The Not-So-Lazy Days of Summer...

As an educator, I am accustomed to hearing comments about how we are lucky to have our summers off to do as we please.  While this is a great perk of this profession, it is not entirely true.  This summer has been full of relaxing personal experiences for me so far.  I've gone on vacation with my family to the beach, spent much-needed time with family and friends, and slept in a little as well.  Contrary to public opinion, however, I have not completely forgotten about teaching for a few months of complete relaxation.

A significant portion of this summer is being spent on "teacher" activities as well as personal ones.  I'm currently taking two graduate classes to work toward earning my Master's Degree.  Imagine the great struggle within me as I sat reading articles and posting to forums on my laptop while at the beach.  I only wish I had taken pictures to document... 

Besides working on my graduate classes, I am also continually preparing for my new class this fall.  I have already thought of dozens of ideas I would love to use during the next school year, and am planning the best way to implement these ideas into my classroom.  I am also beginning to determine the best layout for my classroom this year and numerous classroom decorations have caught my eye.  More than a dozen new, highly useful websites have come to my attention lately (due to one of those graduate classes I am taking!), and my mind is swirling with ways to use them for my students.  I cannot count the number of dreams I have had already where I am preparing for my incoming class, full of new students, challenges, and adventures.

My point in writing this is that every adventure takes planning time.  My adventure may only seem to take place from August to May, but the planning time takes up most of June and July.  In addition, planning occurs on a day-to-day basis for teachers, as we adjust to the many variables in our classrooms, including, but not limited to, unanticipated interruptions and differences in student abilities.  So the next time you hear a teacher talking about how hard he or she works, please remember that though they may have summers "off", they are still hard-at-work preparing for their next adventure.