If you are a teacher, you know the amazing feeling of that first Monday of summer vacation! It is like a gift from above and something that must be experienced in order to be truly appreciated. Every day of summer vacation is a weekend day! We enjoy the restfulness of our day, without a care in the world! There is no alarm to set and no reason to rush, because whatever does not get done today, we can just do tomorrow! Ahhh, yes, the bliss of summer vacation is upon us and it is a glorious thing to behold.
There are some little known perks of summer vacation that I always forget about until the season arrives! My favorite summer perks are:
1. Going out to lunch and having more than 15 minutes to eat it! A little known fact about teachers-we are the masters of eating lunch, going to the bathroom and making a set of copies in 30 minutes or less!
2. Stores being far less crowded! During the summer, I have the opportunity to shop at all hours of the day and I am just in awe of how much quieter the stores are before 4 p.m.
3. Going to the bathroom whenever I want! I know this may seem silly to the average person, but this is a total teacher perk! Teachers spend the first month of school slowly training their bladders to adhere to a schedule. Seriously!
4. Being able to make a phone call in the middle of the day! It is next to impossible for me to break away and make or even take a phone call during the school day, other than my planning period. My whole family knows that calling me during the day is a complete waste of their time! My child's school nurse actually called the nurse at my school and asked her to let me know that she may have a broken wrist!
5. Flip flops all day, every day! My absolute favorite shoes on the planet are my flip flops. I have several pairs and slipping them on is the equivalent of Mr. Rogers slipping into his slippers! I live in my flippies from June until August and then I sadly pack them away in my closet until we meet again next summer!
Now, before you think all I do on summer break is eat, shop, and talk on the phone, let me tell you what else I do over summer break:
1. Plan my new classroom theme and prepare the materials
2. Read professional development books for the new programs I plan to implement
3. Find fresh activities to go with our units of study
4. Clean out and reorganize my classroom
5. Send welcome letters to my new students
6. Post updates on my classroom page for my former students to see
7. Check out new technology to incorporate into my classroom
8. Attend professional development trainings
9. Update my class website
10. And, of course, spend countless hours on Pinterest, because, well, it has everything
Summer is a time to recharge, but it is also a time to reinvent: reinvest our classroom, our plans, our strategies, and our goals! It is a time to explore new ideas and cultivate new experiences for our students. Summer is our time to prepare for our best year, yet! So, when you see us lounging by the neighborhood pool with our nose stuck in a book, don't be jealous! Chances are, it is the latest and greatest new teaching book!
