If you ask most people about the life and difficulties of being a teacher then most people will say something like “Well, yeah but you get two months off every summer. You got nuthin’ to moan about.” I know it can’t be that simple for most teachers. I have known a few nearing retirement that probably skip the continuing education and seminars and such but what is the summer like for the average teacher? Can you reliably get two or three solid weeks of real vacation? What are your work related obligations while the kids are desperately trying not to think about you?
I’m a teacher. I won’t lie - summer break (along with Thanksgiving, Christmas, and spring breaks) is a huge benefit. It’s really a matter of balance - my (corporate) friend says that we work the same number of hours over the year, but I cram mine into nine months and she spreads hers out over 12. That’s true - I work lots of 12-15 hour days, evenings/weekends during the school year, but I’d rather do that and have the extra time off.
Summer break here starts around the beginning of June and we come back to school at the end of August. So it’s not quite 3 months off. I work summer school every June - but that is by choice (the pay is awesome). I have mandatory staff development, usually the 2nd week in August, then we report back to campus the following week. Still, I usually get at least 4-5 uninterrupted weeks. One year I didn’t teach summer school and got a full two months off and actually got a little bored. Sometimes I do workshops, sometimes I don’t, but workshops are usually a day or two and rarely last more than a week. There are plenty of professional development opportunities during the school year for teachers who don’t want to spend their summers doing it.
Some teachers work a 2nd job, or do intensive professional development during the summer. Some teachers spend a lot of their time planning for the next year. But there are lots and lots of teachers that enjoy the time off and spend little to no time thinking about the upcoming year. I came from the corporate world so I’ve been on both sides, and regardless of how difficult teaching can be, it would take a lot to make me give up the time off I enjoy as a teacher.
On Saturday I will be going away with my partner for two weeks. I do not intend to take any work with me.
Other than that, I’ve spent at least part of every day working: preparing materials, writing schemes of work, reading, getting to know the new syllabus for next year (obviously this isn’t the case every summer, they don’t change it quite that often), going into the job I’ve just left to tie up loose ends of paperwork etc, and going into the job I start in September to get stuff ready. Again, I don’t change my job every year so that wouldn’t be the case every summer. Usually I would only have one workplace I had to go into. On the other side of the coin, if I was staying put I would probably be marking GCSE coursework, putting folders together, writing assessments and filling in cover sheets. As it is I had to do all that before I left so that I could hand over. Most teachers in the UK don’t do continuing professional development over the summer. Also, while they’re trying not to think about us, we’re usually trying but failing not to think about them. One of the real nitches about going on holiday now is that I’ll be away when the GCSE results come out. I would really have liked to be there, find out straight away, celebrate with any of them who managed to pass (won’t be many) and help the ones who failed decide what to do next.
People who say that we shouldn’t complain because we get long holidays make me want to kill them. If we didn’t have long holidays, we wouldn’t have time to do anything - for our work, I mean, not our lives. I still haven’t even dug over the garden properly, and I’ve been “on holiday” since 21st July. They’re usually the same people who think we start work at 8.30 and finish at 3.30, because those are “school hours”. If I’m lucky and well-prepared, I work maybe another hour at the start and another three at the end, not to mention through all my breaks; and I know a lot of people who work a hell of a lot longer/harder than I do.
My wife is a teacher, and her second job during the summer is called “watching the kids who are around the house because they don’t go to school all day during the summer.” Some people will continue to send their kids to day-care because they still have to pay for it (that’s a whole different thread).
She is going to classes right now to get her master’s degree, which is required for teachers in her district. She will pull some 10-15 hour days here soon, because she can only get into her classroom about 1 1/2 to 2 weeks before school starts and they had to pack all their stuff into a truck because asbestos was being removed from the building.:dubious:
Also you could argue that the “extra time off” is just compensation for the crappy pay.
