Tech-Free Thursdays

Last week's Tech-Free Thursday Dinner
(we do use technology still to cook)

The textbook I use in one of my courses asks students to consider how will they sustain themselves as teachers. In other words, “How will they not join the large numbers of teachers who have left the profession?”. It's a great question, although when I started teaching, I was too optimistic and full of energy to ever think I would want to leave. But, they're right--and I became one of those teachers. 

I wish I had thought about this issue sooner and my strategy for getting through the week (teaching is exhausting) became a combination of little things: Developing a grading routine, taking naps after school, Sunday home-made spa nights, and tech-free Tuesdays. On Tuesdays, I would not do school work after school, kept the television off, and spent the evening reading and sipping fresh mint tea. These rituals really helped, as silly as they may seem.

Tech-free Tuesdays disappeared during grad school and didn’t reappear until about 3 years ago. At that time, I felt as if television, video games, and the Internet were consuming our lives. So, on Tuesdays, I cooked (which was usually disastrous), we played board games, and we talked. Tech-free Tuesdays pretty much disappeared last year when I accepted some administrative duties—and I missed them.

This semester I teach on Tuesday nights so I have set up Tech-free Thursdays for the sake of keeping the alliterative aspect of that evening. And, I’m so glad they’re back. 

How do you sustain yourself? 

Emery's comment: WOW that was short. Well, I  have a new saga to read so i guess tech- free t days are kinda ok.