In Between – Recuperation as Reflection🌿
- by Jessie Joubert
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- 30 Apr, 2025
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Lessons from the Field – Post 3 of 5
We often talk about reflection. We rarely talk about what makes it possible.
After two back-to-back inspections—one in a secondary school of 55 students in Romania, and another in a Dubai K–12 with 4100—I came home with a cold, a suitcase full of laundry, and a garden that hadn’t quite remembered it was spring.
This is what a “week off” looks like when you work for yourself: rest, reset, re-pack. But in the quiet routines of home—prepping meals for my husband, catching up with my cats, and clipping the edges of the lawn—I found something else. Not rest in the luxurious sense. But reflection with space.
And that space matters.
It’s easy to think of recuperation as optional—especially in education, where term dates drive everything and busyness is worn like a badge. But recovery isn’t a luxury. It’s the space where we notice what the work has done to us, and what we still want to do in it.
In schools, we often focus on student wellbeing, but staff culture can be just as fragile. A transparent, non-punitive culture—where you can say “I’m behind” or “I’m not sure how to approach this” without fear—is not a sign of low standards. It’s a sign of professional maturity.
Because learning isn’t always linear. Not for children. Not for teachers. Not for leaders.
We can’t model growth to students if we don’t allow it in ourselves.
This week, I’m still tired. Still grateful. Still planning. And sharpening my focus for the three weeks ahead. But before all that—just a moment to say: rest is part of the work.
Not after. Not instead of. But as part of it.
💡 Reflective questions:
For school leaders:
What structures do you have in place that allow staff to recalibrate—not just react?
For practitioners:
Where in your own week do you build space to think about
your work, not just do it?
For parents:
What are you modelling to your children about work, rest, and balance?
🧠 This post is part of the “Lessons from the Field” series by Beautiful Brain—real-world reflections on inclusion, intelligence and impact in international education.