It’s still hot out, but autumn is right around the corner, and that means back to school time.
The tradition of school terms starting in the fall goes back at least a hundred and fifty years in the United States. Schools took summer off because so many of the students came from farming families. They were needed in the summer to help tend crops and bring in the harvest. Once that was done and everyone had nice full pantries, they were able to refocus their attention on learning and growing in a different way over the cooler months of the year. As the years passed, summer became a time to go on vacation, have adventures, and take time to recharge.
The way people spend their summers has changed over time, but in a lot of ways we still use it the same way: we spend summer enjoying the long days and using them to prepare for fall and winter. Once that meant making sure you had a good food supply to carry you through, now it might mean self care and giving your brain a bit of a rest while it’s hot out. In either case, when fall comes you want to be ready to head back inside again and hit the books.
The International Doula Life Movement is carrying on the tradition of back-to-school time by offering a great selection of classes starting up in September. In addition to the main end of life doula course, we will be offering a Grief Doula Specialist class and a Pet Doula program, both taught by Linde Carter (along with Kristina Golden in the pet doula course); and a new business course led by IDLM graduate Heather Harmon.
Education is the heart of the IDLM program. We are so proud of all our students and graduates, and proud that our program continues to grow and add new offerings as time goes on. This might be the right time for you to add some new knowledge to your doula skill set, whether that means taking a whole new class or checking back in on a course you have taken before to see how much has been added.
Whatever your plans are for this new back to school season, we hope you will check in on the Movement to see everything we’re up to, and to let us know everything that you’re up to. After all, isn’t fall the best time for enjoying the fruits of your labors?
