Authored by April Salerno, Teacher Education SIG Leader

Ah the beautiful days of summer: sunshine, beach sand, and alarm clockless mornings. In a teaching field where it can seem there is never enough time, summer can sometimes feel like the answer to all our problems. But sometimes, it can also feel like the space where all larger to-do list items lurk (i.e., “I don’t need to worry about that right now; I’ll do it this summer.”). Here are some ideas to help you get some things done this summer without over-stressing your August:

• For larger projects, make a timeline with deadlines for smaller steps. The whole project might feel too overwhelming, so just take on a little piece at a time.
• Find a buddy. Divide up tasks, or set a meeting time to do the work side-by-side.
• If possible, consider organizing your classroom space a little at a time over the summer instead of waiting until right before the school year starts. An hour here and there in the building can go a long way.
• Think about materials and resources that you need and how community support or back-to-school sales can help you get them in more cost-effective ways.
• Attend community events near your school that are harder to make time for during the school year (e.g., students’ sports games or community cultural celebrations).
• Mix in some professional reading with pleasure reading. Maybe there’s a book on a topic that you’ve been wanting to learn about that’s not too dense but that still introduces you to the new topic.
• As you encounter new ideas, use a system to keep track of them (sticky notes, a notebook just for this purpose, a calendar reminder, or a note on your phone), so you actually implement them next school year.
• Make sure that no matter what work you tackle, you still get plenty of down time. You need time to recharge.