Teacher Summers

A lot has already been said about teachers and summer - by teachers and non-teachers alike - and it's largely very polarized. Opinions range from the dismissive you're so lucky to have summers off to all good teachers will do lots of work over the summer. Doug, an actual teacher, wrote a great blog post about summer PD, with one key sentence:

"The best summer PD is whatever works best for you."

 It's a simple premise, but one that's all too easy for teachers to miss in a sea of extreme opinions. Balance is okay. Different teachers having different summer plans is okay. And for those of us who will think about teaching this summer, it isn't about contract hours or Pinterest perfection or being "better" than other teachers. It's about choice.

Sometimes teachers' choices bridges that artificial divide between "work" and "play". I got dinner with a colleague who's also a good friend when I was in Boston this week, and we talked about both edu and non-edu things. Does that me credit for teaching-related? not-teaching-related? both? neither? And who's really keeping score?

The whole teacher summer "debate" strikes me as one of those situations in which it's better for all of us if we can mind our own business and worry about ourselves. Yes, it's important to make sure new teachers know they don't have to work all summer. And yes, it's important to share  opportunities to learn over the summer with colleagues. But ultimately it's up to each of us. You design your summer, I'll design mine, and hopefully we'll both come back refreshed, relaxed, and ready to take on a new school year. To each their own.

As for me, I'll be watching NCIS reruns, thumbing through children's books at the local bookstore, sipping Frappuccinos, re-learning the clarinet, and taking naps. And I hope that my summer choices won't be scrutinized, politicized, or criticized.

What are you doing this summer?