The End of the Year

It is the end of the school year.

You know, when I was a student, I really didn't realize how much teachers looked forward to the summer. I naively thought that they would really miss standing in front of us on a daily basis.

Then, I became a school-based therapist.

I can tell you that teachers and school-based therapists look forward to summer breaks, winter breaks, spring breaks, and days off with the same enthusiasm as their students.

Thinking about this, I realized that being a teacher is grueling, not necessarily in the body but in the mind. Being a good teacher means that you have to constantly adapt your teaching style, presentation, and information for a large audience. You have to learn your students' expressions to determine whether they are not only listening but also comprehending your information. You then have to change how you are conveying information so you can ensure that all students are learning the lessons. That requires lots of energy.

There are correlations to being a therapist. A good music therapist also constantly adapts his or her interaction with clients during sessions. I have to adapt the therapeutic elements of music in order to engage the attention and participation of my clients. It is sometimes easy to keep things going - sometimes it is difficult. By the end of the school year, it is difficult.

I know that I am looking forward to the end of the school year. I get eleven days of solitude and relaxation before returning for the extended school year (a necessity for my students on the developmental, intellectual, and psychiatric spectra). The extended school year is seven weeks long, but we only work four days per week, so it feels like a mini-vacation every week. The change in schedule helps me to maintain my feelings of relaxation and renewal until the regular school year starts up again.

It is the end of the school year. I am getting ready to sleep, clean, and become refreshed.