Summer is finally here! My district made some changes this year to our schedule and we were done before Memorial Day if you can believe it. It does mean that I’ve had to figure out my summer plans a bit earlier though.
Summer as a teacher is a mixture of relaxation, worry, and adjustment. Everyone spends their break a bit differently, so I figured I’d walk you through some of the options you have as well as what a typical day looks like for me.
How long is the break?
Summer break looks different depending on your school district. For this year, my last optional work day was June 3rd and my first optional work day is August 5th. Of course, I have the option to take off another 3 weeks if I chose not to go in on my optional work days, but I’m often ready for a break from my own kids and itching to get stuff done in the classroom.
If you do the math, that means my summer as a teacher works out to about 9 weeks long if I work every work day. I try to divide my summers up into a mixture of work, family time, vacation, and passion projects or hobbies. These tend to be a lot of the options other teachers take too.
What are my options for summer as a teacher?
A lot of that depends on your budget and your own hopes. Below you’ll find a list of different activities teachers I know do or have done over their vacation.
Get a job
The most obvious choice (especially for new teachers!) is to get a part-time or temporary job. Depending on your district, you might not be getting a pay check during the summer months. Unless you’re good at planning ahead, getting a job might be a necessity.
You can find a position similar to teaching, like tutoring, test prep work, or babysitting, or your can pick a completely unrelated side hustle like food service, driving, or retail work. I recommend checking a job board like Indeed to see who’s hiring in your area.
Your Own Education
Another great option for your summer as a teacher is to further your own education. Summer is a great time to get started on a Master’s, work on your Educator Prep Program (part of how to become a teacher if you’re switching careers!) or just take a class or two.
You can also take some Professional Development (PD) in the summer. I’ve done a handful of in-person and online PD classes in summer and find I retain the information better since I’m not trying to grade papers during the course.
Spend Time with Family
A lot of the older teachers I know choose this option every year. During the school year, we often get caught up in our own little world. We’re thinking about lesson plans, test scores, and communicating with parents, and often family falls to the bottom of our list.
In summer, I always spend at least one day with just my son and one day with just my daughter so each of my kids gets some quality one-on-one time with mom. It’s good for all of us.
Travel
This one will also depend on your location and budget, but traveling in summer is so much less work than it is the rest of the year. I don’t have to put in for a sub, make sure I arrive back by a certain time, or take any grading/lesson plans to my vacation with me. I live in Eastern North Carolina, so almost every summer my family and I head up to Nags Head for some time at the beach. I’m also thinking of traveling cross-country one of these days.
Hobbies
Last but not least, use your summer time to work on your hobbies. Have you always wanted to learn to knit, play pickle ball, read 50 books, or hit the gym every day? This is the time of year to get it done. One of my favorite parts of summer as a teacher is the freedom we get to pursue other interests during the season. This year I picked back up with my writing, tried out some new recipes, and we even adopted a new kitten!
Final Thoughts
Summers can either be your favorite time of year or a stressful “I need to get all of this done as soon as possible” anxiety fest. Don’t overthink your first few summer breaks however. Teaching can be a stressful career, with a lot of different things thrown at you all at once. Instead of trying to cram in as many activities as possible, it might be more helpful for you to simply relax a bit. Watch a few shows on Netflix, play a few games on your PS5 that’s been collecting dust, or sleep in until noon. No matter what you choose to do, there’s one thing that always seems to stay constant, summer as a teacher is always over before you know it.