...and the livin' is easy - especially for those in school work, right??? There's the saying that the three best things about being a teacher are June, July, and August. (However, at least in Georgia, that needs to be changed to two things - June and July - since we typically start school at the beginning of August.) But how true is that saying? Do those of us in education really have two or three months free?
I'm an administrator (technically, "Academic Dean"), and at least for me there is no such thing as a 2-3 month vacation. As I write (two weeks after school ended), I have just about completed all the tasks involved in wrapping up the last school year. I worked with our other administrators doing things like
Sure, we all have a somewhat relaxed schedule in the summer, and we take time to be with our families and go on vacations. But for those of us in education, we make use of our summertime to become more effective teachers for the children the Lord sends to us. If you are not in the education profession, remember to pray for your children's teachers and school administrators this summer. And if you are in education, make good use of the time the Lord has provided, so you will be even more effective in the lives of your students in the new year!
I'm an administrator (technically, "Academic Dean"), and at least for me there is no such thing as a 2-3 month vacation. As I write (two weeks after school ended), I have just about completed all the tasks involved in wrapping up the last school year. I worked with our other administrators doing things like
- taking inventory of textbooks to see what needs to be ordered for next year
- getting final grades processed in our Student Information System
- sending those grades to the state for processing for scholarships
- looking over faculty observation and evaluation results to summarize strengths and weaknesses of our teachers
- analyzing standardized test results from April to find trends of strengths and weaknesses in our instruction
- etc.
- planning teacher training sessions, especially in light of what we see as particular needs of our faculty
- planning adjustments in our curriculum to address any weaknesses seen in the standardized test results
- arranging teacher and student schedules
- ordering textbooks
- interviewing and admitting new students
- preparing rooms for changing needs (such as a new engineering lab in the high school and a new room for our after-school care)
- think back over the past year about what worked and what didn't
- look at what didn't work and find ways to improve
- take classes to learn new ways to teach
- study any new textbooks and curriculum materials
- start making lesson plans for the new year
- find ways to get to know her new students after she gets her class roster
- pray and study the Scriptures to be a more effective discipler of children
Sure, we all have a somewhat relaxed schedule in the summer, and we take time to be with our families and go on vacations. But for those of us in education, we make use of our summertime to become more effective teachers for the children the Lord sends to us. If you are not in the education profession, remember to pray for your children's teachers and school administrators this summer. And if you are in education, make good use of the time the Lord has provided, so you will be even more effective in the lives of your students in the new year!