Hey, teacher friend who is NOT off for the summer…I see you, because I was you.
For the first 7 years of my teaching career, I always worked a second job: during the summer and also sometimes during the school year as well. For years 8-14, it was less consistent, but I did still work intermittent part-time jobs while teaching (it wasn’t until the birth of my 3rd child that I hung it up for good in order to have more family time).
So I’m not unaware that even with all the excitement and buzz about summer break, that might be a bit dampened for you if you’re thinking, “I’m not off for the summer like everyone else…”
First of all, it’s ok.
You have nothing to feel ashamed of. Maybe you’re working the summer because your teacher salary isn’t enough to pay the bills: you’re not alone.
Maybe you’re trying to earn and save extra money above your regular salary for a special reason, like a house down payment, a big trip, retirement, medical bills, a new car, or kids in college.
Maybe you actually like your second job and get fulfillment and enjoyment from it.
All of those reasons are ok!
We’ve all got seasons. Right now my season is teaching full time, family full time, and growing Tightrope Teaching to help my fellow teachers, like you 🙂 I don’t know what your season or reasons are, but one thing is for sure: even if you are not completely “off” for the summer like some of your coworkers, there are still some things you can do to make the next few months more restful than the previous 10 were.
#1: Try to choose a job you don’t hate
This one is said with a laugh and a smile, but I mean it! If teaching is your main career, you’re probably doing it because despite the difficulties, stress, and overwhelming amount of work, deep down you love it and feel called to stick with it.
Your summer job, on the other hand, is probably something you’re doing just to make some extra money. You’re not making a long-term commitment here, and you’re probably not making major financial decisions based on the projected long term profitability of this job. So, try to have some fun with it! And if possible, try to choose a second job that has nothing to do with classroom teaching–so that you can give yourself a mental break from it even if you are still “working.”
This is also a great opportunity for some efficiency (my favorite): you can try to combine a passion or hobby with employment.
Personal example #1: I waited tables for many years both during the summer and during the school year and actually really enjoyed it because I love food (eating it, cooking it, learning about it, sharing it with others), and I enjoy talking to and helping people.
Personal example #2: I grew up with a passion for dance, so for several years I was a dance teacher. Still using those teaching muscles…but also actual muscles!
Personal example #3: Because I actually enjoy “playing Tetris” with a calendar, I worked for a while as a front desk receptionist at a hair and nail salon, answering phones and booking appointments. I especially loved making those calls to folks on the waitlist with the good news that we had a cancellation and could fit them in!
Here are some other examples and suggestions you could try:
- If you love animals, try dog-walking, pet-sitting, or working at a vet’s office or pet store.
- If you love crafting, work at a craft store.
- If you love to read, work at a book store.
- If you love coffee (YESS…), work at a coffee shop.
- If you like gardening or home repair, work at a garden & home center or for a landscaping company.
- If you like to be outdoors, work at a park, historic site, farm stand, or even directing traffic flow for road construction.
- There are so many possibilities and options–but whatever you choose, point #2 below is SO important…
#2: Minimize your Take-Home Work
This is something I’ve already been encouraging you to do during the school year with teaching: lessen your grading load and try your darndest NOT to bring work home. But as we know, with teaching it actually requires intentional effort to avoid working at home. However, not all jobs are like that! I know, this is a blow-your-mind concept…but some jobs END automatically when you clock out. Try to get one of THOSE jobs for the summer!
This is so important because even if you’re not totally on “vacation,” you still really need that mental break in order to not burn out. I really think that the simple contrast in workload on this point between teaching and other jobs provides a built-in release valve.
#3: Make specific plans for your off time (mixture of plans and white space)
Congrats, your shift has ended! Now what?
Well, all the counsel I’m giving you about white space and half days still applies here…after work has ended, DO VACATION!
Day trips are excellent for this. Look at your hometown (and a 3 hour driving radius) with the eyes of a tourist, and check out all those activities that the locals usually pass by! You might be surprised at what’s actually there, and get a new appreciation for your area in the meantime.
A great personal example of this happened for me when I met my husband. I was living in the same area I’d been in all my life, and he had just moved there. Because he had fresh eyes, he started to find all kinds of cool places (primarily waterfalls that were accessible by hiking trails, because that’s the kind of thing we like) that I had never even heard of or known were there! Over the next 8 years, we went to almost all of them, and he became known among our friend group as the go-to guy for local adventure spots. It shifted my whole perspective on how to live in a place, and when we then moved several states away, I was ready to take advantage of all that this new place had to offer.
