The Myth of Having Summers Off
By Heather Wolpert-Gawron
7/8/09
"So, you're a teacher, huh?" says the umpteenth Joe Know-It-All. I know the tone, and I know what's coming next: "Must be nice having summers off," he sneers. I don't know what mythical job this guy thinks I have, but I have never had a summer off.
And I'm not sure who these teachers are who are supposedly lying around all summer sipping sangrias without a thought of prepping for the year before them. But I'm not one of them. In fact, is there really a "them"?
Bottom line is that every year since entering teaching, I have seen some of the busiest summer months of my life.
This is for many reasons:
- I work summer school. Hey, who doesn't need the moolah? And it's not just about the hours I spend with students; it's also the hours I need to spend prepping for them. I develop the lesson plans and set up my learning environment for a whole new slew of students that I'll have for only a month or so.
- I attend or lead department and curriculum meetings scheduled during July and August.
- I develop and improve the curriculum that may, or may not, have worked over the school year. Summer is the only chunk of time to reflect and tweak those lessons.
- I build a library of new lessons, because, let's face it, I sure as heck don't have a lot of time to do that during a year packed full of high-energy, tightly paced, overscheduled days.
- I learn the new technology or new curriculum programs I've been given. Once again, summer is the only time to learn them. Case in point: my interactive whiteboard. I received mine in the fall, right at the start of school. I have been learning it as I go, but what with that little full-time gig I have that's called teaching, I have had time to explore only the tip of the iceberg. Summer will, hopefully, be my chance to revisit the training modules, explore the online assistance, create better flip charts, and further integrate the board.
- I train new teachers.
- I explore my own professional development. After all, those units also bump me along on the pay scale. And currently, my only option to get a raise is by spending my own money first, right?
- I lick my wounds. It's true. By the end of the year, teachers are limping toward "vacation." And do the math: If you teach summer school, you have only the weekend between the end of school and the beginning of summer school to take a breath. By the end of summer school, you have only three weeks or so until the start of the new school year. And those weeks are filled moving your students' desks from the pile in the middle of the room, putting up your bulletin boards, shoving shelves back into place, and planning, prepping, preparing, and scabbing over.
Back to my pal Joe Know-It-All: I really should've asked him whether he wanted to spend his year doing what I do. I spend my days, my hours, and my minutes existing at the pace of a middle school student. Frankly, I deserve some time off after that. But the fact is, not only do I not get it, I don't know how I would ever function with it.
After all, thinking like a teacher never ends. And when you love teaching, you can't just turn it off at the end of June.
You still continue to search for books in every store to replenish your classroom library. When a big news story comes out, you still seek out the New York Times to use as a primary resource to refer to in upcoming years. You pick up props and realia to supplement your lesson plans. You attend conferences or seminars to learn new strategies in order to fill in gaps that might exist in your current curriculum units.
The fact is, we need the breaks we get in order to do the job that we do ten months of the year. And the other two months are spent doing other parts of the job.
Civilians don't realize the toll teaching takes on a person -- on their energy and on their appearance, even. You ever see the pictures of a president before his term began and after his term ended? Well, teaching is kind of like that. Adult humans aren't built to spend their days with hundreds of children each day. It takes a lot out of an adult to have their antennae up so high, so often, and so consistently.
And yet, we have troops of people willing to return to the classroom year after year, with no summer break, just for the honor of calling themselves teachers.
The least those civilians can do is acknowledge that while their children are at summer camp, giving them a break from parenting, we intend to do what we always do: be teachers.
How are you spending these summer days preparing for the next school year? We'd love to hear from you!
The myth of summers off
I couldn't agree more with Heather Wolpert-Gawron. I have spent my summer developing new lesson plans for next year and researching ways to improve my skills. Although it's nice to be able to do these things from the comfort of my living room, I am still working. I have also attend a week-long workshop and several meetings held at school. I don't think those "Joe Know-It-Alls" out there would want to switch places with us.
My Summer Off
I'm a 4th grade teacher preparing this summer by presenting a research paper on project-based learning in Ireland, then visiting teachers in England with whom I do Internet projects, to plan for the future of our classes working together. I'm reading The Hundred Languages of Children about the Reggio Emilia approach to educating children with sensitivity and regard for their childhood. I'm monitoring last year's kids in a 3D world called Quest Atlantis over the summer. Oh, I'm also pursuing a doctorate in learning technologies to be a better educator. The summer time off is fading quickly...
