After more than 180 days of teaching, counseling, coaching, mentoring, and inspiring, educators around the state are—or will soon be—closing classroom doors for the last time this school year and taking some much-deserved time to relax and reflect. Teachers use summer break for a wide variety of activities from teaching summer school to professional development to vacation with family and friends—and much more.
In “An Ode to a Teacher’s Summer Vacation,” Texas educator JP Fugler celebrates the chance to recharge his batteries with a list of his own plans for the summer.
He writes,
I will turn off my alarms. I will enjoy lengthy meals at restaurants instead of 30-minute lunches in a drafty break room…. I will avoid fluorescent lighting. But perhaps the greatest joy of all: I will pee whenever I want.
But Fugler adds,
Despite enjoying summer vacation, there are several things I will still do. I will still wake up early each morning because my body is programmed to do so. I will still coach my students at a national tournament next week. I will still teach at a week-long summer camp. I will still deliver five presentations at three conferences. I will still gain 60 hours of Continuing Professional Education credit. I will still answer emails. I will still host fundraisers. I will still volunteer at church because I finally can. I will still revamp lessons that could use a little extra oomph. I will still edit rough drafts of next year’s competition speeches. I will still plan what to do every day in each of the five courses I teach for the next year. I will still have responsibilities that I will still fulfill.
While summer offers a change of schedule for teachers, there is always plenty to do. Are you doing anything out of the ordinary this summer? What do you have planned?
