It starts slowly…the back-to-school ads that creep into your feed. The emails that go from “hope you are relaxing” to “please review this training module.”

And just like that…the summer starts slipping away.

It’s a strange time, isn’t it? This late-July stretch, when your heart is still craving the slow morning of listening to the birds while sipping your iced coffee, but your mind is already drifting towards seating charts, lesson plans, and what kind of emotional load this new year might bring.

As teachers, we live on a different calendar. Our “new year” doesn’t start in January. It begins when the school doors swing open and a flood of fresh pencils and wide-eyed students come rushing in.

So right now, in this in-between season, we stand at the edge of two worlds: the quiet of summer and the storm of the school year.

But summer isn’t over yet. And it still has gifts left to give…if we are willing to stop and receive them.

Here are a few gentle ways to make the most of the summer that remains:

~Reclaim slow mornings. Wake up without an alarm at least once a week. Make a real breakfast. Sip your coffee slowly, not in the car on the way to an endless day of errands you haven’t gotten to yet.

~Read something you want to read. Not a strategy book. Not a resource guide. Just a book or something that makes you feel more human and less “on.” It might even be an evening of scrolling through your news feed.

~Tend to your nervous system. Take a walk with no destination. Stretch in the sunlight. Sit on the porch with your phone out of reach. You don’t have to “earn” rest. You already deserve it!

~Reconnect with people or yourself. Call a friend you haven’t had time to talk to. Take yourself on a solo coffee date. Journaling. Painting. Silence. Whatever fills your cup—Do more of it!

~Do something delightfully unproductive. Bake something messy. Watch a silly movie. Wander through an antique store with no hidden agenda. Give yourself permission to be aimless. To just play!

~Prep, but only if it brings peace. If getting a few things ready for school will help you feel less anxious, go for it. If it starts to feel like pressure, walk away. The day is coming when you HAVE to be there, so today…leave when you want to!

Maybe you had a summer filled with joy and travel. Maybe you spent it recovering from a year that nearly broke you. Maybe you didn’t do all the things you planned—and that is okay.

Rest is not wasted. Slow is not lazy. Time spent healing is scared.

As the sun begins its slow descent into the school year, I hope you will resist the rush. You are not behind. You are not “already late.”

You are still in summer. And summer still belongs to you!