Now that it's officially summer, I frequently get asked, "What are you going to do all summer?" I smile and provide a brief answer that will appease those who might be somewhat envious of my extended break. It's nice to know that people are curious about my upcoming plans and summer hobbies. However, if people start talking about how teachers have it easy working only nine months each year, I generally bite my tongue and resist giving a speech about how teachers work overtime without extra pay all year to truly earn their summer break. I keep my views to myself and just smile knowing I am incredibly lucky to have a summer vacation. So, what will I do during this break I earned? Why, thank you for asking!
This summer, I am going to rejuvenate. Teaching isn't the hardest job in the world but it is incredibly consuming. A teacher's job is never finished. There will always be new students, new resources, and new district requirements. We work late and/or take our work home with us nearly every night during the school year. The majority of teachers work an average of 10+ hours every day and additional hours on weekends (marathon grading sessions on Sunday nights are all too common!). Coaches and activity sponsors work even more hours and have additional responsibilities! Yes, there are other jobs that require this much work but workers are generally compensated for overtime or earn much higher salaries. Teacher compensation comes in the form of smiling students, successful learning outcomes, and summer vacation. So, I am going to rest and relax this summer to recover from late nights of grading and lesson planning.
I am also going to spend time learning this summer. One of my favorite aspects of having 10 weeks off from teaching is the chance to enroll in classes, workshops, and conferences. There is very little extra time during the school year so summer provides the perfect time to learn new techniques/content that can be implemented during the next school year. Since defending my thesis last summer, I am no longer overwhelmed by graduate school but I am still excited to learn. In July, I will spend two weeks at the University of Northern Iowa (one of my favorite places on earth!) to participate in a 3-year grant called Integrating Crosscutting Concepts in Iowa Science Classrooms (ICCISC). I will work on curriculum development with 23 other Iowa HS Science teachers who were selected for this grant and we will continue to collaborate during the school year. Then, the first week of August, I will travel to Michigan for the Biennial Conference on Chemical Education (BCCE). The five-day conference is exclusively for HS chemistry teachers and college chemistry professors. I am so excited to network with other science nerds like myself and learn more about teaching science!
And, of course, I am going to work this summer. I always spend some time working on curriculum and website development, but this summer will be a bit different. My small school district has started to put each teacher in charge of his/her own professional development (Yay!) so we will each spend at least 5 days this summer fulfilling our Independent Career Development Plans. So, in addition to working on my own plan, I will also host some days training other teachers to do things like build a Weebly website, use Google FormEmailer, and post articles to the school website.
Summers are wonderful and I am thankful for the opportunities they provide... ~hink
This summer, I am going to rejuvenate. Teaching isn't the hardest job in the world but it is incredibly consuming. A teacher's job is never finished. There will always be new students, new resources, and new district requirements. We work late and/or take our work home with us nearly every night during the school year. The majority of teachers work an average of 10+ hours every day and additional hours on weekends (marathon grading sessions on Sunday nights are all too common!). Coaches and activity sponsors work even more hours and have additional responsibilities! Yes, there are other jobs that require this much work but workers are generally compensated for overtime or earn much higher salaries. Teacher compensation comes in the form of smiling students, successful learning outcomes, and summer vacation. So, I am going to rest and relax this summer to recover from late nights of grading and lesson planning.
I am also going to spend time learning this summer. One of my favorite aspects of having 10 weeks off from teaching is the chance to enroll in classes, workshops, and conferences. There is very little extra time during the school year so summer provides the perfect time to learn new techniques/content that can be implemented during the next school year. Since defending my thesis last summer, I am no longer overwhelmed by graduate school but I am still excited to learn. In July, I will spend two weeks at the University of Northern Iowa (one of my favorite places on earth!) to participate in a 3-year grant called Integrating Crosscutting Concepts in Iowa Science Classrooms (ICCISC). I will work on curriculum development with 23 other Iowa HS Science teachers who were selected for this grant and we will continue to collaborate during the school year. Then, the first week of August, I will travel to Michigan for the Biennial Conference on Chemical Education (BCCE). The five-day conference is exclusively for HS chemistry teachers and college chemistry professors. I am so excited to network with other science nerds like myself and learn more about teaching science!
And, of course, I am going to work this summer. I always spend some time working on curriculum and website development, but this summer will be a bit different. My small school district has started to put each teacher in charge of his/her own professional development (Yay!) so we will each spend at least 5 days this summer fulfilling our Independent Career Development Plans. So, in addition to working on my own plan, I will also host some days training other teachers to do things like build a Weebly website, use Google FormEmailer, and post articles to the school website.
Summers are wonderful and I am thankful for the opportunities they provide... ~hink