Summers Off....What is That?
Love the blog posting...it is all so true. I work whenever I can squeeze time in between my kids needing to go here and there. I try to give myself a week off without doing any schoolwork, but it never happens. I always think about what I need to do, and end up back at my desk and laptop. These people that think our job is easy....follow me for a day!
I agree that teachers do NOT have the summer off! I am taking several classes this summer, not to mention other workshops that I am involved in. I am going to be teaching anew grade this fall, so I need to spend time acquainting myself with the curriculum materials. Not only that, but I am learning how it implement web 2.0 tools for my new grade level. Most of the world has NO idea what it means to be a teacher!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Summer fading...
Don't remind me! The only day when I don't see the end is the last day of school when all possibilities for summer are still open. But then the schedule starts to fill...Nevertheless, I get to spend my summer planning to be the teacher I want to be because when September sets in, the challenges will come a-knockin'; and if we aren't planning to be the teacher we want to be, we'll end up being the teacher who just settles. Thanks for the resources, by the way. I'm definitely going to check them out! Thanks also for checking into Edutopia and the Spiral Notebook Section. See, it ends up being professional development for us to read comments on our own articles as well. Take care!
-Heather Wolpert-Gawron
They might switch, but then they'd realize...
I think there's this misunderstanding with education that comes from everyone believing that they are an expert about. I think this stems from everyone having once been a student. I've said this before that "to know what it must be like to teach because you've been a student, is the same as saying what it's like to give birth because you were once born." Joe's don't know the struggles, the trials, the effort, and the love. Having said that, however, it's up to us as teachers to set the record straight and just calmly let people know the truth: that teaching is a way of life that never stops. Thanks for reading my blog, and thanks for reading Edutopia!
-Heather Wolpert-Gawron
Get the message out there!
You're right, the world does not know what it's like. That's why it needs to become a part of our jobs to get our professional word out there. Great teachers need to be a voice in the reputation of our profession. Keep blogging. Keep talking. And keep doing what you do best...teach. Thanks for commenting.
-Heather Wolpert-Gawron
Well Said!
Heather,
You echo my sentiments exactly when someone says something about having summers off. Usually I hear, "Oh must be nice being a teacher in the summer". My comment is usually, "It's great being a teacher in the summer and all year long. You too, could have chosen to be a teacher and as a matter of fact, you could still be a teacher. There is no lottery, no special contest to win, just a teaching certificate and lots of hard work"
That usually silences them.
Summers Off
If a teacher prepares well during the year and has a few years of experience, it is quite easy to take off the entire summer. Teachers do not want to admit it, but many go into the professon for that very reason - A 190 day work year. Also, if a teacher is efficient and does not waste time in the teachers' room during the day, he or she can leave the building by 4:00 at the latest.
Most people get only 2-3 weeks off a year which comes to a total of about 240 days; a teacher has 50 fewer days. In addition, the teacher can leave work and not deal with rush hours.
Many teachers decide to work after school, join committees, take courses and so on. This is their choice, of course. They do not have to do this. Also, with the CEUs that are applicable to their updating certificates, they can take personal or professional days and attend conferences and not have to take courses during their free time.
I wish more teachers would be honest about what their work lives are really like. Most choose to be busy, but the teaching profession does not require this, of course.
Hi Terry,
Of course I agree with everything being said and recently when people say, "How wonderful, you have your summers off," I am responding with all the things I am involved in during the summer to prepare me for the coming year and all the workshops/research I am doing to be a better teacher in September. This year I have attended two days at NJECC (New Jersey Educational Computing Conference), did a presentation on Ellis Island for AIHE (American Institute for History Education), a week long National Endowment for the Humanities in Philadelphia (the topic was Ben Franklin and the Colonial period - fascinating - also have about 5 books to read on the topic) and spent a day at Stockton College learning about Web 2.0. I am very interested in your professional development. Could you give me further information? Did you get a grant to travel to Ireland and England. This sounds very interesting.
Thanks,
Pat Leslie