It is almost summer! Can you hear the angels singing? Summers are exactly what a teacher needs to refresh their minds and to fill their tank back up.
Here are some things you should definitely do this summer as a teacher, as well as things you should definitely not do.
DO: Reflect and audit for next year
DON’T: Stress about next year
Take a moment to reflect on the year preferably in the first days of summer (or during those end-of-the-year P.D. days) while everything is still fresh. I like to use the framework of “keep doing, stop doing, start doing” as a form of reflection.
- It might be … you want to keep using your LMS as a way of organizing your content.
- You want to stop hunting down missing work.
- And you want to start using The Grid Method.
You don’t have to do anything immediately, but it is good to reflect on and make a plan to fix some of the things that bothered you throughout the year, so you aren’t stressing about the impending challenges that await you in August.
DO: batch your productivity
DON’T: FEEL BAD FOR “WASTING” A DAY
If you are a teacher, you most likely have never had a doctor’s appointment during the school day. There just isn’t an easy way to make that happen. I called these types of appointments summer chores – things like doctor appointments, dentist appointments, eye appointments, car maintenance or repair, your children’s appointments, a hair appointment, and renewing a license in person.
These are all things that must be done, but they are so time consuming to do within working school hours and it really can be challenging to take part of a day for a regular appointment. Enter: teacher summer homework.
Now, my super tip here is to actually batch these! Just like you may mark out a week on the calendar to go on vacation. Mark a week on your calendar and try to squeeze as many appointments into that week. You will want to give yourself some margin since things like these go long. You will feel so accomplished at the end of that week, and it leaves so much more time for rest.
Now that you have batched some adult responsibilities, it is time to rest. Don’t feel like you are wasting your time if you want to read a book in one sitting (I almost did that with Sunrise on the Reaping — so good!) or binge watching The Last of Us.
I think as teachers we are used to making the most of every single minute in the classroom. This is a good thing, but it is also good to give yourself the freedom to rest.
Do: Think through some of your lessons
Don’t: Spend the entire summer focused on your classroom decor
I have spent hundreds of hours decorating my classroom – shopping the Target dollar spot or scrolling Pinterest and Instagram for ideas. I want the space that I spend a majority of my day in to feel inviting, organized, and visually appealing. If you aren’t careful, you can head back to school with your classroom decor ready to go and have not thought through anything else.
One summer, I revised my unit on rational numbers. It was a tough unit for my students, it was at the beginning of the year, and I knew that my future self would be grateful that I was able to leisurely rework that unit. It paid off! It made August and September feel less stressful, and I was able to get ahead of my lessons. Teachers getting ahead of their lessons in the summer is a very ambitious goal, but it can make a huge different during the school year.
Do: schedule time to treat yourself!
Do you love going to lunch with a group of friends? Do you find getting a pedicure a great treat? Maybe you want to take time to visit some family you haven’t seen in a while.
Be sure to treat yourself to something that you enjoy! Make this the best teacher summer yet!
How are you spending your summer?
My Algebra classes have been cut to 50 minutes per day. I used to have 83 minutes. Because of this, I plan on spending my summer creating pre-made notes. This will save time in the classroom and we can move on to activities to learn the material. If I have time, I will do this for math 8 and math 7, as well.
My teaching journey and experiences are pretty unique and I feel over the years I have lost my creativity. I have lost my ability to sit down and create notes, material for students and even tests. I feel as though I have become so reliant on tpt that if I were to walk into my class without someone else’s resources I would suffer. I appreciate and value the work of others but I want to go back to my “creative” days. I will be off for maternity leave in Fall and want to focus this summer on getting back in the saddle but don’t know where to start. I am severely burnt out and realize that as an educator I cannot stay in cruise control mode forever. I need to get out of the rut I am in.. Any tips/advice?
Hi, Asma – My advice would be to start small. Pick one lesson per unit or per week to make your own. Best of luck!