Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Rough Day? Permission to Play

Teacher, do you ever have those days where everything feels overwhelming?

Students are challenging.

Colleagues are not being very collegial.

Administrators have unrealistic expectations.

Lessons fall flat.

The paperwork seems unending.

Technology didn't work out the way you had planned.

The sum total is a rough, rough day.

I'm sure you never have days like this...

Okay, you probably do. At least, I know I do.

And on those kinds of days, do you feel like knocking down a wall?


Some days--especially those rough, rough days--you just feel like you need to knock the blocks down. But better it's something you have built than knocking down someone else's wall. (That is just being mean.)

Some days you just need the catharsis of building and tearing down.

That's what the Teacher says in Ecclesiastes 3, right? "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens...a time to tear down, and a time to build..."

The playfulness of building and knocking down a stack of blocks might seem trivial, but I think it can help. Being playful, even creative, might be just what you need to lighten up and brighten your spirit.

Take this as your permission to build with blocks--either physically or metaphorically--and have the freedom to build and tear down.

Some days we need to play.

2 comments:

  1. Dave, I love your blog. This one especially resonated with me. I have often wondered, why does my 3 year old daughter want to play every second of the day and by the time she gets to middle school and beyond the concept of play is all but a faded memory? I asked myself this enough times that I started incorporating the use of games and simulations in my classroom, now even my college classroom! Some days, students just need to play! Well stated sir!

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    1. Thanks for the feedback, my friend! Glad it struck a chord with you.

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