by Beth Petitjean, Ph.D., Digital Learning Specialist, Reinert Center
Whew, a lot has been going on in the world and in SLU’s little corner of it this semester. It’s time for a breather and in a couple of days we’ll get one with the Thanksgiving holiday break. Thanksgiving was always my favorite holiday as a kid, mainly because it was one of the few times everyone visited. The house was crowded and noisy, but it was wonderful and forever etched on my childhood memories.
When I returned home for Thanksgiving break as an undergraduate, it felt different. I was in a liminal space between living on campus in the dorms and in my own bedroom at home. I could relax for a bit, but still had homework to do and finals once I returned to campus. I missed my college friends, but knew I would miss my family once I got back to campus. Things were the same, but different. When I became an instructor, it was even more different as the break was not a break per se but research and writing time, a time when I spared only a couple of hours for a meal with loved ones before going back to the computer. Over the years I’ve come to realize that Thanksgiving break is one of the many speed bumps in the academic calendar; we slow down for a bit, are ‘half-in, half-out’ yet still busy, then must rev our engines to finish the remaining weeks of the semester.
I daresay everyone in academia feels this even if they don’t acknowledge it outright. For students, they get to go home, fall back into familial patterns, and be a kid again, yet they aren’t kids, and home might feel a bit strange. For international students, who may not be able to go home for 5 days in November like their classmates, the whole concept of the American holiday of turkey, pumpkin pie, pilgrims, and football may be both exceedingly odd and very lonely. For students with neurodiversity, the interruption of routine, the trials of holiday travel, the expectations that come with family, and the noisy and bright homes might pose untold challenges. For instructors, the break might mean a chance to finish that chapter or article, take a nap, or write a grant proposal, all while managing the guilt that comes with an uneven work/life balance. For everyone, the expectations of a holiday that prizes abundance and togetherness might be especially difficult in our time of economic and political fractures.
Perhaps we all need a big, heaping bowl of kindness.
In her recent book, A Pedagogy of Kindness, scholar Cate Denial has argued that kindness begins with kindness to ourselves. It sounds familiar to the oxygen mask instructions we hear while waiting for planes to take off—we can’t help someone else with their mask if we’re not breathing, so put our mask on first. Denial applies this to teaching by pushing past basic self-care to suggest that “Caring for ourselves is about securing the time, energy, creativity, and rest we need to support our existence in all its wonderful, frustrating, liberating complexity” [16]. It’s easy for that concept to get lost when we have deadlines and are getting pulled in every which way by the challenges of our academic and personal lives. Denial continues: “Many people love the profession of education and derive tremendous satisfaction and affirmation from working in this field. But even then we must remember we are all so much more than the work we do” [16].
Thanksgiving break is the perfect time to remember our love for our profession and who we are beyond it. In chapter 1, Denial includes several strategies for expressing kindness to the self. A few of those are applicable here as we think about the five precious days of the holiday break, and they all involve blocking out time on our calendars. First, take time off from email [27]. Put your “out of office” autoreply on and step away from the computer, at least for as long as you can. The email (and the grading, for that matter) can wait. Second, take a break from work [28]. Yes, we all have work to do and yes, we often feel guilty if we’re not doing it all the time. Denial points out that “to work without ceasing often results in diminishing returns…Put simply, doing work for a long time is not the same as doing work well” [28]. If you must finish that chapter, article, or grant proposal, schedule the time needed, do the work, then stop at the end of the scheduled time. You’ll probably be more productive knowing there’s a limited amount of worktime. And, finally, schedule time for eating and rest [29]. Block out hours (even better, days) of the break for naps, meals with loved ones, cooking and baking, or whatever else brings you joy. Go to bed early, sleep late, binge your favorite show. It’s been a tiring semester.
For your students, consider not having an assignment due the day classes resume because that will mean students have to work over their break. Consider easing into class that first day back and including an activity that reorients students to the learning environment, such as a fun icebreaker or something that gives students a chance to reflect or express gratitude. For everyone, remember that SLU offers several resources supporting community well-being.
Have a wonderful, restful Thanksgiving break…and a second helping of your favorite dessert!
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References:
Denial, C.J. (2024). A Pedagogy of Kindness. University of Oklahoma Press, 2024.
Denial, C. (2024). “A Pedagogy of Kindness: Compassion Toward the Self.” Webinar Recording, OneHE.org, 2024.
The Notebook 