Today was the last day for the 2011 – 2012 school year! Yeah! Boo! As always, it was bittersweet. I will miss this group, their laughter, creativity,and goodwill. I won’t miss all the testing, micromanaging, etc…, although I know it awaits me in the near future.
BUT… what will I do with my time off? A colleague told me to do things that I enjoy, no work! But it is so hard for me to abide by that, because I will be “working”, at least by her standards. I will be involved in things that have to do with school, and I can’t help myself. I ENJOY learning new ways to teach, especially edtech, and introduce the curriculum to my students. (So, I guess I am abiding partially).
I LOVE discussing and sharing ideas with my wonderful PLN on Twitter, Linkedin, my blog Facebook page, any place, anywhere, anything education.
I anticipate growing my PLN, and learning innovative ideas that I can now take my time and explore. I will read Zite, blogs, education articles, and Facebook pages, and share on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest. I will post my teacher thoughts, opinions, and lessons throughout the summer.
A friend of mine described me as a “teacher’s teacher” after we attended an education conference on a Saturday. Yes, (gasp), a Saturday! But, she loved it, and we learned so much.
I already have two webinars scheduled for tomorrow. One is for Nearpod, an Ipad app for interactive multimedia presentations. The other is Edmodo, a secure social learning network for teachers and students. Nearpod is new to me. However, I have used Edmodo in my classroom for two years, but they keep adding stuff, and I don’t want to miss anything! I know these won’t be the last two for the summer. 🙂 Lifelong learner!
There are so many teachers like me, who “work” during the summer. The “work” is a way to leisurely explore new ways to engage our students. Tons of teachers don’t see it as a chore, but as something fun!
I do enjoy my summer. I don’t do summer school, and I do not attend any district workshops. My summertime is my time, and I want to be able to delve deeply into what I choose, not the mandated stuff. (Except this year I will check out Common Core). I travel, go to the beach, work on my novel, have barbeques, hang out with friends and family, and even enjoy a glass or two of wine on my deck. But I am not going to feel guilty about indulging my passion for teaching, even when I’m supposed to be off! 🙂
DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER 
Comments on: "AND….I’M OFF! ( Summer “Vacation?”)" (5)
Reminds me of the story of Thomas Edison. He had been working so hard on his inventions and his wife was concerned. “Take a break Tom; do something you LOVE.”
“You’re right, dear” Thomas said. “I’ll do that right after lunch.”
True to his word, Thomas did something he truly loved right after lunch. He went back to his workshop and continued ‘playing’ with his experiments.
I like the analogy Russ!:) People tend to think I am working, but actually I am “playing.”
I enjoy constant self directed learning also, but I get irritated when people think teachers don’t do anything during the summer just because we don’t have students in front of us. I am recharging my batteries and exploring new tools, technology, and ideas to incorporate into my instruction in the future. Thank you for sharing your passion!
You are playing when you teach? Where do you teach? Where I teach, I’m being tortured by administrators and strangled with new protocols and red tape…teacher Hell, if you ask me.
Not when I teach Michael, when I am discovering new sites. That’s what I mean by “playing”. 🙂 And trust me, I was was strangled as well, but I won’t let anyone steal my joy! (At least, not on a permanent basis)