“Stillness is the wellspring of insight.” ― Aloo Denish Obiero
December is a threshold month: the year draws to a close, holidays approach and classrooms quieten. For teachers, it is both an ending and an invitation to pause. Amidst the bustle of finishing terms and grading on the one hand, while planning for the holidays and preparing for celebrations on the other hand; December whispers a deeper message: Be still. Reflect. Reflection is not indulgence — it is a necessity. Socrates is credited with saying: “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Reflection is the examination that gives meaning to experience. Without it, days blur into one another. With it, we discover patterns, celebrate growth and learn from mistakes. In teaching, reflection takes many forms: reviewing lesson plans, analysing student progress, revisiting professional goals. But it also extends beyond the professional practice and into the personal.
- What has this year taught you about patience, resilience, creativity?
- What have your students shown you about humanity?
Reflection bridges the professional and the personal because teaching is always both. In noise, thoughts scatter; in stillness, they gather. From this perspective, stillness is the condition that allows reflection to deepen. Roman Catholic monk, Thomas Merton wrote: “Silence is the strength of our interior life.” For teachers accustomed to constant voices, stillness can feel strange — yet it is essential. Stillness gives us space to listen to our own inner wisdom, to the subtle lessons of the year, and perhaps even to the quiet voices of our students, now remembered with tenderness. December asks us to look backward with gratitude and forward with intention. Reflection is not nostalgia; it is preparation. By pausing to make sense of the year past, we strengthen our capacity to enter the new year with clarity. This month, practice reflection as both pause and promise. Pause to honour what has been. Promise to carry forward the wisdom you have gained. In stillness, we prepare to begin again.
Don’t wait to take care of yourself. Your wellbeing matters today. Enrol now:
Overcoming Overwhelm: A Teacher’s Path to Wellbeing
© Gaynor Clarke, December 2025
Gaynor Clarke
B.Ed (Teaching), Cert Tertiary Teaching, PGDip Ed, MEd Leadership
Reach.Teach.Lead.
Reach Education Ltd
Teacher Leadership Mentoring and Life Coaching. Personal and Professional Development.
Gaynor is a teacher educator and mentor facilitating personal & professional leadership wellbeing outcomes for teachers.
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