Exhale: A gift for flagging teachers

Teachers have a pivotal but stressful role educating young people. Louise Isaac shared insight on her contribution to the well-being of teachers: her devotional called Exhale

For most teachers, few moments compare to the feeling at the end of the last day of term. The lights are switched off, the whiteboard cleaned, and a collective exhale ripples through the corridors. It’s the kind of relief and pleasure that only those who have spent weeks managing lessons, assessments and behaviour can truly understand.

Teaching is one of the most rewarding professions, yet it can also be physically and emotionally draining. The satisfaction of helping children grow and succeed often sits alongside the exhaustion of long hours, constant demands, and limited resources. For those, like me, who have spent years in the classroom, the rhythm of intensity followed by momentary rest is deeply familiar.

As a former primary school teacher, with 25 years of experience in inner-city schools, I understand this cycle intimately. My book, Exhale: Devotional Readings for Inner-City Teachers in a Challenging School Year, was born out of my own experience of the pressures, joys, and faith-testing moments in teaching.

Finding Breath Between Terms
Exhale is designed as a devotional resource with a difference. Rather than being a daily reading guide, it’s a collection written specifically for teachers to use during their school holidays – those rare windows of time when educators can pause, reflect and recharge.

Most of the readings draw on stories from my own teaching career, many of which mirror what teachers continue to face today: the relentless pace, the emotional toll, and the challenge of maintaining motivation. What sets Exhale apart is its spiritual perspective. It offers reflections rooted in faith, reminding readers that teaching is not only a profession but, for many, a calling.

Throughout my career, I gradually learned to recognise God’s hand in my work. I began to see teaching as a ministry to children – one that extends far beyond lessons and targets. Consequently, God would give me His help to keep going through each new academic year – term by term.

The insights I share are grounded in the realities of the modern classroom, yet they point towards hope and endurance. For educators of faith, my message is clear: challenges will come, but with faith in God and perspective, they can be met with renewed strength.

Self-Care as a Professional Priority
Between the devotional readings are ‘self-care pages’. These offer practical prompts that encourage teachers to intentionally plan to look after their physical and mental well-being during the holidays. They are reminders that self-care isn’t self-indulgence; it’s essential. The pressures of teaching require intentional restoration.

The self-care prompts include: journalling reflections, practical activities, and other ‘be-kind-to-yourself’ suggestions – all designed to help teachers return to the next term physically and mentally refreshed.

A Voice of Encouragement for Educators
Exhale speaks particularly to Christian educators working in city schools – environments where challenges are often magnified by social and economic factors. I understand this context well and therefore write from a place of empathy and shared experience.

Although retired, my message to colleagues still in the classroom is one of perseverance and faithfulness. You are the everyday heroes of education. You bring stability, compassion and light into children’s lives – often without recognition, and without realising it! Exhale is my way of saying, “Keep going. You are seen, and your work matters.”

See your teaching not only as a job but as a lifelong vocation that leaves an enduring legacy. As people of faith, receive this gentle reminder that every lesson taught and every child supported carries spiritual as well as educational significance.

Faith in God has sustained me throughout my teaching years. It helped me approach difficult days with perspective, and gave me the resilience to continue whenever things felt impossible.

Exhale: A Breath of Renewal
At its heart, Exhale is about renewal – finding breath, balance and meaning in a demanding profession. It’s an invitation for teachers to step back, rest and rediscover their sense of purpose before stepping into a new term.

As the school Christmas holidays ensue and teachers, you finally find a moment to pause, Exhale offers encouragement to breathe deeply, reflect with gratitude, and keep the faith in both your calling and your classroom.

LOUISE ISAAC
Happily retired schoolteacher, and Christian retreat speaker. Exhale is available on Amazon