JumpStart National Eat What You Want Day (5/11/26)

QUOTE:  "Acceptance doesn't mean resignation.  It means understanding that something is what it is and there's got to be a way through it." (Michael J. Fox)

MESSAGE: By the final weeks of the school year, many educators find themselves running on fumes. The to-do list hasn’t shrunk—if anything, it’s grown—and the emotional load feels heavier. This is exactly the moment when a powerful, often misunderstood concept can help: radical acceptance.

Radical acceptance is a term most commonly associated with Marsha M. Linehan, who developed it as part of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). At its core, radical acceptance means fully acknowledging reality as it is—without denial, resistance, or judgment. It is not approval. It is not giving up. It is not saying, “This is fine.” Instead, it’s saying, “This is what is true right now.”

That distinction matters. Because much of our stress doesn’t come only from what’s happening, but from our internal fight against it. We think: This shouldn’t be happening. I shouldn’t feel this way. They shouldn’t be acting like this. That resistance adds a second layer of suffering on top of an already difficult situation.

Radical acceptance removes that second layer.

While I didn’t have the language at the time to name what I was going through, I have experienced radical acceptance in regard to rain. Rain used to make me quite grouchy.  One summer when I was a counselor for HS students on a week-long canoe trip in Quetico, it rained.  Again. My canoe was bringing up the rear that morning, and so my canoe buddy and I had to wait out on the lake for all the other canoes to make it into the portage. This meant waiting or 14- to 16-year-old boys to get out of the canoe, unload it, and carry the canoe, paddles, life jackets, and packs down the trail to the next lake. Since this was the second day of our trip, the boys were NOT adept, so I was on the water in the rain and fully wet even in rain gear. I distinctly remember just letting go of my anger and frustration and just accepting that I was wet and would be for the rest of the day. I sat up straight, looked up into the pelting drops, smiled, and struck up a cheerful conversation with my canoe buddy. Ever since, rain hasn’t made me grouchy.

In late May, radical acceptance at school might sound like:

• I am exhausted, and that makes sense right now.
• My students are restless, and that’s part of this season.
• There is more to do than I can realistically finish—and I will prioritize what matters most.

Notice what’s missing: judgment, blame, and the illusion of control.

So how do we practice it?

First, name reality clearly. Strip away the “shoulds” and say what is actually true. This is a grounding exercise as much as a cognitive one. When we name reality, we stop arguing with it.

Second, separate acceptance from action. Acceptance doesn’t mean inaction. In fact, it often leads to better action. When you stop wasting energy resisting reality, you have more clarity to decide: Given this, what’s my next best step?

Third, watch your language. Shift from “This is unfair” to “This is difficult.” From “I can’t do this” to “This is hard, and I’m still here.” These subtle changes signal to your brain that you are facing reality, not fighting it.

Finally, anchor in what you can control. You may not be able to change the calendar, student energy levels, or systemic pressures—but you can choose your response. That’s where your agency lives.

Radical acceptance isn’t a one-time decision. It’s a practice—one you may return to dozens of times in a single day during this stretch of the school year. But each time you do, you lighten the emotional load just enough to keep going—steady, grounded, and just a little more whole.

DAD JOKE:  What's the difference between a bad joke and a dad joke?  The first letter.