Should we spend the majority of our time relaxing by a body of water recuperating from our challenging jobs? Or, should we keep the productive momentum going and teach summer school, read professional development books, and take graduate level courses?
I may be the wrong person to analyze this debate because I always, without fail, choose the beach and the latest paperback from the bestsellers list. But the majority of my teaching friends and colleagues fight for spots on the summer school staff or sign up for professional development courses. At the very least, they read the latest and greatest tomes on literacy curriculum and/or behavior management strategies. So, what's a teacher to do?
Whether you have two weeks or two months away from the classroom, I recommend that you consider the following factors when it comes time to make your plans.
Take a break if...
- you've thought seriously about quitting the teaching profession this year
- an unfair administrator has been on your back for six months or more, making your days a living hell
- one particular nightmare student made you question your sanity on a daily basis
- you've never taken a summer off before
- you've ignored a portion of your personal life (marriage, friendships, hobbies, mental sanity, or all of the above) over the school year and you need to give it more attention and care
- you're a busybody who can't relax for two seconds (c'mon! try a summer vacation, you might like it!)
- you just want to take the summer off, simple as that!
- you're working towards a specific goal, such as finishing your graduate degree or earning a special certification
- you can't pay your bills without the income from teaching summer school
- you truly have nothing to better to do (is this even possible?)
- you need brownie points with your principal
- you've recently suffered a personal loss and you need to work to remain sane and distracted
- you're new and young and nowhere near burned out yet
