I know summer break is a point of contention for a lot of people who don’t seem to understand the absolute NEED for such a break for our teachers.  And, let’s be honest, most teachers spend their time doing things FOR school during their summers; taking classes, professional development, working a second job (because they can’t afford to live on what they make teaching), etc.  However, this past summer, after a ridiculously busy summer the year before moving to a brand new building, I made the conscious decision to not plan anything.  Now, this is difficult for someone who is used to being aware of the clock every minute of the day, and I have found this difficult in the past in terms of making myself slow down.  But after the day of professional development I needed to do right after school was out, I set out to not plan anything for the summer.  Not even my vacation.

First of all, I decided to grow flowers and feed birds.  I only have a couple of window boxes and a butterfly bush, but everyday I got up, watered and checked the plants and put out seed for the birds.  This made for hours of watching and getting to know these sweet little birds.  The one with the grandpa eyebrows makes me laugh.  I’m not kidding – he really has bushy eyebrows!  I tried to learn a little bit about them, but mostly time was just spent sitting quietly and enjoying.  The flowers are all pink and purple, my favorite colors and it made me smile when I got up in the morning.

Speaking of getting up in the morning, unless I had a hair appointment or something (ok, I did have to plan a few things), I did not set an alarm.  I slept until I wanted.  I napped when I wanted.  I went to bed when I wanted.  I was so relaxed.  Summer schedule also meant going out to get half-priced milkshakes after 8:00 p.m.  In the convertible.  With the top down and the music playing.  Not going to talk about the calories.  They don’t count during the summer.

Blogging became a daily habit.  I have talked about writing a book for YEARS, but somehow I just couldn’t find the time.  This summer, I MADE the time to write and it has become a habit.  It’s not a book yet but I’m hoping this discipline will help me to do it in the future.  And I had some cherished quiet time.  One of the things I was told in terms of Strengths Finder, was that because I tend to live in my head, I need quiet time to think by myself.  Unfortunately, I also tend to get lonely, but this year, I embraced the fact that Doug had a lot of drill writing to do.  I watched less TV, read more and just thought.

So now, school starts. I sleep until the bitter end so I have to dash like crazy to get out to school on time, usually grabbing a couple of donuts from the guy I know so well that we’re on a first name basis.  The work starts the minute I walk in the door, and as all teachers know, you’re “ON”  the entire time you’re there. No time for relaxing, taking a breath or going to the bathroom when you need to.  Then you either hang out for an hour or two after your official hours are over or take stuff home with you.  I’m lucky that I’m an empty nester at this point in my life, but the dishes still have to be done, the clothes washed, the bathrooms cleaned.  In the summer I can do a little every day with a bigger cleaning once a week and the place stays nice.  During the school year it depends on our schedule.  Doug helps a BUNCH when he’s able to be around, but if we’re both crazy busy, the place looks it.  I’m exhausted by the end of the day, stressed by just the daily stuff and more so by the extra little things asked of us year around from various sources.

Retirement would be wonderful, but I’m not quite old enough.  YET.  (no comments please).  So in the meantime, how do I and other teachers keep our sanity during the school year?  I’m thinking for me I’m going to begin keeping a little bit of that summer in my day.  Driving to and/or from school with the top down on the car.  Stopping for that shake on the way home.  I plan to keep feeding the birds throughout the school year to see how things change.  Planning that little sit down with Doug for a glass of wine and just talking for a half hour or so.  And maybe not worrying so much about the place.  I’ll do it as I have time and as long as it’s not stinky, I think we’re ok, right? : )  I may try to do more things that are fun after school.  Not things that go late, but maybe meeting a friend for a drink (diet coke : ), or an early dinner.  Something to wind down after a long day that’s something different from going back and forth from home to school and school to home.

The stress and exhaustion from teaching is not going to change, and people’s perceptions of our “easy gig” probably aren’t going to change either.  What I CAN change is what I do for myself, how I prioritize things in my life and giving myself permission to let a few things go so that I can do things I enjoy to wind down.  And maybe encouraging my colleagues to do the same.  Here’s to keeping a summer spirit all year long!