I teach junior high, and spend 7 -10 hours a week on school related things. Some is easily done - searching for resources and lesson plans online. Other things such as going over the problems I use and redesigning lessons isn’t as easy. I talk with or email other teachers in my building 5 times a week or so. I don’t meet with them that often, but I know other teachers who have met for up to 6 hours in the last couple of weeks to go over discipline and curriculum. I am happy I am not an elementary teacher - they seem to have 20 bulletin boards, all of which have to be decorated with hand drawn puppies or something. They start fixing their rooms in July, and since the buildings are not airconditioned until school starts, it’s hot. Also, we don’t get paid in the summer or for any breaks. No paid holidays at all. I get paid for the days I teach, and 4 Institute days. Iget a paycheck in the summer only because the school district holds back some of my pay during the school year and then gives it to me in the summer.
Amount of time I spent this summer vacation doing work for school or thinking about school: 10 minutes checking AP scores of my students on-line. From June 3rd to August 2nd was “me” time. Then I had to go back in and start messing with schedules and the like. Officially went back to work yesterday. Took me 4 hours to get my room set up (it had been stripped over summer for new carpeting) and the class web pages updated. I’m done and ready for students, who don’t arrive until Monday.
Experience leads to efficiency (sometimes!) 
My daughter is a 5th grade science teacher. Right after school was out, she went back a couple extra days to work on some curriculum committee. This week, she’s away at a science teacher training session. Part of the time in between, she’s been working in my husband’s workshop on some of her classroom equipment, because there’s no budget at the school to do what has to be done. She’ll go back a week earlier than required so she can take all this stuff she’s been working on and get it in place.
She has had some time off, but for 2 weeks, she volunteered at a local YMCA summer camp, and another week, her cousin was here, so she played tourguide for him. For the most part, she’s taken advantage of the summer, but during the year, she puts in many, many, many hours at home preparing, grading, planning, and other admin functions. This will be her third year. No raise yet - but at least she has a job.
Two days ago I beat the final Bowser level on Mario Galaxy and rescued the princess.
Right before checking the dope I watched episode of season 6 of Entourage.
I spent 10 days in Hawai’i and 7 days in the midwest.
I’ve worked in the yard quite a bit, including figuring out this pesky new irrigation system (I think the dead spot in the lawn is gone for good).
I drank a lot of new cocktails and tried a lot of new beers.
I slept in until at least nine every day, although today I got up at 7.
Tried out a new farmer’s market.
Hung out with my friends.
Took piano lessons for the first time.
Slacked on guitar, but am getting back into it.
Got a bit lazy with the gym…lots of travel means I’m away from it, and a pretty serious mole removal cut me back a bit. Back into it now, and actually, overall, I increased my weights over the summer from what I was doing last spring.
Actually, it’s been a pretty productive summer.
I teach high school. We have about a two month break in my district.
I spent:
1 week of curriculum writing (which I got paid for)
1 day of technology training (voluntary, but expected)
1 day of Gifted/Talented training (mandatory each year)
1 week I chose to work on various stuff (organizing lab equipment, prepping classroom, sorting files, studying some new materials, etc.)
We have staff development all next week and then classes start the week after that.
So I still had a good six weeks to myself, though not all at once. I got a lot of “projects” done around the house and yard, spent some time with friends, saw a few movies, shopped for a new vehicle, cleaned out my garage so I could park the new vehicle in it, and visited my parents for a week.
Like **Novalyne **, I work long hours during the school year so I probably match annual work-hours with most people who work year-round jobs. But I do really enjoy having the big lump of time off in the summer. By the time the end of the school year rolls around, I definitely need to decompress and recharge my batteries before I’m ready to start the journey over again.
Do community college professors count?
I had time off between May 13 and June 7, during which I prepped and updated the websites for my five accelerated summer online courses. Then I taught five accelerated online course, until August 8. Then I reported back this Monday, August 9, to prepare for classes that begin next Monday, August 16.
I did find time when I was not grading, responding to discussion board posts, and emails, to do some camping, reading, gardening, and hiking.