The Brain Needs a Vacation Too

I don't think as educators, we have learned to teach in the natural rhythm of the whole human. Holistic teaching is important. A child who is anxious, tired, stressed, excited, or overwhelmed will not learn. Do we take these things into account when trying to teach? Right now, myself and my kids are on a much needed vacation from school--they have a break from homeschooling, and I am having a break from working on my master's program. And yet I'm using this time to explore interests and concerns outside of my regimented program. In fact, I think I am probably learning and growing more as a teacher right now by following my own curiosity. Sometimes, what I'm reading isn't even directly related to education. I've been reading a fiction book and online religious history resources, and yet I can't help but feel that the reading I'm doing is directly impacting what kind of teacher and mother I am becoming because I am flowing with my spirit's natural learning rhythm and the needs of my own heart. By pressing incessant duties upon children, could it be that we are denying them these basic skills in life long learning, reflecting, and growing inside?