A few years ago I had a student ask me, “So what do you do in the summer?” She wasn’t being rude. She just wondered what occupied my time when I wasn’t teaching kids like her. So here is my top ten list of what teachers really do on their summers off.

 

  1. Take classes. Many teachers spend their summers being students. In addition to making us better teachers because of the knowledge we gain, we become better teachers through being students. We are reminded what it is like to have a great instructor as well as what having a poor instructor feels like.
  2. Catch up on family time. There is a Facebook blog written by a mom who is ready for school to start because she is tired of having to be in charge of her own children. Don’t get me wrong, there are moments I am overwhelmed by the four rambunctious boys in my house, but spending time with them is often put aside during the school year to make time for other people’s kids.
  3. “Spring cleaning.” Most people purge, organize and deep clean in the spring. However, anything that is going to get accomplished happens in my summer. This summer I cleaned our storeroom, moved the playroom to the basement, cleaned out a garage (that I hope won’t fall on my house before I get next summer to tear it down) and created a pantry.
  4. Try new things. In March, we found out Boy #3 is highly allergic to gluten and corn. We didn’t try anything until school was out. Since then, I have become a gluten-free expert. We have gone to taste testing days, consulted with a dietician, and tried at least a million recipes.
  5. Work in our classrooms. At the end of the year, it seems all of those extra papers get thrown in a pile to be filed later. That “later” is summer break. We also develop new units, find better projects and teaching methods, and rework tests and quizzes we will use during the year. Sometimes we have to develop new curriculum for new classes we are going to teach.
  6. Visit with friends. My true friends know that I’m not being rude during the school year when I don’t call or stop by. It is nice to be able to have adult conversation with those friends who are patient enough to wait until my summer break.
  7. Organize for the school year. I have a list of 31 crock pot recipes to freeze. That is my agenda for this last week before I have to report to school. Although I know we will eat frozen pizza, cold cereal, and lunch meat sandwiches some nights, I want to have an arsenal to be able to keep that kind of meal to a minimum.
  8. Teaching is exhausting! Don’t get me wrong. I’m not looking for sympathy as I know I chose this profession. I’m sure it is possible to teach without enthusiasm and energy, but that’s not the way I roll. Every day, every class period, I want my students to be engaged and learning in fun and creative ways. This takes an incredible amount of energy (and a lot of coffee). Summers allow me to be in the background and let others be in charge.
  9. I have spent over 50 hours volunteering this summer. Most of what I have done is with 4-H, but I know many teachers who coach baseball or softball, work at the local food pantry, or volunteer at church. Who better to ask to do something for free than ,a teacher who has sooooo much extra time on her hands during the summer.
  10. Not looking perfect. This might seem strange, but I love being able to skip a day of showering or wear my old grubby clothes without doing my make up or hair. I have a tough audience—high school students. The girls notice what I wear, how my hair looks, and if my make up is just right. So if you see me at the grocery store during July and wonder if I have showered yet, the answer is probably no!

I have mixed emotions when the locusts remind me that school is around the corner. I love my job—it’s the best profession in the world, at least for me! I do wish I had gotten more projects accomplished, visited more with my friends, and spent more time with my own kids. So when you ask me if I’m ready for school, please know that the pause before my answer doesn’t mean I’m not excited, I just miss all of the things that I, as a teacher, get to do in the summer.

feature image source

So God Made a Mother book by Leslie Means

If you liked this, you'll love our book, SO GOD MADE A MOTHER available now!

Order Now

Check out our new Keepsake Companion Journal that pairs with our So God Made a Mother book!

Order Now
So God Made a Mother's Story Keepsake Journal

Kristi Bose

Kristi Bose teaches English and drama at Southern Valley High School in South Central Nebraska. She and her husband Michael have four boys ages four to fifteen. They live in the country where they raise show pigs, a small cattle herd, and a few goats. She enjoys fishing in the river behind their house, reading, traveling and spending time with her family.

Putting Our Christian Kids in Public School Was Absolutely the Right Choice For Our Family

In: Faith, Kids, School
Putting Our Christian Kids In Public School Was Absolutely the Right Choice For Our Family www.herviewfromhome.com

I was in the middle of an online mom group conversation when the subject turned to education. One mama commented that her family had decided to send their kids to private Christian school. “It’s a big sacrifice,” she said, “but it’s worth it. I just couldn’t bear to throw my kids to the wolves of public school.” I read that comment and thought about my own children, sitting among those wolves at that very moment. And they were there not because my husband and I couldn’t or wouldn’t make the sacrifice to send them somewhere else—but because we’d deliberately, intentionally...

Keep Reading

Dear Teacher, I See You

In: Journal, School
Dear Teacher, I See You www.herviewfromhome.com

I see you struggling to make ends meet. You look at how much is coming in and how much is going out, and you don’t know how you’re going to do it. Again. You wonder if this is a never-ending cycle. Will it always be this hard? Will you make it to retirement? Do you even want to make it to retirement, or should you run away and find the quickest job you can find just so you don’t have to argue with another child about whether or not you actually witnessed him talking when he was supposed to be...

