Summer "Break"

Before you say something asinine like, "I bet you're excited to do nothing this summer," please think before you blurt and then remind yourself that the grass isn't always greener, and you aren't involved in some kind of medieval torture because you have to report to an office for the next two months.

Educators don't just sit around and "do nothing" over the summer: most are planning for the upcoming year, attending professional developments and working summer jobs to supplement their incomes (yes, we get 12 paychecks, but it's 10 months stretched over 12 so we aren't destitute from June - September). My version of "doing nothing" is helping to run a state-wide summer camp for student council and then coming immediately home to work at a local elementary school daycare until the week school starts back...IN JULY. The times I'm not working see me cleaning my house (something that's hard to do thoroughly during the school year), doing yard work and running errands during hours when businesses are actually open (here's to all of you who get an hour lunch break and leave your job to seek out food like normal people). Most of us aren't sleeping until noon then spending the majority of the day at the pool, but even if we are, what's it to you?

Yes, we all know that we chose to teach -- a profession that's grossly underpaid, under appreciated, and overly criticized, but that doesn't make your rude comments about what we do with our "summer" break (it's still spring, y'all) acceptable. Since 6:30 this morning, I've answered text messages and emails about summer camp, and the struggle is real. Adults don't read; they don't listen; and they are the first to tell you all about yourself -- as long as they don't have to say it to your face. If you click through TEN liability statements, pay 260 bucks for camp and then have a problem with how you're going to get your kid there, that's not our issue. If you signed up before you knew you were accepted into another summer program, that's not our issue. If you plan to bring something expensive to camp, you are responsible; again, not our issue.

I think parents and other adults imagine teaching and teacher-y things to be all fun: rainbows, unlimited coffee bars, blue jean jumpers, and wooden apple necklaces. While I'm unfurling my brow, I'll assert that it's none of these things (I mean, the coffee bar only shows up a few times during the year, and it's normally during a depressing and desperate time -- thanks PTO!). I've said before that parents are the main complainers about school breaks, not because they are jealous of teachers, but because they don't want to be responsible for finding activities and child care for their own kids. They realize how hard it is to accommodate everyone, to be super available all day long, to feed/occupy/pay attention to/police ALL. DAY. LONG. Imagine 35 of those jokers in one room every single day, multiply that by 4-6 classes per day (depending on the school schedule), and then do some account management by way of occupying/paying attention to/policing/ and sometimes feeding ALL. DAY. LONG. for 180 days. THESE KIDS ARE NOT RELATED TO ME! And yet I spend more time with some of them than their own families.

I try to be super careful when assuming what people do at their jobs, meaning I try not to claim some people have it easier than others. Everyone's job is tough in its own way, and we need to stop assuming that teachers, police officers, nurses, etc. have cushy jobs in authoritative positions. We are essentially powerless, yet the world expects us to teach the masses, discipline the masses, and save the masses. These three categories of people do their jobs with one hand tied behind their backs, so be easy on them before you snub their celebratory breaks from the grind of being emotionally, academically, and physically responsible for 100+ non-familial humans EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

Happy Summer!