https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 01 May 2026 08:23:58 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-your-summers-and-other-breaks-look-like-if-you-are-a-teacher#post-2559126 Mon, 30 May 2016 15:23:02 +0000 Weswife 2559126@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I teach kindergarten and in the beginning of the career you will spend some time of your breaks planning and prepping (your classroom for example). But once you got the flow its rare that you will go to your room on breaks! Most breaks belong to you. I mean in kinder I do tons of prep at home on all my breaks. Since you are doing upper grades you won't have that. When I taught high school I did have times I had to grade papers at home though. Also I was required to attend a certain amount of school games and dances to chaperone and sell tickets. So stuff like that may be demanded of you as well. It all depends on your school site though. Your first year may seem quite busy, but once you get the hang of it... high school will mean not hardly any time in your class!!! :happy: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-your-summers-and-other-breaks-look-like-if-you-are-a-teacher#post-2557935 Fri, 27 May 2016 07:53:37 +0000 Trailmix 2557935@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Summer time is sweet sweet glorious freedom! I am actually working on another degree so I focus on that but I take lots of time for myself- working out, home projects, errands, organizing, etc. And we go away, this summer it will be for four weeks (2 up north at my mom's house in the country, 2 in Cape Cod). I would go ahead and say that summer vacation is the BEST part of being a teacher, haha! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-your-summers-and-other-breaks-look-like-if-you-are-a-teacher#post-2557915 Fri, 27 May 2016 07:32:48 +0000 Anagram 2557915@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I feel like this depends so much on your personality and your school district and your family situation. This summer, I have 8 separate days of training or curriculum writing, but I'm not planning to do anything other than that.</p> <p>When I first started out, I taught summer school for 4 years in a row (got very burned out on that). Almost every male teacher I know works a summer job (summer camps, coaching summer leagues, etc), and many younger female teachers with no kids do the same.</p> <p>I do know some type A teachers that lesson plan and craft for their classrooms over the summer. That's not my personality type, so I don't do that. :silly: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-your-summers-and-other-breaks-look-like-if-you-are-a-teacher#post-2557863 Fri, 27 May 2016 06:23:53 +0000 bloved 2557863@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I teach elementary school so this may not be the same for you:<br /> Shorter breaks- a mix of relaxing, grading and lesson planning. report cards and comments are usually do around spring break so that can be time consuming.<br /> Summer break- July is usually spent predominately relaxing. My district offers great pd, so I usually take some classes over the summer and typically I lead a workshop as well. I also work on curriculum committees that I am paid for. At the end of the school year we have to pack away all of our stuff so the rooms can be cleaned and waxed, so two-three days a week in August are typically spent unpacking, reogranizing, decorating, etc. </p> <p>I keep my son home with me in the summer and send him for drop-in daycare days when I need to do work. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-your-summers-and-other-breaks-look-like-if-you-are-a-teacher#post-2557773 Thu, 26 May 2016 21:57:56 +0000 808love 2557773@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Traveling.<br /> Spending quality time with LO doing activities I've always wanted to do but didn't have the mental/physical energy to do.<br /> Cleaning the house.<br /> Eating lunch and catching up with friends.<br /> Teaching a 4 day professional development course for teachers.<br /> My summer break is only a few weeks long. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-your-summers-and-other-breaks-look-like-if-you-are-a-teacher#post-2557732 Thu, 26 May 2016 20:59:23 +0000 travellingbee 2557732@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Breaks other than summer often are spent doing some grading, planning etc but most of the summer is mine. I have to go back a little early to get my classroom ready and start planning and we have to do about a week's worth of professional development off contract time so I try to do that over the summer too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-your-summers-and-other-breaks-look-like-if-you-are-a-teacher#post-2557721 Thu, 26 May 2016 20:49:23 +0000 delight 2557721@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My DH teaches highschool and doesn't really do anything work related for the two months of summer. Occasionally he has taken continuing education courses but they don't take up too much time. I am an SLP in the schools and pretty much have Summers off too. I do a little bit of paperwork here and there and also have a few adults on my caseload. I'd say I work maybe 5 hours a week max. We love our summers!</p> <p>ETA: our DD is in a "teacher daycare". Our provider only provides care during the school year so we don't send DD or pay for summer vacation, Christmas holidays or our March Break. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-your-summers-and-other-breaks-look-like-if-you-are-a-teacher#post-2557692 Thu, 26 May 2016 20:27:55 +0000 JoyfulKiwi 2557692@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I taught elementary for a long time and didn't work much over the summer. I'd take a course/seminar here or there, but nothing super intensive. I also didn't lesson plan. I do like @DesertDreams88: and spend the first week of break wrapping things up and organizing some files. Then about 2 weeks before school I'd start preparing things like updating my back to school night info or creating a new layout for/decorating my classroom.<br /> Honestly, any work I did was purely for my own fun. I enjoyed shopping for back to school supplies or coming up with a decorating theme or organizing my clasroom library with a color-coded AR labeling system. But I didn't really need to do any of that stuff. </p> <p>I think its more realistic to plan that your break will end sooner than your official start date because you'll want to get physically into your classroom and prep for that first week back. I felt no guilt in really relaxing for those other weeks; I worked my tail off during the school year!</p> <p>ETA: other breaks (winter, spring, thanksgiving, etc) were maybe 1/2 reluding and 1/2 work because I still needed to grade, plan, and prep. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-your-summers-and-other-breaks-look-like-if-you-are-a-teacher#post-2557631 Thu, 26 May 2016 19:34:15 +0000 gilmoregirl 2557631@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm often involved in curriculum writing, but that's a district-level initiative and I get paid to do it. I know a lot of my coworkers take classes and participate in conferences and workshops, but I am taking a break from classes since finished my masters...3 years ago, so probably time to get back at it haha. I do start back earlier than required just to get everything in order.