While We Rest, Some Children Wait: Leadership, Stability, and the Quiet Power of Schools

Winter break is necessary. Our faculty and staff give everything they have during the school year. Their time, their energy, their patience, their creativity, their care. This break is not a luxury. It is a reset. It is time to rest bodies, quiet minds, and refill what has been poured out again and again since August.

I believe deeply in protecting this time for educators. Rest makes better teachers. Rest makes better leaders. Rest makes it possible to return with clarity and compassion instead of exhaustion. When we tell our staff to take this time seriously, to disconnect and be present with their families, we are honoring the work they do all year long.

And still, as a principal, my mind goes to the students.

Some children are thriving right now. They are sleeping in, traveling, celebrating, and enjoying the freedom that comes with time away from school. Others are not. For some students, school is the most stable place in their lives. It is where meals are predictable. It is where routines make sense. It is where there is an adult who notices if something feels off.

Research consistently shows that predictable routines are a protective factor for children, especially those experiencing stress or trauma. Disruptions to structure can increase anxiety, emotional dysregulation, and academic disengagement, particularly for students who already live with instability (Child Trends, 2023; OECD, 2024). For some children, the loss of daily school routines during breaks can feel overwhelming, not relaxing.

Food insecurity also becomes more visible during extended breaks. The USDA reported that more than one in five children in the United States lived in food-insecure households at some point in 2023, with school meals serving as a primary source of consistent nutrition for many students (USDA, 2024). When schools close, that safety net pauses, and families feel the strain.

Holding both of these truths is not a contradiction. It is leadership….

Faculty and staff deserve this break. Their rest is essential to the health of our schools. At the same time, we cannot take for granted what schools quietly provide to children every single day. Stability. Care. Safety. Belonging. These are not extras. They are foundational.

This is not about guilt or expectation. No one should be working through break or sacrificing their own well-being. It is about awareness and preparation. When we return, some students will need more time to settle back in. Some will need reassurance. Some will need help rebuilding routines that were holding them together.

That gives us a clear path forward.

We can start January by prioritizing connection before content. We can normalize slow transitions and emotional check-ins. We can remind students that school is still a place they can rely on. We can support teachers by giving them permission to ease back in, knowing that regulation comes before rigor.

Rest and responsibility can exist together. Caring for educators and caring deeply about students are not competing priorities. They are deeply connected.

As we close out the year, I hope every educator truly rests without guilt. And as we begin the next, I hope we return with intention, ready to reestablish routines, rebuild trust, and offer the steady presence that so many children are waiting for.

That is the quiet power of schools. We rest so we can return ready, present, and prepared to hold what our students need. This work matters, and it begins again when we do.

References

Child Trends. (2023). Why routines and consistency matter for child well-being. https://www.childtrends.org

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2024). Promoting student well-being and mental health in schools. OECD Publishing. https://www.oecd.org

U.S. Department of Agriculture. (2024). Household food security in the United States in 2023. Economic Research Service. https://www.ers.usda.gov