It's Summer time, Now what?

Believe it or not teachers don't have Summers off!  It is amazing how many of my friends think that my job is cushy.  I immediately tell them they wouldn't last a day.  I wake up and get to work before  seven a.m and at least 3 days a week I am there past 5 pm . At least one day  aI am possibly working as late as 8 pm with after school events. Have you ever driven by a school after the students are dismissed?  Go by one and tell me what you see.  I bet you 9 out of 10 times there are cars still on the lot. Those are those teachers making sure their reading to take care of your kids while their own are at home waiting on them.

So do I deserve the Summer off, yes. But, do I get the Summer off.  Not really.

What is it that teachers do in the Summer?

We prepare for the next school year.  When May rolls around, our curriculum designers start updating units of study for the upcoming school year.  I then copy the first units for all subject areas I will be teaching and gathering PD books, resources I can use to prepare activities, I print off subject area Teks to  refresh understanding of the expectations,  and I pull data .  I take all of this home and began to analyze the data first and determine the needs of the students and decide what modifications and adjustments will be necessary for the upcoming school year.  I take anecdotal notes on students using data from the portfolios that are passed down from each grade level to the next to understand how my students process information and learn best. I start developing plans around student needs and correlate it with unit and grade level expectations. This is a rough mock up of what I may use.

A Typical Lesson plan format for me:  I even copy and use as  data form, and a anecdotal note form.

Date: Do now	Materials:
Mini lsesson	Material
Guided Activity	Material
Independent Activity Small groups Mid teaching point share	Materials

Do I do all this at once?  Of course  not I take days and relax and commune with my family but for at least two hours a day,  I am doing my own book studies, my own studying of Teks, my planning and brainstorming of things I want to try that are new or things I want to change up that may not have worked the previous school year.

We engage in book studies that our administration usually assigns for the Summer.  Yet, I love to learn and I really love learning about Reading and Writing I engage in additional book studies. I may sound like a nerd but I love  learning and constantly planning for classroom instruction.  I am constantly reflecting and evaluating my teaching practices. This Summer besides the  book Atomic Habits and the RTI book assigned by my principal  I plan to dive deep into books on Student engagement, building relationships, differentiation and depth and Complexity.  I have pulled all the UOS  Learning Targets we used this year, the assessments we used and the actual UOS Unit 1.  I am  waiting for the release of STAAR.  

I also engage in professional development  seminars our district holds every year,  We are required to get a minimum of 18 off contract PD hours.   Where we get to choose from an array of courses that will inform my instruction and provide  additional resources and information in all subject areas. This year it is called Optimizing Outcomes and instead of going for a week it is only 2 days, and we choose courses that are recommended or that we deem needed to be successful.   I also I find online webinars, and seminars to go to, I listen and study Educational blogs and Youtube channels.  

Unfortunately a lot of us have to take on additional jobs on during the Summer.  You see if you get into the field of teaching to become rich your in the wrong field.  I get in for the joy of teaching. .  So I often choose to teach Summer school.  It allows me to  to help students who need extra support in Reading and /or Math.  Summer school is less tense than the regular school year. and allows for more intimate one on one connections and teaching to the students.  Our class sizes are kept low.  The highest I have had since I have been doing it is  15 kids,  the lowest 8.  

So you see it is Ironic that  I spend part of my Summer doing the one thing I was waiting to stop doing by May,  I teach.  Another thing I spend my Summer  doing is studying the data of this years students to see what  Learning Target was lowest to make sure that we don't over look it next year.  I get the opportunity by July to see a list  of the students who  will enter my class in the new year. I get a chance to start collected data and getting to know them academically.  How do I know who they are you ask?   I get persistent and annoying.  I beg admin daily, I either send emails  or  call until they  are able to share it. Most of them know my work ethic by now and are used to me wanting data before school is over  so I usually get it just in time.   

A teachers job is never over.  We are constantly planning our next teacher moves.  We even spend the Summer planning out how we want our rooms to look for the new year.  We develop bulletin board ideas, buy supplies, yes we by supplies because we are always short.  I look for resources and supplies to create a welcoming environment in the classroom. 

Do I have to spend my Summers doing all of this?  No,  I don't have to.  I choose to and many other educators choose to as well.  Like I said this isn't a job it is a calling. Is it necessary to do all this before school starts? If we didn't do some of these things we would not be prepared for the incoming school year. Who wants to walk in a classroom unprepared.  I equate my job to one of a lawyer.  Would I want a lawyer who opens up case law the day of my  court day, or one that comes well prepared and knows what he/she is talking about? So yes ,  we work in the Summer  and No we don't get paid to do so.  Teachers opt at their contract time to have their 9 month check spread across 12 months or we wouldn't have income for  the rest of the year to survive.

So when do I take a break?

I do manage to relax during the Summer.  I take time off and spend with my girls and my family.  We go bowling, to the zoo, shopping, get our nails done, binge watch movies while eating junk food,  and travel to see my family in the month of July. You see  I am here in Texas with the best family ever.  My school family.  However, my family is in Arkansas.  I look forward to going home every Summer and reconnecting and having fun.  I step out of teacher mode for a while and let loose.  I get to reconnected and catch up on  my daughters lives because I am so focused on other peoples kids during the school year, and feel like I have neglected them all year.  Leaving them to fend for themselves and solve their on  issues.  The guilt eats me alive during the school year . So I work hard to reconnect during the Summer with Brittany now age 26 year old and Gina, my now 16yr old working teen ager.  As a Single parent lots of my time is focused on my job, as I get older and deeper into my career  I realize It wasn't fair to them, so now I do better because I know better.  While I am in Arkansas.,   we visit all the places we miss out on during the school year,  enjoy family picnics, family dinners,  and just hanging out with my sister and mom.  I often get to catch up with my classmate as well. 

However,  once the end of July and beginning of  August hits I kick it into high gear and go to the campus and start setting up my classroom.  I focus on my classroom library first. Once that is set up I begin to set up progress monitoring folders for my students, and really dive into data and make some plans.  So you see were not off for the Summer.  So what do I do?

I teach and prepare future presidents, lawyers, doctors and teachers. What is your super hero power?