Before I begin, I have to admit that I started this blog in mid-June and then procrastinated (somewhat) to complete it. June was a whirlwind from when school was out for the summer to the end of June. And if I am being completely honest, I am not sure where June went.
Summers are for vacations, pool, BBQ's, sun, and no work (at least for teachers). Sometimes I want to laugh at that. No work for teachers? First, let me say there are some teachers that when the last bell rings before "summer vacation" and before the first bell rings for the new year don't continue to learn. However, there are MANY teachers that continue their education throughout the year (including "summer vacation").
In Mid-June, I went with a colleague to a 2-day conference at University School of Milwaukee (USMSPark) in Wisconsin. This conference has no words. A group of 200+ educators from across the county (and 2 other countries) are learning and collaborating, socializing, and gaining knowledge from each other. While there are not many conferences that I can attend during the school year, I do what I can to attend as many conferences, professional development, and/or workshops during the summer, weekends, and no school days. Attending these professional development days inspires me to be a better educator.
Shortly after returning from Wisconsin, I signed up for two online workshops where I am able to continue to learn from others. In addition, I attended a 40-hour week focusing on Cyber Security in keeping my students safe while online as well as myself and family. When non-educators continually state how nice it is to have summers off, my first reaction is to roll my eyes at them. Those four words, "it must be nice" certainly has a ring to it. But I wish I knew what it was like to actually have a summer off. Don't get me wrong, there are days that I do enjoy with my family and being poolside. But what many don't see are the late night, weekends, and days spent during the summer working, watching online workshops, going into the school to get the classroom ready for the school year, and even (dare I say) lesson planning. On top of all this, I work a part-time job as a reporter for the local paper. But it's not just during the summer that I work extra hours. I am an adjunct professor at local junior college during the year.
We must not judge others based on their choice of profession. I know for a fact that my husband does not bring his work home after 3:30 p.m. but he works in conditions that I could not. Instead of demeaning a teacher based on "summers off" think about the conditions and hours they work during the school year from working past 3:30 p.m. to taking work home to grade, plan, or worry about a student to going in on weekends to make sure Monday's lessons are ready to attending professional development opportunities on the weekends. We don't do it for the gratification from anyone. We do it for the students to be successful.
Just remember the words, "It must be nice to have summers off" is not as innocent as it sounds.
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