</p> <p>My son goes to daycare 2 days/week for the summer so that he can keep his spot.</p> <p>Other breaks usually involve some amount of work. I'm five years in, so there is a lot less planning than there used to be. The first couple of years I felt like I worked all the time; I'm much better now. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-your-summers-and-other-breaks-look-like-if-you-are-a-teacher#post-2557607 Thu, 26 May 2016 19:04:17 +0000 FaithFertility 2557607@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I try to enjoy summer as much as I can!<br /> I bring home my files and lesson plans and will go over them!<br /> My team will usually plan a bit a few days over the summer, but that is us, we like to be a little ahead when we return! In our district there are PD conferences scheduled but none are mandatory! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-your-summers-and-other-breaks-look-like-if-you-are-a-teacher#post-2557599 Thu, 26 May 2016 18:51:25 +0000 Alba4 2557599@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I teach middle school and try to relax most of the summer so that I feel refreshed for the fall! Every summer I do volunteer to do paid curriculum work (usually 3-5 days). I've taken classes in the past. My DS only goes to school 2x a week year round, so I spend time with him! This summer will be my maternity leave for DS#2. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-your-summers-and-other-breaks-look-like-if-you-are-a-teacher#post-2557565 Thu, 26 May 2016 18:06:47 +0000 DesertDreams88 2557565@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>During the shorter breaks, I usually work about half the break, doing grading and planning. This gives me a bit more flexibility in the following weeks.</p> <p>Over the summer, for the first couple days I read over my student surveys and clean out / organize my electronic teaching files. I find this a helpful way to "de-celerate" and close the school year. Then, about 1-2 weeks before teacher in-service begins, I do this:<br /> - Map out my units based on the school calendar and pacing guide<br /> - Revise my letter to parents and syllabus<br /> - Write my 1st wk plan &amp; submit supply request<br /> - Organize &amp; copy materials<br /> - Set up about half of my classroom (we don't normally get enough time to do this in teacher inservice)</p> <p>It usually only takes about 1 week but sometimes I start 2 weeks early because I start having back to school nightmares about being unprepared.</p> <p>Some years I have also taught summer school, too. Summer school in my district is two to three weeks, half days. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-your-summers-and-other-breaks-look-like-if-you-are-a-teacher#post-2557554 Thu, 26 May 2016 17:56:29 +0000 katsupgirl 2557554@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I teach high school and I don't really do any planning during summer unless I am getting paid to do it. Before I started my first year I did some summer planning but it was just the week before school started and I was just happy to have any time off coming from a year round job. At the end of the first year I did my planning in June. </p> <p>During the shorter breaks I usually have some grading to do and I try to get ahead with some planning. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-your-summers-and-other-breaks-look-like-if-you-are-a-teacher#post-2557462 Thu, 26 May 2016 16:25:13 +0000 fancyfunction 2557462@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My husband teaches HS and does some planning work over the summer but he gets paid to do it at the school. It's minimal though - maybe a handful of days in late summer. He also has done some tutoring in the past. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-your-summers-and-other-breaks-look-like-if-you-are-a-teacher#post-2557461 Thu, 26 May 2016 16:24:58 +0000 petitenoisette 2557461@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't lesson plan in the summer and never did even as a new teacher. I find it rather impossible to plan much ahead of time without knowing my students and their needs. At this point after ten years I try to balance my preexisting lessons with new stuff as needed or as I have time to create!</p> <p>The only thing I've ever done in the summer is take classes (but maybe max spend five hours per week per class) and then a few workshop days sometimes for which I am paid extra by my school system.</p> <p>Eta: I'm a high school French teacher. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-your-summers-and-other-breaks-look-like-if-you-are-a-teacher#post-2557445 Thu, 26 May 2016 16:12:08 +0000 winter_wonder 2557445@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I work in higher ed so it's probably different, but I still have to do quite a bit of advising, supervising internships during the summer even though I'm not on contract. It is nice though bc for the most part I can do these on my time and don't have to physically be on campus much </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-your-summers-and-other-breaks-look-like-if-you-are-a-teacher#post-2557404 Thu, 26 May 2016 15:52:10 +0000 DillonLion 2557404@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@simplyfelicity: Thank you! What do you teach? I'm teaching environmental science to mostly seniors and an intro to physics/chemistry class to sophomores. And also coaching cheerleading :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-your-summers-and-other-breaks-look-like-if-you-are-a-teacher#post-2557396 Thu, 26 May 2016 15:49:46 +0000 simplyfelicity 2557396@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@DillonLion: I think it depends on your grade/subject area but I do little to no planning over the summer. I will, however, be working on my master's this summer. I have been teaching the same subject for the past 7 years, so I do very little planning at this stage. We are moving to a new (undecided) curriculum next year, so that will require more time but I will probably just do most of my planning during my prep.<br /> I will say, that my first couple years were nutty and full of lesson planning. Once I got my own rhythm, though, things calmed down a lot.<br /> Best of luck to you! :goodluck: :goodluck: :goodluck: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-your-summers-and-other-breaks-look-like-if-you-are-a-teacher#post-2557385 Thu, 26 May 2016 15:38:45 +0000 DillonLion 2557385@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm leaving the legal field and starting to teach high school in the fall and I'm just trying to get a handle on what my schedule is truly going to look like. My current schedule is extremely simple and uncomplicated, M-F, 8-5, year round. </p> <p>I'm curious what your school breaks look like if you are a teacher. I have heard that it is silly to expect that you will just be relaxing over the summer/other breaks, so if that is the case, what do you do? Do you attend conferences? Plan curriculum? Work another job?</p> <p>What do you do for childcare in those circumstances if you pull LO(s) out of care over the summer(s)? </p>