June 10, 2010: The Best Part About Summer Break...

...is the freedom! The biggest perk of the summer break, is the freedom. Realizing that you are in control of your schedule is the best part of the break. It allows teachers the opportunity to indulge in their hobbies and creative interests. This is in stark contrast to during the school year. During the school year a teacher can go on vacation or take "time for themselves," but in the back of their mind is always the nagging thoughts all teachers are concerned about: "When will I grade those papers?" "I hope no parents email me." "Did I forget some random piece of paperwork?" "Do I have a good lesson plan ready for my next day at work?" See, there is no time off for a teacher during the school year - contrary to popular belief. (Mind you, I am not saying other occupations do not provide people with concerns and worries during their downtime.) But it is very difficult to enjoy what from the outside seems to be the copious amount of "vacation/holiday" time teachers receive. During the summer the teacher gets the opportunity to, as my principal told us today, "recharge our batteries." By the end of the school year the energy level of teachers dwindles while the students' energy levels build. Imagine those days when your child is being "difficult." Multiply that by 90 children and that is what a high school teacher has to potentially deal with.

Please understand, I am not at all complaining about my job - I am sure I would receive little sympathy from anyone who works in what teachers call "the real world." I am just trying to put into perspective what people on the outside of the teaching profession may not think about. Overall, I enjoy my job, like any other jobs there is an upside and a downside. But the beauty of being a teacher is you get to live vicariously through your students. You get to recapture a tiny bit of your youth in watching and empathizing with their daily lives. With regard to this there are two types of teachers - the ones who get old quickly because they cannot tolerate the teenage behavior, and the ones who remain young by taking that energy and drinking it in like the fountain of youth. I like to consider myself a part of the latter group and it is the summer break that allows me to feel that youth while tempering it with the experience of my age. The expression "youth is wasted on the young" does not have to be true, we can choose to live life youthfully.

June 8, 2010: Summer is here...

Not officially, but summer is here in the school sense. Today was the last day with students - that is, the last day of exams. Tomorrow will be make-ups and a few retests but overall, the teaching part is over (actually it has been for almost a week). We all know how much we loved the summer as a student. We remember the little song, "No more pencils, no more books, no more teachers' dirty looks! Kick the tables, kick the chairs, kick the teacher down the stairs!" And it sure was fun, but from the other side of the desk, the summer is SO much more gratifying! Students progress on through their high school career (with some exceptions). Teachers do the same thing over and over and unlike most professions, there is a definitive beginning and end. At the end of each school year, while we are looking forward to the relaxation and leisure of our "mini-retirement" we look back, at least for a moment, at what we could have done differently, better. It may not be until August (September in the north) that we really reflect on it by adjusting and hopefully improving our plans from last year. But the best part of the end of the school year is knowing we have the chance to do it again better next time - a clean slate. How many people can boast that about their careers?

Today, after administering the last regular administration of our Civics and Economics End-of-Course Exam I began the process cleaning up the room from the school year. All the desks and chairs are stacked neatly against the wall and all the textbooks are accounted for (at least those that were returned). Tomorrow I will spend my time putting away papers into my unit notebooks so I can find them for next year (without having to print a new copy each time). After that, I consider myself done with still Thursday and Friday to go. Graduation is tomorrow and pretty much every teacher is assigned a duty. It is held at the Raleigh Convention Center. My biggest dilemma is to leave early (as we were given permission for) to get dressed for graduation, or stay at work, get dressed there, and proceed directly to graduation. I am leaning toward choice B so I can get more work done. We'll see, but I think I will bring my clothes to change into this way I leave my options open.

Tomorrow, what I like best about being out for the summer.