HOUSTON, March 7, 2023 — In just a few days, kids from all over the Greater Houston area will receive a reprieve from the classroom and head into Spring Break. This is the ideal time for students to exhale and recharge before finishing out the school year.
Teach For America Houston (TFA Houston), a local nonprofit organization that works to expand educational opportunities for all children offers a few tips to help students make the most of their Spring Break, so they return refreshed and ready to head into the final stretch.
- Take a break from tech. Laptops, computers, phones, and other devices can easily zap our energy without us even realizing it. Spring Break is a great time to get outside and enjoy one of Houston’s many free parks, trails, or green spaces, or tap into your creative side with some journaling, drawing, painting, dancing, listening to music, or attending museums on their free admission days.
- Get plenty of rest.Good sleep and proper rest are important parts of maintaining physical wellness and ensuring new learning and information can be properly absorbed and internalized once school starts back up again.
- Minimize schoolwork. Students are typically in classrooms for eight hours a day, so breaks are important for them to tap into what brings them joy outside of school to support their social and emotional needs. If students receive assignments to complete over break, carve out one day or a specific time each day for them to complete them and leave the rest of the time for them to focus on non-school things.
- Take a trip. Work and school routines can keep us insulated from the rest of the world. If time and budget permit, take an overnight or day trip to see the sights outside of Houston. There are several state parks within a short distance from Houston where you can hike, camp, and explore nature (Brazos Bend, Lake Houston, Huntsville, and Galveston to name just a few.)
- Play, Relax, Family, Repeat.Leave space for kids and adults to have ample time for play, relaxation, and time with family. This will ensure that social, emotional, and physical wellness needs are being catered to throughout the week.
“The school year – with its busyness and jam-packed schedules – can cause stress for students and families alike,” said Sarah Tredway, director of school impact for TFA Houston. “We encourage families to use Spring Break to decompress to improve their physical and mental well-being as we move into the final stretch before summer.”
For more information about TFA Houston, visit https://www.teachforamerica.org/where-we-work/houston.
About Teach For America
Teach For America works in partnership with 350 urban and rural communities across the country to expand educational opportunity for children. Founded in 1990, Teach For America recruits and develops a diverse corps of outstanding leaders who make an initial two-year commitment to teach in high-need schools and become lifelong leaders in the effort to end educational inequity. Today, Teach For America is a force of over 64,000 alumni and corps members working in over 9,000 schools nationwide in pursuit of profound systemic change. From classrooms to districts to state houses across America, they are reimagining education to realize the day when every child has an equal opportunity to learn, lead, thrive, and co-create a future filled with possibility. Teach For America is a proud member of the AmeriCorps national service network. For more information, visit www.teachforamerica.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.