“It's something I ask student teachers now that I would never have thought of asking about at the beginning of my career: 'Do you do sports? What do you do? [Make sure you do something.]’'”
“On Thursday evenings, I have an hour and a half of dance—nothing can change that. [Afterwards] I go out with friends—so it's time just for me (…) And I've also been doing Pilates for two years (…) Then I read, obviously (…) I go dancing with my friends (…) I do a lot of things, [I need] lightness. You have to insist on it. It's like everything, it's taking the first step [and making it a priority].”
“Some nights I don't feel like going dancing. [But it's] impossible not to go. How can I not give myself that? And then—we can protect spaces, really protect some areas of our lives and give ourselves value, tell ourselves that our students truly deserve to have someone in front of them who is well.”
“We mustn't lose this lightness, this notion of pleasure. And then, laugh in class. Allow yourself to.”
“What has helped me a lot is working on well-being and kindness. For example, in my classroom, I have noise-cancelling headphones, I have balls for students to use. I love those. For a while, I had yoga mats. Sometimes when I see my students, I say to them, ‘Stop—put your two hands on the table, stretch your back, and (…) breathe for five minutes.’ And then I, too, feel restored.”