The One Thing You Should Do in 2023

The title may be somewhat clickbaiting and/or misleading, as there are probably many things on your To Do In 2023 list already, however I don’t think you have this on your list. In fact, this is something we usually don’t focus on – I mean, if we have it, it’s cool, and if we don’t have it, we don’t even think about it. And we really, really should, especially if we teach!

What am I babbling about? Well, isn’t it obvious?
A hobby.

Now, if you already have a hobby or two, go and nurture it – or stay if you’d like to reflect with me upon the profound impact of a teacher’s private interests on their teaching. However, if you’re a person who has more of the my work is my life attitude or simply shrugs with I’ve got so much on my plate, I don’t really have time for something new – please, hear me out, it will only take a moment, and maybe it will show you the benefits of slight mindshift.

Let me show you some of the benefits of having a hobby – and by a hobby I mean something you really spend some quality time on, not My hobby is DIY because I regularly browse 5-Minute Craft videos:

Personal wellbeing

That’s quite obvious that hobbies help you improve mental health, make you happier and more relaxed. I recommend this article (click!) by WebMed – you will find not only details, but also quite extensive bibliography if you want to read more on the topic.

A place to escape

Escapism is simply mental diversion from boredom, usually through activities involving imagination or entertainment. While the general connotation with the word is somewhat negative, there are some positive aspects of escapism – it’s a coping technique, and sometimes it’s just something your brain needs. Hobby is great to escape the mundane, but if you want to learn more about positive escapism, take a look at various articles (click!) on Psychology Today.

A place to gain new perspective

If you have a hobby, you know that sooner or later you’re simply bound to meet people who share the same interest. And, frankly speaking, this is one of the assets I appreciate most in all this hobby business, mainly because that lets me see various perspectives on everyday issues. If I think about all the things I’ve learnt from my friends from fantasy and sci-fi fandom, I must confess their viewpoints have heavily influenced my mindset.

You can take a look at this article (click!) about the best hobbies to meet people (even if you are an introvert).

A topic to talk about

One of the most anxious moments for a lot of teachers is… introducing oneself, closely followed by awkward silences in the classroom. I’ve already shared some tips to avoid the latter (here – click!), but as to the first: it’s way easier to introduce oneself if you include your hobby, because then:
a) you don’t actually need to talk about self, but instead you may focus on the hobby and feel more comfortable
b) you will see whether some of your students share the same hobby
c) you will encourage your students to talk about their own hobbies which will make them feel more comfortable

A way to build relations

It’s quite obvious that your relationship with your students will only benefit when you have a hobby you can talk about, but I’d like you to think of a hobby as a way of creating other relations – take a look at this article (click!) by Clayton A. Barry on how hobbies may help your professional life.
To be honest, my hobbies have helped me more than once!

Does your teacher live in school? Mine sure doesn’t!

If you look at various internet sites (like this: click!), you will see that a lot of kids actually believe their teachers live at school. Don’t make your students believe in such weird tales, talk about various hobbies so that they will actually perceive you as an interesting human being, and not some kind of mentally deranged creep who not only works in a school, but also stays there voluntarily 24/7.
Eeek!
Talking about your hobbies allows your students to see the glimpse of your real life and see you as more than a teaching-machine.

Now, let me explain why I decided to share this rather desperate post. Well, I’ve been working with teachers for the past six years, not only training them, but also recruiting, mentoring and supporting – and what perplexes me is that less and less people have hobbies. Now, that’s a slight drawback when it comes to recruiting (it’s a common knowledge that recruiters love asking about hobbies, the better one can talk about it, the more more memorable they get), but it’s also something that may somehow negatively impact teaching. Why? Because hobby makes you more authentic, more real, more human.

Plus, obviously, it gives you a lot of personal benefits, makes you feel better with self and more comfortable in this weird world.

So here’s my New Year wish: may you find an activity that makes your heart grow!