Welcome to Thought Pieces
This is where we share our reflections, op-eds, and insights on the challenges and possibilities within education, equity, wellness, and systems change. At Spaerca Group, we don’t just consult—we think deeply about the work. These thought pieces are a window into the questions we’re asking, the experiences we’re learning from, and the bold ideas we believe are worth sharing.
This July, Educators Deserve Rest: A Love Letter to Self-Care
By Mel Rubio.
For those who work in schools—educators, counselors, support staff, admin teams, service providers—July is often the first full breath you’ve taken in months. After another year of showing up for students, families, and communities—often through exhaustion and ever-growing expectations—this moment is yours.
July is Self-Care Month, and July 24 is International Self-Care Day. So, here’s a gentle but firm reminder: you are not just allowed to rest, you need to rest. Not just to recharge for the next school year, but because your humanity matters, too.
Start with grounding.
Find a patch of green. Take your shoes off. Let your bare feet press into the earth. Close your eyes. Breathe slowly. Imagine roots growing from the soles of your feet into the soil. Let that connection bring you back to the present—back to yourself. You’ve held so much this year. Let the ground hold you for a while.
Reconnect with joy and your people.
Invite a few trusted folks to a coffee klatch—virtually or in person. Choose people who make you laugh, who listen deeply, and who don’t need you to perform. Share a warm drink and conversation that doesn’t revolve around lesson plans, staffing shortages, or policies. Listen without trying to fix. Laugh without apology. This is healing.
Let nature be your co-regulator.
Take a walk, hike up a hill, dip your feet in the ocean, sit beneath a tree. Watch birds or feel the wind. Nature offers calm, regulation, and rhythm when everything else feels chaotic. Let yourself be quiet long enough to feel it.
Try stillness. Try sound. Try sleep.
Starting a meditation practice can feel daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. There are countless free or low-cost guided meditations available online. Sound baths, sleep playlists, and breathwork practices can help quiet your nervous system after a year of overstimulation and hyper-responsiveness. You’ve been “on” for so long—let yourself turn “off.”
Move because it feels good—not because you have to.
Whether it’s walking, dancing, swimming, yoga, lifting, or stretching—any form of movement is medicine. There is no gold star for doing the hardest thing. The best exercise is the one that leaves you feeling more connected to your body, not punished by it.
Make something delicious.
Try a new recipe. Cook something slowly. Use your hands. Play music. Let food be more than fuel—let it be joyful and creative. Nourishment can be one of the simplest ways to practice care.
And most importantly: unplug.
You don’t need to answer every message. You don’t need to read every headline. Give yourself permission to put the phone down, turn off the laptop, and just be. Even if it’s just for an hour a day. Stillness is a radical act in a system that constantly demands your energy.
To everyone who holds space in education: thank you. This July, may you hold space for yourself.
You are worth the rest. You are worth the care.
July 2025
Reflections on the 2024–2025 School Year: A Call for Care, Clarity, and Collective Strength
Reflections on the 2024–2025 School Year: A Call for Care, Clarity, and Collective Strength
By Mel Rubio
As we close out the 2024–2025 school year, the weight of the moment is hard to ignore. Across classrooms, district offices, community organizations, and homes, we’ve witnessed a year shaped by political turbulence, persistent inequities, and a growing sense of emotional exhaustion. And yet—within that hardship—we’ve also seen flickers of progress, powerful moments of connection, and an unwavering commitment to making education a space of possibility and care.
This year, several themes have emerged with striking clarity. Student engagement continues to recover post-COVID, but it’s far from a smooth trajectory. Many young people are still navigating unprocessed grief, anxiety, and instability, and it shows up in attendance, classroom participation, and the emotional tone of schools. Educators and administrators are being called on not only to teach and lead but also to hold space for collective trauma, even as they manage their own.
Creating cultures of care has never felt more urgent—or more difficult. The national political climate has spilled into our local schools in increasingly direct and harmful ways. From book bans and anti-DEI rhetoric to the criminalization of immigrant families, schools have become battlegrounds. And yet, we’ve also seen courageous responses: educators refusing to abandon inclusive practices, students demanding mental health resources, and school leaders working quietly and steadily to maintain safe spaces in the face of external pressure.
The reality is, many of us in education feel under attack. Federal funding is on shaky ground. Student enrollment is declining in many districts. Many districts still struggle with chronic absenteeism. Initiative fatigue is real, as schools are asked to implement more programming with fewer resources and dwindling support. Emotional dysregulation—among students, families, and service providers alike—is rising. And still, we persist.
So where are we making progress?
Progress is happening in the small, often invisible acts of care: a principal carving out time for community dialogue, a teacher revising curriculum to include marginalized voices, a district investing in trauma-informed professional development. It’s happening in the partnerships between schools and community organizations that step in to support newcomers to this country—families who are frightened, vulnerable, and too often ignored by traditional systems. These efforts matter. They are seeds of systemic change.
But let’s be clear: the urgent needs remain. Our schools need more than inspirational rhetoric. They need meaningful support—technical assistance to implement initiatives well, infrastructure to care for staff wellness, and culturally competent spaces for students navigating fear, uncertainty, and displacement. They need policies rooted in justice and practices driven by humanity.
At Spaerca Group, we believe this work cannot wait. If we are to build education systems that are resilient, relevant, and restorative, we must resource them accordingly. That begins with listening deeply to those close to the work and investing in the collective capacity to care—for students, for educators, and for one another.
Let’s move forward with courage and clarity. The next school year will come soon enough—and with it, the opportunity to continue the work of transformation.
At Spaerca Group, we are committed to showing up alongside educators, families, and community leaders who are doing the hard, necessary work of reimagining public education. We invite you to walk with us—explore our newly revamped website at www.spaercagroup.com, follow us on LinkedIn, and join the conversation on Instagram @spaercagroup_wellness. Together, let’s build systems rooted in care, clarity, and collective strength. The work continues—and so do we.
June 2025
