Previously, we talked about our battle plan, or struggle care when we find ourselves in one of the inevitably fragile seasons of a fully lived life. This month we’ll consider a different plan, a reentry plan.

This idea came from two sources.

The first – a beautifully written book, Atmosphere, by Taylor Jenkins Reid. It’s a memorable love story that takes place in the 1980s during a space shuttle program. My personal friend and book concierge Kate told me this was “the book of the summer, or even the year” so I immediately got it and have spent glorious summer hours sitting on my porch reading this story. It’s one of those books I know will stay with me for a long time (and hopefully be the next book selection for my beloved multigenerational book club)!

The next source of inspiration is a little less precious. It’s one of my favorite funny/borderline inappropriate podcasts, The Deep Dive.  Comedians June Diane Raphael and Jessica Saint Claire release an episode once a week and it always makes me legit LOL.

What is a Reentry Plan?

The official definition of a reentry plan is this: “A strategy or process designed to help individuals transition back into a setting after a period of absence.”

The book Atmosphere and the Deep Dive podcast reference “reentry plans” in different ways.

• In Atmosphere, astronauts need a re-entry plan when they return to earth from space. This precise plan has to be intentionally planned and executed so both the spacecraft, and the people can withstand the changing conditions and land safely.
• As for June and Jessica on the Deep Dive? They say that a non-negotiable part of their summer travel is working in 2-3 “reentry days” upon return. They recognize it can be a tough transition for kids and adults to get right back into the full routines of life after being away for a bit.

Both examples, although different, are saying the same thing: reentering a place you’ve spent some time away from should be a gradual process so your mind, body, and spirit can acclimate to this new environment.

You see where this is going – this whole idea of a reentry plan can serve us as educators when we find ourselves reentering back into our school environments.

Some educators have been back at it since early August. Others will be back within a week or so. Regardless of when we are going to exit summer break and reenter into our lives as teachers for the beginning of a new school year, it’s important for us to consider our own reentry plan.

One way to do this is to be reflective on our own Summer; acknowledge and honor the things we did that served us, and envision how we can intentionally plan to carry that into our new school year.

Move the Dial for your Happiness

Thinking of my own reentry plan, I consider a small shift in action I practiced this summer that I would like to carry into the new school year. Since I almost always had more unstructured time in my summer mornings, I found myself not checking Instagram as one of the first things in my routine (most of you know of my annual summer Facebook fast, but I still check IG).

I didn’t deliberately make this decision, it just kind of organically happened. Maybe it was because I didn’t feel the pull to know all of the updates since I powered down the night before because in the summer, my world gets delightfully smaller. Instead of scrolling Instagram, I found myself drinking coffee in a quiet house or on a quiet porch, just kind of looking around for a bit. It got me in such a healthier headspace, feeling like I was waking up with more presence and intentionality as I looked up and around, noticing the things around me. Family photos. Birds singing. Neighbors walking their dog. This launched my day feeling calm. It just felt good.

Have you ever seen the video where there’s a couple in bed and they wake up and start checking their phone? And then all of a sudden you see people barging in their room, hopping on their bed, and the room becomes fuller with every scroll? I love that because it’s concretely showing the noise we bring into our lives every time we decide we need to know what’s going on around us.  (It’s pretty powerful; I’ll link it in the show notes)

As I envision my reentry plan, I want to try and feel as good as I can during my mornings as I go about my days as a mom, teacher, friend, instructional coach, and all the other roles in my fully lived life. I want to try to slow down a bit on weekday mornings, not feeling that urgent pull to instantly check in with the world outside of my home but rather try to settle into a few minutes of quiet inside of my home. I think this could move the dial on my well-being. This may just be the small, deliberate shift that can help my mind, body, and spirit acclimate to this school year.

Your Reentry Plan

If you were to intentionally plan and execute your reentry plan, what would that look like?

• What is something you did, experienced, or enjoyed this summer that brought you overt joy, peace, or contentment?
• How could you bring a little piece of that into the start of your school year?
• Maybe like me, it’s a way you start your day.
• Perhaps it’s something you did to mark the end of your day.
• What would be a realistic small shift in action you want to bring into your next school year that could move the dial on your well-being?

As we hurl past slower summer days and attempt to land in the new school year routine, let’s plan and execute our own reentry plan that allows our mind, body, and spirit acclimate to this new world and settle in feeling as steady as we possibly can.

I wish us all a safe landing.

About Suzanne Dailey

Suzanne Dailey is a proud member of the Teach Better Family! She is an instructional coach in the Central Bucks School District where she has the honor and joy of working with elementary teachers and students in 15 buildings. Suzanne is Nationally Board Certified, a Fellow of the National Writing Project, and has a master’s degree in Reading. She is dedicated to nurturing and developing the whole child and teacher. Suzanne lives in Doylestown, Pennsylvania with her husband and two children.

Check out the Teach Happier Podcast here!