3 Ways to Make the Most of Summer Break

Sweet Summer Break has arrived and I am oh so grateful. Even with some time away on maternity leave this was definitely a full year. Teaching is hard work man! So I was thinking about how to make sure I make the most of my time off. So often it feels like I wake up and it's late July and I've accomplished little to nothing. Hoping to be a little more productive this year I've come up with some simple steps I want to follow to get all I can out of these months of freedom.

Recharge

Before I can get anything done over the summer the first thing I have to do is recharge. This looks different for everyone depending on your favorite ways to relax. For me this includes reading for entertainment (not for PD!), rolling my yoga mat back out, binging some Netflix, drinking coffee while its still hot...the little things. Whatever you enjoy, take time to indulge. Our job isn't easy and requires us to give so much of ourselves to others. You have definitely earned a break.

Reflect

Once I've taken some time to relax and focus on me, I'm ready to switch gears a little and start thinking about the upcoming year. I know there are some amazing teachers who take this step at the end of the current school year, but I'm not that good yet lol. I usually take some notes about what worked and didn't work throughout the year so I take a look at those and consider changes I want to make for the next year. Sometimes this includes products I want to make or procedures in my room I'd like to revamp. I usually use these notes and ideas to create a to-do list and start getting busy preparing for the next year.

Reignite

Now that you've rested up and done some preparing for the next year there is still a crucial step remaining. Take some time to reignite your passion for your career! You want to be able to give your students the best teacher you can be. This could mean attending a conference or local PD, reading a book from your professional library, or even just meeting up with some teacher friends and sharing your thoughts for the upcoming year. You want to start the year refreshed and ready to take on new challenges.

So those are my steps to make sure I get back in August ready to hit the ground running. I'm sure I could come up with more but honestly the longer the list, the less likely I  am to do it :)

What do you think? What are your keys to maximizing your summer break? Feel free to share!