Summers Off

"It must be nice to have your summers off and get paid for it." Hearing those words or any resemblance of them makes my blood boil. I'm not kidding; I can feel it happening. What I want to say cannot come out of my mouth in a way that is kind, so I am going to take time here to get it all out.

First, I don't get paid for not working. I am blessed to work in a district where they divide my salary into twelve equal paychecks. That means that during the school year and the summer, I am getting paid for the work I do from mid-August until the day school lets out. (I'd love to talk about teacher pay, but that is a post for another day!) Other teachers do not have the luxury of that happening and they get their pay only during the school year. That means they budget really well during the school year to build a summer savings, barely scrape by during the summer, or get a summer job to make it through the few months off. I've had to do that too and, believe me, it is not fun!

On to the part that really gets me upset--having summers off. During my eighteen year career, I have rarely had summers off. I've worked many summers either teaching summer school, teaching social skills to students on the Autism Spectrum, or in retail. Sure, there are still weeks where I don't "work" but I am not just sitting on a beach, soaking up sun, drinking margaritas, and reading romance novels. (Although I do wish I could do that!) No, I am working in my classroom, reading books to better my teaching, preparing materials for the upcoming year, meeting with colleagues to plan or to discuss a book we are reading together, or taking classes. I am also praying for the upcoming year and all of my students and their families. I have days where I do very little teacher things but I still have thoughts racing in my mind of what else I need to do.

This summer, for me, has been extremely busy but I wouldn't chance a thing, well except to see my husband more!

May 23: Last day for teachers
May 24-June 3: Vacation to Washington to see my sister and her two little ones with my mom and niece
June 17-29: Class on campus of University of Wyoming--I learned from other teachers as well as professors how to be a better teacher through discussions, observations, and readings. We discussed high leverage practices and went in depth on two of them. (I was really sick while there and even went to a doctor to see what was wrong. I had a breathing treatment because my oxygen was too low. Being that sick away from home was awful!)
July 5-8: Time in Philadelphia soaking up as much history as I could so I can use my experiences to enhance our social studies lessons. (I also totaled my car on the way to the airport when I hit two elk, so I was dealing with the physical effects from that accident. I will post about the wreck soon.)
July 8-13: Freedoms Foundation training on the War on Terror as well as a day spent being trained in a character development program; I also learned about the Medal of Honor and met a recipient of the Medal.
July 16-20: Worked in my classroom (We had our ceiling tiles all torn out and replaced so everything was in boxes and shoved into one area. I had to put my 2,500 book class library back together as well as complete normal class setup tasks.)
July 23: Helped lead a writing workshop in my district with fellow Wyoming Writing Project teachers
July 24-27: Wyoming Writing Project retreat--We traveled a few hours and spent time writing, reading, laughing, eating, and learning. We visited the Buffalo Bill Center of the West museum as well as Heart Mountain Interment Camp.
July 30-August 2: More classroom work as well as dealing with insurance over my totaled car
August 3-5: Family camping trip and a wedding
August 6-13: Classroom work and house cleaning
August 14: Teachers report
August 21: Students start!

I don't include this to brag or to say that all teachers do this. I just want people to see that teachers don't have the summer off. We work our tails off during the year and during the summer to improve our craft. We try to relax but our minds always wander back to our classrooms. That's what makes great teachers!

I love teaching. I also know I don't know all there is to know, even after 18 years in a variety of classrooms in four districts across the US and on a Naval Base. I have to learn all the time so I improve myself and can be more effective for the changing needs of my students. That's why I do what I do, for them!