One of the best parts of teaching (some would argue THE best part) is summer break. While the school year can feel demanding, stressful, and at times, fruitless, summer break is a teacher's time for rejuvenation. Having the freedom and time to explore new hobbies and visit new places helps me, in a small way, reinvent myself every year. If I reflect (we teachers love that word, don’t we?) on the past five summers, I can see all the different hats I’ve tried on from June through August: blogger, blog designer, painter, jewelry maker, gardener, landscaper, Amazon seller, photographer, furniture re-habber, and the list goes on. Now, let’s be honest. Most of these ventures only lasted for one summer, and then, when the fall came around, the mass quantity of supplies I had purchased were either donated or stored. Making earrings from sea glass and painting bohemian designs on driftwood is fun in the summer. In the fall, it's the last thing I'm thinking of. Because I'm exhausted. My mind is wiped. And I'm now staring at that piece of driftwood imagining what it would be like if we still had corporal punishment at my school. (Kidding! Sort of...)
There is a noticeable shift in a teacher's focus when pre-planning week starts. Your creative projects are now less about you (and the hippie persona you have somehow created) and more about the 30 new faces you’ll see in a few days. Bulletin board designs, seating arrangements, and curriculum resources start to take up that space in your brain that was formerly occupied by learning Photo Shop tricks and wondering how much belly dancing lessons cost.
Right now, however, it’s the beginning of June. Which "hats" will I wear this summer? I'll think I'll sip on a margarita until I figure it out.
Summertime, and the living's easy...
