The TRUTH about what teachers REALLY do during the summer!

The TRUTH About What Teachers REALLY Do All Summer

I know what you are thinking. I see those pictures on Facebook and Instagram showing our teacher friends living it up! There they are partying, vacationing, shopping, girls’ weekends, spa days, fun in the sun, even adult beverages in hand. Well the truth is, every teacher should be able to unwind, rejuvenate, and enjoy some well-deserved R&R! Our teacher friends are also spending precious, quality time with their OWN children. There are visits to the zoo and water parks, beach trips and amusement parks. That is just like it should be for our hard working, dedicated, teacher friends.

But now let me tell you the real truth. Our teacher friends do get to do some of the above mentioned leisure activities during the summer months, but not as much as you think. What they are really doing is thinking about the children that just left their class. Teachers often wonder and perhaps worry about their students once summer arrives. They write letters to their “former” students and “check in” to see how the summer is going. Can you believe some teachers even set up a rendezvous with their past students and families to meet for a picnic or a movie or pizza?

Do you know what else teachers do? They spend MANY DAYS and often MANY WEEKS engaged in professional development. You see, these teachers want to be the absolute best they can be! They want to perfect their craft while teaching your child and finding ways of meeting the needs of every single student in their care. Teachers attend workshops, team meetings, grade level meetings, and committee meetings. (This happens before the first day of school for teachers.)  They work on identified Best Practices, map out plans for social-emotional skills to teach, learn new curriculum, create curriculum maps for the upcoming school year, and refine lessons to create more engagement for their students. They also BUY lots of new things for their classroom and for the next group of children they will soon call “their own” — All while using THEIR money.

You may ask, how do I know all of this? It is because I am a retired teacher. I have also done a lot of consulting work this summer for Responsive Classroom. I have met so many incredible educators around the country that give up days of their precious summer vacation to be a part of my workshop. Their commitment to education and the children they teach speaks volumes. These amazing educators display such willingness to learn and their attention and participation with the content is at the highest of levels. The Responsive Classroom 4 day course that I teach is only one of the “extra” endeavors teachers around the country have taken on as they choose to grow and learn. What if we all had that drive to do better and even during our “time off” we continued to seek growth?

Now that you know the TRUTH about what teachers REALLY do over the summer, please go out and thank a teacher! Let them know that they are greatly APPRECIATED!!! (After all, moms and dads, your children will be back in school soon!!!)

~Gayle Robert