Unless grades are due tomorrow or you are certain you must work on those grades to meet a deadline — quit. O.K. you might have to write a quiz or something, but if possible — Stop. Read a book. Go to bed.

Teachers sometimes end up sick over break because they try to do it all. With all the outside demands on time in December, you can easily wipe yourself out. I recommend taking the advice they give new mothers: Nap when you can. Rest when you can.

Eduhonesty: If those cups of coffee keep getting taller and darker, consider putting on your jammies, making some cocoa, propping up a few pillows and pulling out a good book. If you are feeling like you can’t get it all done, then DON’T. Some items, like finals and the grades, are not optional. But if the your classroom’s not quite as neat as you’d like and your plans for next semester remain hazy, give yourself a break. Let it go.

With or without a McMuffin, you deserve a break today.