I know this sounds very luxurious and I wish we could all go to the spa right now. However, this is a different type of teacher spa day.
In teaching, we are “on” all of the time. I often think I should have got a theater degree just to be able to teach vocabulary in my world language classroom. But sigh, I did not.
A teacher spa day allows the teacher to have a little bit of a break from creating and telling stories, acting the stories out so students understand what is going on, and allows us time to sit back and…do what we want to do.
Where did the term teacher spa day come from?
I wish I could tell you coined this term but I do not know. I have heard it from various workshops I have attended and it seems to go with CI teaching practices. Although I do not know who originated it, I love the idea.
What is a teacher spa day?
A teacher spa day is simply a day where students do the work that is aligned with the curriculum you have been teaching. This may be assessments, escape rooms, stations, or other activities that do not require the teacher to be “on.”
What can you do on a teacher spa day?
I am sure people have hard and fast rules about what a teacher spa day is, but for me, I like to think of it as a time to get caught up.
While students independently work, I am at my desk to answer questions if they arise and offer help, but the work assigned is strictly independent.
On these days I generally have grading I need to catch up on so that is what I use the teacher spa day for. I score videos, offer feedback, and update the grade book. However, teachers can also lesson plan (but even this is done for you if you are using the Creative ASL Teaching Curriculum). Teachers can meet 1:1 with students for grade conferencing. Or teachers can clean their desks off, file papers, and get organized. Declutter is a stress reliever.
Teacher spa week
This is a time to rest, celebrate the accomplishments, watch the students shine using what they have learned, and just take a beat for yourself.
I hope you have a spa day coming up soon!
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