You need to Decompress
Teaching is hard work. During the school year you are running from one end of the classroom to the other, attending to a student’s bloody nose while grading 25 spelling tests and preparing for Parent-Teacher conferences. You hardly have time to sit down and eat your lunch everyday and you often take your work home with you. Whether you are cutting out flashcards for your students to practice multiplication or you’re worrying about your students that don’t get to eat breakfast before school, you’re constantly working. Between the work and worry you take home with you, you probably work 10-12 hours a day during the school year. This is why you need to R.E.L.A.X. over the summer! You’re probably thinking, “relax? That is much easier said than done!” But I encourage you to take some time to yourself and really decompress. If you need a few suggestions on how to do so, the Andrew’s Institute has a great post tips for decompressing.
You need to Reflect
Teaching is overwhelming. Everyday you are trying to balance the needs of 25 individual students and fostering their educational, emotional, and social well being. There is no doubt about it, that is hard to do! It is easy to get caught up in the day-to-day of everyday teaching during the school year which leaves you little time to reflect on what went well and what could be improved. Whether that be teaching methods, your reaction to a certain situation, or classroom management. Summer is the perfect time of year to relax and really think and reflect on your past year of teaching. If the idea of reflecting is overwhelming to you, check out this article by TeachHub which has great tips for reflecting on your past year in the classroom.
You need to Socialize
Teaching is exhausting. After working a 12 hour day, the last thing you want to do is go out and socialize when you know you have to be up at 6:00am to get to school before the bell rings. Take the summer to rejuvenate relationships with your friends and family. Enjoy days full of adult conversations that don’t involve bodily functions, loud noises, or shhhhing. After spending your days surrounded by kids you deserve to bask in the summer sun surrounded by intellectual conversation. Need a few ideas on what to do with your friends and family (on a teacher’s budget)? Check out this post from the Simple Dollar!
