Woooo! You made it through another school year! Whether it’s your first, 10th, or 20th…it seems to only get more challenging with all the demands thrown at teachers. In the past, I usually gave myself a week to relax after school got out and then I would start working on stuff. My brain couldn’t stop coming up with ideas and my wheels were constantly turning. And if you’re a first or second year teacher you’re probably thinking of all the new things you want to do and try and that’s great! But, man…I can’t imagine doing that now! Over the last few years, I’ve tried to set some boundaries for myself to take care of ME over the summer. Not just everything that needs to be done for the next school year. If working on stuff all summer or in your room all summer is your jam, that’s awesome and I commend you. BUT! It is also okay to take a break and let your mind and body rest. 

Below is a system I created for myself in order to still feel productive, but still get that rest and relaxation I need.

Take a month off! No, seriously…take a month off.

Our district is usually always out right before Memorial Day. We have almost exactly 2 months off every summer. I do pretty much everything in my power to not let myself work on school stuff the whole month of June. If I am oddly motivated to accomplish something or am just really excited about it, then I work on it. Otherwise, I start a list on my phone or computer of things I want to work on when I am ready to prep for school or when I return. If I see something fun on social media I want to do, I make sure I take a screenshot (sometimes they end up buried come July). I have found that doing so makes me feel like a real human again. I can go to the grocery store whenever I want; I can go to Target whenever I want; I can sleep in; I can work out; I can spend time with my people.

Now you may be thinking, but Hayley I don’t function like that…great, what if you try flip flopping and knocking things out in June and giving yourself rest in July? I, personally, Iike to work on that stuff closer to when I need it so I don’t ask myself a month later what the purpose of it was or decide I no longer need it and feel like I wasted my time.

Back to that list I mentioned…

…sometimes there are TONS of ideas on there. I try to figure out if anything is similar and do I need to eliminate anything. Then, I prioritize by what REALLY needs done before the school year starts or my students are in my classroom on day one. Psssst…there are things that can wait, believe it or not. I need you to also know I am mostly a Type A teacher, but the longer I’ve taught the more Type B I’ve become about certain aspects.

Just because it’s July doesn’t mean your summer is over!

As a veteran teacher, there tends to be a lot of stuff you may not need to make, set up, etc. because you reuse things so this next idea may not work for everyone. Once July comes, I hit the ground running. I look at that list I came up with and try to knock a few things out each week. I give myself anywhere from 2-3 days in the week to work on stuff so I don’t feel exhausted by the time the school year actually rolls around. If there are a lot of things I need done in my room, I pick one of those days to go in. Otherwise, I’m a homebody and if I can work on it at home, I absolutely will. And so far, that has seemed to work. 

Keep blending,

Hayley