The Inspired Teachers’ Summer Handbook

This week we are delighted to share this post, written by one of our Teacher Warriors, Colin Rust. We think you will enjoy his advice, which he delivers with both sincerity and humor.

The Inspired Teachers’ Summer Handbook

by Colin Rust

  There lies, deep within the calendar year, a magical three months. Three months that harken back to a time of juvenile freedoms and vacations. I am speaking of those three magical months; June, July, and August. Every teacher hears it about it every year from their friends and family not in the business, “teachers are soooo lucky, they get the summers off.” Guess what? They are right. We are lucky! What other profession gives you the chance to stop what you are doing on the daily, regroup, and relax? Can you imagine if every profession did that? The world would be in mass chaos! We as educators are given this time off, this beautiful time off, so why not use it to the best of our abilities?

This handbook will give you an idea of what I do during my summer as a thriving educator.

#1 Netflix Binge, seriously, you deserve it, no really, you do.

I bet you thought I was going to jump at you and say that the first thing to do is to painstakingly comb through your last year’s lesson plans in a month’s worth of reflections. That comes later. I truly believe that the first thing you should be doing during this break is relaxing. Think of it! Although we do get the summers off, we work our tushes off during the school year, fearing taking personal vacation days and making sub plans. Summer is the only time we as educators can take a breath and not feel guilty about letting 25 kiddos down.

I am not here to tell you not to binge watch 3 complete shows on Netflix for the first 2 weeks of summer. That is exactly what I did. Have I spent the whole day in my pajamas? Yes, yes I have, and that is okay. We shouldn’t feel guilty for sleeping in until 10 am or sitting and reading all day. Thriving teaching requires us to take this time to recuperate. Teacher burnout is a real thing, and personally I believe it should be listed on WebMD. Spend time with your kids, pets, and friends. Stay out until midnight on a Tuesday. You deserve it.

#2 Keep those skills sharp, like those fancy knives sold on Infomercials

    In some school spheres this next item in the guide, may be considered a cardinal sin. So, those of you say, “it’s my summer go away,” look away and skip this section because you aren’t going to like it. My next tip for your thriving summer is to tutor. Yes, tutor, as in teach a student during the summer. Before you throw your rocks and tomatoes, hear me out. Tutoring a student during the summer allows you to keep your skills sharp. It is a non-threatening way to come up with new teaching ideas, a time where standards don’t really matter, and a time where your principal or district isn’t standing over you with their curriculum pacing guide, tapping their finger on their watch. (Side note, I am SOOOO blessed with an administration that doesn’t do this. Thank you for no curriculum police.)  

    Now, I am certainly not saying that you bog yourself down with 5 students twice a week during regular school hours. Start small, one or two students. I recently finished tutoring a past student of mine for just one week. It was quick and painless, and we both had an excellent time. Like I mentioned above, tutoring allows you to keep your skills fresh and even to try new things. Items and lessons you use in the small scale world of tutoring may prove incredibly useful in your upcoming year. Think of it as a birthday party magician practicing for the Vegas stage.

#3 Pick Up a Book!

    I could sum this section up in one word: READ! Read a book you’ve always wanted to read but didn’t have time. Read the novelization of that popular Netflix series you just binged. Read with abandon. Spend the whole day reading. There is no better feeling than opening up a book, falling deep into the world of the text, and only coming back out when the sun is setting and you realize all you’ve eaten today was a sleeve of Oreos (once again you’re on summer break, treat yo’ self).

    I, personally, like to set a summer reading challenge for myself. One summer, my goal was to read the entire “A Song of Ice and Fire” series by George R. R. Martin. This year I don’t have a specific series, but I am going to read a lot of fourth grade recommended books so that I can genuinely recommend them next year to students.  During the school year, I find myself bogged down with lesson planning and other items, that I don’t have the same opportunities to read. Pour yourself a very large cup of coffee and jump into a new book; make some new friends, see new places, and get lost in the story.

#3.5 Pick up Another Book, Make it Professional this time!

    While you are spending the day reading, I would suggest that every other book that you read has a bit of professional development to it. We as teachers should also be learners. Books that help you professionally can only improve your teaching methods. Find the right topic, and the right author. I personally enjoy professional books that are written in a narrative form. I enjoy books on reading and how to create community in the classroom. The biggest tip I can offer for this, is find an author that you will enjoy reading. Find someone who speaks to you as a teacher. For example, I am more likely read to something catchy and upbeat, full of real world examples. You might prefer a book that is highly scientific. We must always work to improve our teaching, and the summer is the best time to learn new methods through professional texts.

#4 Role reversal

    This connects to the last section a whole lot, but I thought it was important enough to get its own number, and I am writing this guide, so there. During the summer it is important, so very important, to do a little bit of role reversal. Teachers, it is time to become the student. Take classes during the summer. I am sure that your district, or a cohort of districts, offers many classes throughout the summer. These courses ( I am going to assume) are mostly free to you. So take them! Give up a Monday and take a class.

Taking classes can have two major benefits. The first benefit is a lot of these classes will focus on initiatives in your district. If you take the summer classes you will get a head start on something the district will be rolling out in the near future. Now, tell me, don’t you want to be the cool kid who already knows the new science curriculum? Yeah, I thought so.

    Another benefit of taking classes, especially through the district, is that you get the opportunity to work with other teachers from your district. Teachers who work at different schools, teachers who teach different types of students, and teachers you don’t know. The best thing about meeting other teachers is that by nature teachers are compulsive sharers. Whether or not it’s a “look at what I do” move or a “here’s how I conquer that problem” move, we love to share. Taking district professional development allows us to meet up with more of our species and get new skills to use in our classrooms.

#5 Ain’t no party like a teacher party, because a teacher don’t stop

    During the school year teachers are constantly running around with their class, running to the copy machine, and running to an endless amount of committee meetings. My last tip for the summer is to hang out with other teachers in your school! Yes that’s right, hang out with the people you see all year. If you think this is a controversial topic, I will give you permission to skip it, it’s okay, I’ll wait. Yes, hang out with the other teachers from your school. During the summer you have the incredible opportunity to create a strong community in your school building. I believe it is important to get to know your co workers outside of the school culture. If all you get to know about your co workers is their class management line up technique, your school community will be lacking. Go to a trivia night, go see a movie, or heck set up a messaging app where you can share summer hijinks including dinners and vacation moments. When you build a strong community within your staff it can only have positive effects on the students.

So, there you go, my top five agenda items for this summer. There are many, many more, but this is a good start. Of course in between all of these items, I will be obsessively reflecting over the past year, but that’s not fun to write about. Summers are a magical time. A time that we can use to better ourselves as teachers and individuals. A time where we can forget what day it is, forget to shower, and to live in the moment. It is also a time to get a jump start on the next nine months of teaching.

So the next time someone makes a smug remark about how lucky you are that you get three months off, smile, tip your head, and tell them, “yep, I sure am.”

Colin Rust is a teacher in Naperville, IL.  His classroom, known as Rust’s Rookery, is a place where students are actively engaged and are a part of a strong learning community. It is also filled with penguins!

A little bird (no, NOT a penguin) told us you can find him on Twitter at@rustsrookery  where he shares classroom antics and awesome book reviews.

Happy summer,