Keep Reading

Dear God, Please Fill the Holes

In: Child, Faith, Motherhood, School
Dear God, Please Fill the Holes www.herviewfromhome.com

When I drop my kids off at school and they all pile out with bags and water bottles and lunch boxes as the line lady urges us forward (“Pull forward!!!”) I always smile and cheerily say something like, “Have a great day!” or “See you after school!” or “Love you guys!” But that’s not all I really want to say. That’s not what I want to press into them as they leave me for seven hours of the day to friends and not friends and teachers and schoolwork and pressure and LIFE. I want to say, “I know it’s hard....

Keep Reading

Dear Girl, Your Best Friend is Out There

In: Child, School
Dear Girl, Your Best Friend is Out There www.herviewfromhome.com

This school year, I hope you finally find a best friend. I know you struggle with making connections. Your fierce independence doesn’t exactly help attract playmates. You don’t understand why everyone doesn’t always want to play what you want to play, or why they don’t always share your same likes and interests. From the moment you started school, I have longed for the days of you coming home and asking if you can have a sleepover. I have wished you would connect with someone. I’ve laid in bed at night and prayed you would meet another little girl who loves...

Keep Reading

This North Dakota Homecoming Queen is Capturing Hearts Everywhere

In: Inspiration, Kids, School, Teen
This North Dakota Homecoming Queen is Capturing Hearts Everywhere www.herviewfromhome.com

When Paula and Kevin Burckard’s third child was born, she arrived with a little something extra the North Dakota couple never saw coming.  Newborn Grace had Down syndrome, and the diagnosis initially left the young parents devastated. “When Grace was born, I thought all my dreams for my daughter had basically been dashed,” Paula said.  But it didn’t take long for those fears to subside.  As Grace grew, not only did she meet and surpass milestones, her infectious joy, inspirational grit, and deep love of all things Michael Jackson transformed the family—and countless hearts. The Burckhards went on to adopt...

Keep Reading

Your Kids Will Turn Out Just Fine Even if They Don’t Do All the Things

In: Kids, School, Teen, Tween
Your Kids Will Turn Out Just Fine Even if They Don't Do All the Things www.herviewfromhome.com

My teenage daughters teach a preschool dance class, and one night not too long ago, they had a very unhappy client.  The poor thing was crying and screaming and was generally miserable. She did not want to be there . . . not that night and not ever. Oh, I remember those days. My own oldest dancer was a very unhappy beginning ballerina at one point . . . so unhappy that we pulled her out of class without even finishing the month we’d paid for. (Yes, I know you’re not supposed to do that.) Five years after she hung up...

Keep Reading

Our Daughter Hated School; We Finally Discovered Why (and How to Help)

In: Child, Mental Health, School
Our Daughter Hated School; We Finally Discovered Why (and How to Help) www.herviewfromhome.com

I wish we had clued in to our daughter’s generalized anxiety disorder a lot earlier then we did. It’s not for a lack of information available, it’s just that you don’t research it when you believe your child simply hates school. I mean our generation struggled with complicated friendships, PE class, and strict teachers too. Even our great-grandmothers had to survive the “mean girls”. So, our children will make it through, too, right? The problem is sometimes it’s more than just struggling to fit in; it’s a debilitating anxiety that leaves them feeling like they are treading in water over...

Keep Reading

What Happens When we Stop Pushing Our Kids so Hard?

In: Journal, Kids, School, Teen, Tween
What Happens When we Stop Pushing Our Kids so Hard? www.herviewfromhome.com

I kick them from the house, drag my tweens to this leafy patch of monkey bars, repurposed tires, and shade. It is summer, and the whole neighborhood has stared at screens, practiced math and dozed like molting snakes for too many hours. So my children do not want to be here, and they show me; their disdain vibrates off their shoulders. Hands deep in their pockets as they kick at the gravel, then a silver slide, they sip boredom with each roll of the eyes. Even worse, I have made them leave their cell phones in the car, although their...

Keep Reading

The Excitement of the First Day of School is Over…Now What?

In: Child, Kids, School
The Excitement of the First Day of School is Over...Now What? www.herviewfromhome.com

I still remember the excitement of the first day of school, and I’m old. The smell of newly-sharpened pencils and the tower of new books stacked on top of our desks was mesmerizing. It was also fun because my early September birthday coincided with the beginning of school and the Miss America pageant, which I was confident I would win someday. (Spoiler alert: I didn’t.) Finding my friends and comparing summer adventures and the latest shoe styles was uppermost in my mind. We wore uniforms, so the only way to be unique was with a great pair of shoes. (Another...

Keep Reading

Want Your Kid to Succeed? Don’t be a Lawnmower Parent

In: Kids, School, Teen, Tween
Want Your Kid to Succeed? Don't be a Lawnmower Parent www.herviewfromhome.com

At a recent back to school night for my middle school daughter, one of her teachers explained that it is time for our kids to take responsibility for their grades, and each student needed to be personally accountable. He told the classroom of parents that several kids received a zero on an assignment for not completing it on time, but it was a minimal portion of their grade. “The point is for them to understand from the get-go that deadlines are important, and there will be consequences.” Several parents, including me, subtly checked phones to see if our kids received...

Keep Reading