Summer’s anthem has been playing…and if you aren’t actually hearing it live, it may well be playing through your head. School’s out for summer. School’s out for… Alice Cooper is just one of many who help to create the mystique of summer: long sun-drenched days, abandoned schedules with stretches of time to do whatever you please, warm temperatures perfect for water and ice cream and condensating boat drinks. This illusion seems to be what we reach for in summer–and often remains just beyond our fingertips.
But summer is a perfect time for reflection. Time to take stock of what went right during the school year. Which lessons engaged your students and created that magic that happens when learning feels effortless? Which will you ditch? Those that tied your stomach into knots, the ones that just weren’t worth the investment of time and/or energy? What will you do differently next year, with a new group of students? Who stays with you, niggling at the back of your mind? You might enjoy this article about flies, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Flies. I know, you’re wondering if I have lost my mind, but honestly, maybe a lesson I have learned this year is to find ways to embrace the misunderstood…in our classrooms, in our lives. Maybe pair it with this archive link to an Atlantic article, In Praise of Difficult Kids. Let me know what you think!
And if you’re looking for some low-key professional learning, you might check out the Write Now Teacher Studio, there’s usually something going on. I’m a fan of the prompts in the Teacher as Poet group. Two Writing Teachers Blog is offering a “Read Like a Writer” collaboration this summer–complete with a crowd sourced padlet. Or better yet, dust off that journal and start writing! There is so much to learn from your own practice–and if you’ve let yours fall by the wayside during the time-crunch of the school year, summer is the “write” time to start again!
While “official” summer is still weeks away, it’s never too soon to pick up the pen, to grab a good book, or do both!
Happy summering!
Kim