Lasting Benefits of Overlake's Sabbatical Program

Latin teacher Shawn Allen needed a break. “I felt like my inner life had become neglected in the midst of the busy-ness of work and home life.” Allen is a recent recipient of Overlake’s Sabbatical Program, on opportunity for a long-time faculty or staff member to take a semester off from campus life to explore a personal interest.

For Allen, that interest was meditation and stress management, an idea that he believes wouldn’t help just him. “I went with meditation and stress-management partly based on my own experience in recent years struggling with these very things. But it also seemed like these practices of focusing to settle the mind, and supporting oneself through reflection and compassion, were also needed in the lives of our students. We can really help our kids develop practices and attitudes that give them tools to rely on in the midst of their own stress, pain, and anxiety.”

And luckily for our students, Allen’s training is helping others. Since returning second semester, he has already introduced some of his recent learnings to the community. “I’ve had a chance to do guided meditations with the Upper School students during the week of finals, to lead mindfulness meditations with faculty, and to give my classes (especially on test days!) short meditations to help them settle and be kind to themselves in the midst of stress.”

Getting in touch with one’s inner feelings might not always be an easy subject to teach, so how have our students responded? Allen says surprisingly well. “I’ve been surprised by the responsiveness of both students and adults on campus. I’ve had a class that was preparing for a test one day, and I really thought they were too worried about the time crunch to finish the test to try out a meditation that day, so I decided not to offer it. As I was about to hand the test out, some of the students started requesting the meditation first!” 

Overlake’s sabbatical program often becomes a win-win for both the recipient and the school community. Many times, the interest that the recipient focuses on becomes integrated into their work life when they return to campus. For Allen, that is definitely true. “I was so touched to get the chance to pursue this sabbatical. I felt really supported by Overlake to work on something that was a source of real growth, both professionally and personally. My greatest hope is to help both students and adults to develop an attitude and a culture centered on compassion and the importance of tending to the “inner work” we all need to do.”

To listen to one of Allen’s meditations, click here.