sensitive to the struggles that many teachers face during these challenging times, but would urge them make themselves a priority, despite the struggle, and to try to tap into the joy that helps them to feel like their most positive and satisfied selves, even when time and resources may seem limited. I have one such colleague who has been incredibly successful in what she calls her side-hustle, and has not only been challenged and inspired by her work leading direct marketing teams, but has earned dozens of reward trips to amazing destinations, and another who has managed to monetize his podcast and still another who spends the summer teaching fitness classes on the beach.
What many of these people—most of them veteran teachers—have in common is that they have found a wellspring of inspiration and satisfaction by prioritizing their own joy and following their passions, especially during the summer months. And while this doesn’t make the work of teaching any less challenging, it does help teachers to feel happier, more satisfied and more inspired—which definitely translates into more positive and productive classrooms.
