Over the last few weeks, I’ve spent a lot of time visiting other teachers on Instagram and watching an obvious pattern unfold. The holidays started out with a warm and fuzzy feeling, and then once New Year hit, there was the usual “dread” over the new work week ahead.

While having a case of the “Sundays” isn’t unusual, I saw a lot of teachers showing remorse for not having worked over the break. Many made jokes about the fact that they didn’t complete any lesson plans or didn’t do any correcting. My dad always said there was truth behind every joke.

There aren’t many other professions where professionals would lament the fact that they didn’t do work over a holiday. Teachers are special, teachers have superpowers, but teachers also need breaks. If you didn’t do any work over the holiday, I don’t think that is something you should have to apologize for.

If 2020 taught me anything, it’s that I can’t please everyone. I can only do my best, and sometimes to do my best I need to take a break. I can’t and won’t apologize for that. It’s the whole idea of putting on your own mask before helping anyone else. It’s not selfish, it’s important to make sure you are doing well enough to be able to help someone else.

So don’t apologize for doing your best, taking time to rest, and being awesome. Here’s to 2021.