Back to School Without Losing Yourself
Hey Educator Bestie,
The school year is knocking and if we’re honest, sometimes it feels less like a friendly tap and more like a pounding fist that barges in with a stack of emails, PD schedules, and the dreaded printer jam (is anyone still making paper copies?? Just me?? 👀).
But here’s the truth: you don’t have to trade in your joy for survival mode. Back to school doesn’t have to feel like back to chaos. What if we flipped the script this year? What if, instead of asking “Am I ready for school?” you asked: “Is school ready for the healthiest version of me?”
To be clear- your students don’t just need your lesson plans, they need your presence. And presence doesn’t come from perfectly laminated anchor charts; it comes from being grounded, rested, and rooted in joy.
So this year, try this twist:
- Build Belonging Before You Build Bulletin Boards.
Students remember how you made them feel long before they recall how sharp your borders were. The real decoration is the culture of belonging you set on Day 1. - Stop Romanticizing the Grind.
Your worth as an educator is not measured by how late you stay in the building. Set your boundaries now. Decide what time you’ll leave each day—and honor it. - Joy Is Your Most Radical Strategy.
In a system that often feels heavy with data and demands, joy is the thing that refuses to be standardized. Choose one thing each week that makes you laugh with your kids, not just teach them.
This back-to-school season, my hope for you is simple:
That you walk into your classroom not trying to prove yourself, but be yourself. That you stop carrying the weight of being everything for everyone, and start modeling what wholeness looks like in action.
Because here’s the secret: students who see their teacher thriving will believe it’s possible for them too.
So this year, don’t just survive back to school but reclaim it as back to YOU.
I’m rooting for you!
Deonna
Dr. Deonna Smith is an advocate for educational justice, teacher and abolitionist. Born and raised in Spokane, Washington, Deonna grew up navigating a system that was built to suppress and marginalize Black and Brown kids. Deonna’s passion for justice began early, as the only student of color in most places, and a first generation college student, Deonna experienced firsthand the corrosive nature of systemic racism. After completing her undergraduate degree Deonna sought to be the Black teacher she never had. Years in the classroom exposed just how deep the roots of systemic racism ran. Having a Black teacher wasn’t enough if you were working at a school that refused to confront racism, inequity and bias. As a teacher, Deonna saw how systemic racism impacted her students. As an administrator, she saw how it impacted her school and even the community.
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