I know, I know - this post is one week early. There is a good reason, I promise. For the first week all summer, I am actually going to be OFF! I am not going to be around a computer, on my Smartphone or in my classroom. I am taking one week off!
"One week, huh?" says that "Joe know-it-all" named by Heather Wolpert-Gawron. Sure those Joe's think that because you are a teacher that you have so much free time! Well my fellow Chips, you know this is far from true!
Heather provides a long list of things that keep her busy during the summer including summer school, discussions, courses, seminars, lesson planning, tweaking lessons, etc., etc. It seems the list is never ending! I thought I would share my list of "summer break" tasks, I promise to keep it short.
1. Develop a new K/1 Science and Social Studies curriculum.
This year I will be teaching Science and Social Studies not only to my Kindergarten students, but also to the first grade students. The first grade students are the same one's that I had last year. They need something new and fresh and more challenging! New lesson plans, some tweaked plans and a trip to the "Teacher Store" are in order!
2. Re-do Phonics lessons.
I must confess that I didn't do a great job following the phonics lessons that were provided last year. They didn't seem to be "me". This summer, I am tweaking, re-writing, adding, taking out and reworking the whole thing! It is much easier to do this during the summer than going week by week during the school year!
3. Set-up Classroom
Every year we have to COMPLETELY empty our classrooms in order to get the floors re-waxed! So each summer furniture goes out and then needs to come back in! Talk about a fresh start each year, well than and my weight lifting for the day!
4. Purchase, Laminate, Decorate
Each year I get caught in the "teacher store". Each year I purchase pre-made bulletin board kits or a new poster, or the most trending letters, or whatever it may be! Nothing comes laminated and I do like my things to last more than a year, so I spend a day in front of the heat-set laminating machine in a building that isn't air-conditioned laminating. After that everything needs to be cut out - again - and then put up!
5. Develop a new behavior plan.
I used a smiley face pocket chart that I didn't really care for last year. Other teachers used a clip-chart and experienced great success. I guess I need to get a clip-chart, but wait, why buy it when I can make it??? I guess I better get that started and spend one more day laminating.
6. Plan, Plan, Plan, Label, Label, Label!
As you know, I teach Kindergarten. That means that you have to be on top of your game. How do I make sure that I am on top of my game every single day. I plan like crazy! How do I help my students stay on top of their game? Label everything!!!
7. CMU courses
EDU 653 is the most current of the many courses that I have been working on! Master's degree - here I come!!!
8. Back to School Letters
Let your parents and students know you are thinking of them! Throw in some important dates and the all important supply list and there you have it! Time to go to the Post Office!
9. Back to School Meetings
We start school before Labor Day. Back to School Meetings well before that! Time to break out the master family calendar and arrange daycare!
10. Parent Information Packets.
"How I Get Home", "How Would You Describe Your Child", "Emergency Forms", etc., etc., etc. All of these need to be color coded, copied, stuffed into perfectly labeled folders and set out on the perfectly clean and organized student desks before the Open House!
Okay, you probably get the idea and I promised that I would keep the list short!
Teacher friends, enjoy your summer break! Be sure that you take at least a week for the fun stuff that everyone assumes you do all summer long!
Wolpert- Gawron, Heather. "The Myth of Having Summers Off." Published 20 Jul 2014. Accessed 22 Jul 2014. http://www.edutopia.org//summers-off-myth
So true. I almost wrote my blog post on this one too. I started to type it out but then after 20 minutes I realized it was turning into a rant and decided to write about something else. I love how you made this not a rant (like I would have) and listed some cool ideas to fill the summer. Great post!
ReplyDeleteWow! You are really busy Jennifer! Good for you to take some time off. I feel teachers are really busy and teaching is an under paid job. My wife and sister are both teachers so I always hear to what they have to say and see how busy they are. I am not a teacher but I do see it as a very rewarding job. Keep up the good work and take some more time off if you can.
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