Exhausted? How do I nourish the teacher in me during the summer?

There is so much to master as a teacher these days, but we also must nourish ourselves during the summer months so we have renewed energy to return in the fall. I have found massage to have exceptional benefits for me, but that isn’t for everyone and you can only do one of those every so often. It’s important to have time for reflection during the summer if we are to be great teachers. I’ve often thought that teacher evaluation has a negative effect on teacher learning. What I have preferred as an educational leader is to ask teachers what they would like to work on during the coming school year. Teachers know their own weaknesses and strengths. I think if they were not trying to please their evaluators, they would buy in to their own learning in a more comprehensive way and make much more progress.

Sit down, sip a mint julep and set about reviewing your past year. What worked? What do you wish you had done differently? It is so easy to lose all those lessons you learned during the year because you just didn’t find the time to reflect. A good teacher is a teacher who reflects on their practice—honestly and without fear of failure. Good teachers recognize their weaknesses and set about defining what they want to focus on to improve their practice. Good teachers are also willing to share their strengths with other teachers. When we can benefit from each other’s strengths, then we no longer feel isolated. We become a part of something great—a community of teachers and learners.

Perhaps one way to relax and enjoy the summer while still growing and learning is to organize a group of teachers you feel particularly comfortable with—perhaps from adjoining grade levels so you have common interests. Plan an afternoon each week or every other week to sit at a park—bring chairs for sitting—and bring a topic that is a focus for your grade levels, like planning lessons that include higher level thinking activities. Share ideas and take notes if you find good ones to incorporate. Be sure to bring cool drinks and something to snack on so it doesn’t feel like a school meeting. Or…you could do a book study where you all read a book that will focus you all in an area that you know will help your teaching, like Mosaic of Thought, Qualities of Effective Teachers, Classroom Instruction that Works: Research-based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement or for English Language Learners, or Making the Most of Small Groups. All of these are great books for stimulating conversation among colleagues and can provide a springboard for the sharing of ideas.

Nurture yourself by assessing what relaxes you most—reading a good novel by the pool, getting a massage, playing tennis, camping. Provide time to reflect on your teaching. Select an area where you would like to improve. Seek out others to share ideas. Relax, grow and learn. You are the heart of education and when you take care of you, you will be able to serve others.

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