Summer School
Now here’s something else worth mentioning: WHAT IF YOU’RE TEACHING SUMMER SCHOOL??
Don’t worry, I’ve done that too: for me, it was before I had kids, and the money and schedule was too good to pass up: 6 weeks, 4 days a week, 4 hours a day, $3K: a no-brainer for me back then. But in this season of life, where my kids are ages 2-11, my priorities and daily responsibilities have shifted: not only do they demand my time and attention by virtue of being young kids, but I am also committed by choice to parenting them on purpose: to soaking up ALL the time I can with them. So, in this season I’m happy to pass this good deal to someone in a different stage of life 🙂
(P.S.: If you’re struggling with determining or managing your priorities…Did you miss the series on how to determine and rank your priorities in order to drive your schedule and not be driven by it? Start here).
Summer School Boundaries
Summer school is of course set up differently in each school, but my experience was that we taught two 2-hour classes per day, Mon-Thurs, for 6 weeks. We had total curricular freedom (I was teaching 9th grade English, which was one of the same classes I taught during the school year). Based on that experience, here are the essential tenets I recommend for maintaining your boundaries and sanity during summer school:
Structure:
Lay out a predictable structure for the time block you have, something that can serve as a framework for both you and the students. So for example in my context, maybe we do spelling and vocabulary for 15 mins, followed by reading for 30 minutes, 15 minutes of discussion, 15 minutes of writing, a 5 minute break, 10 minutes of a review game, and then the last 30 mins of class is theirs to do homework or work on a long-term project that you’ve established needs to be completed by x date.
(Embedded in this schedule is to NEVER give actual homework in summer school: 97% of them are not going to do it, and you don’t want to fight that battle. Instead, ALWAYS give class time to complete the homework/extra practice: this takes away their excuse for not having it done, gives a positive boost to their grades, and allows them to access you for help if they don’t understand something).
Whatever framework you establish, it will benefit both you and the students: I have found that all students, but especially those who struggle academically, do much better with structure–and this will make your planning go faster and easier because all you have to do is plug-and-play with activities in the categories/template you’ve set up for yourself, rather than having to re-conceptualize each day’s lesson. (Of course, these will occasionally need to be flexible for things like assessments).
HARD Boundary: DON’T TAKE WORK HOME
This is already a goal that you’re trying to aim for during the school year, but if you’re teaching summer school and not getting a substantial break from the mental taxation of teaching all year, you REALLY need to take a hard line with this boundary during the summer: give yourself NO wiggle room for “exceptions” and YOU WILL THANK YOURSELF FOR IT. When you’re establishing that daily framework/template above, be sure to include independent work time for the students: both they and you will need a break from each other, and you can use that time as your grading/prep time. Setting up the framework to begin with should minimize the daily prep you need to do, and following general guidelines about not grading every little thing should lessen the amount of grading that you have (see how these tips all compound and overlap to your benefit?) But, if you can’t get it all done during the summer school day, then stay after the students leave (set yourself a curfew/limit/boundary: “I will only stay until X-o’clock,”). Here’s the most important part: HOLD THE LINE. When X-o’clock hits, LEAVE. Even if you’re not done. It can wait; you need the mental break of leaving your work at work and having summer vacation for the rest of the day.
*Important tip about prioritizing work: get yourself set up for the next day FIRST. Then work on other things. This way, when the time is up, you leave but are not unprepared for the following day.
Final Thoughts
If you teach full time, working during the summer might feel a little bit like you’re getting robbed while everyone else goes on vacation. But a change in perspective can really help your mental health here: instead of feeling overburdened and like you never get a break from this hamster wheel, use these tips to make small adjustments and do the best you can with what you have–and genuinely appreciate it.
Whether you have a lot of time in the summer or part time only, make sure you do what you can to fill your cup–because you can’t pour out of an empty one.
Even though you are working and don’t have the full summer time off that some of your colleagues do, know that you are doing what you need to do for yourself at your season in life right now. Work with what you’ve got, enjoy it, be intentional, and guilt-free.
“Seize every second of your life and savor it. Value your present moments.” -Wayne Dyer