One of my favourite rituals during the holidays is finding a café somehere, settling in with a strong coffee, and immersing myself in reading or writing. There is something about the ambient hum of a café—a blend of activity and calm—that helps me focus in ways a structured office never quite does. In such moments, I often find myself at my most productive, distilling ideas, crafting arguments, or mapping out new directions for research.

But the holidays are not just about solitary pursuits. They also provide an invaluable opportunity to connect with like-minded colleagues. Over breakfasts, lunches or coffee catch-ups, we exchange ideas, share the progress of ongoing projects, and explore potential collaborations. These conversations are invigorating, often sparking new avenues of inquiry or refining existing questions. Educational research, I have found, flourishes best when it is shared, critiqued, and reimagined through dialogue.

The rhythm of the school term, while productive and vibrant, often pushes reflective practice to the margins. There’s simply not enough time in the day to pause and ask, “Why are we doing this?” or “What impact is this having?” Holidays offer a remedy. They provide the space to revisit these fundamental questions and the luxury to delve deeply into topics that matter most to educators and students alike.

For me, the love of research is rooted in this interplay between reflection and action, between solitude and collaboration. It’s about discovering how to better support learning, how to nurture teaching practices, and how to create environments where students and teachers alike can thrive. Research becomes not an abstract activity but a lived, relational one, where the end goal is not just knowledge but transformation—of classrooms, schools, and ultimately, lives.

So, as Barker settles into the holiday period, I find myself embracing this quieter season with enthusiasm. Whether it’s reading a new journal article, revisiting a project that’s been simmering on the back burner, or exploring a fresh idea sparked by a colleague’s insight, the holidays remind me why I fell in love with research in the first place. It’s the chance to slow down, to think deeply, and to reconnect with the work that has the potential to make a real difference.

Holidays may be a time of rest, but for those of us who thrive on curiosity and collaboration, they are also a time of renewal. And that, I think, is something worth savouring.