How To Better Yourself as a Teacher This Summer

Sometimes it is really hard to talk to other people who are not teachers about what it is like to be a teacher. No one seems to see past the fact that teachers supposedly work 5 days a week and then you have summer vacation, and you literally do nothing and have all these holidays – what a great job! And you get paid all summer! Wow!

Here are some ways to better yourself as a teacher over the summer:

Professional Development

If they cannot get past that judgment, no one will ever understand the want and desire of professional development.

Along with not understanding the teaching career, it seems that most don’t understand the idea of doing professional development to better your career and become better in your practice. And they also don’t understand, that not always by doing these things will money be involved or pay increased. Then it is even harder to explain that you just want to do it because it prepares you to do your job better when school starts.

Extra time during summer.

So to recap, this is what I usually get “So you want to spend time during your summer break, with people talking about school, doing hard work, preparing for school to start, learning how to spend more money to make your practice and your classroom better and NOT GET PAID FOR IT?”

Find your opportunities.

When living and teaching in New York, we had forced professional development that was just part of our school schedule that we could not leave until a certain time everyday. I had no idea that there were workshops and outside professional development that teachers actually went to and learned things outside of their school building.

Fast forward to Washington, and there are just simply tons and tons of things that a teacher can do to learn more and I honestly just cannot seem to find it at the right now; either the week after it ends or just not enough time to plan it in.

Conferences

Next year I REALLY want to go to the ILA conference. This year it is in Boston this week and I just couldn’t make it. Next year I am hoping it will be in either central US or west coast and then I could go.

I have never been more excited to be a teacher and learn all the awesome things I am learning this year and then be able to get it all together to make it my own. I don’t know how you describe that to others, especially to people who don’t understand teaching.

Websites for Professional Development

I recently found a really awesome idea for online professional development by the Cornerstone Teacher, I am very interested in the “How to Transition into Educational Consulting” course and learning more about it. The cost is decent, however, I just don’t know what I will do with it and if anything will come out of it. I like the idea of learning about educational consulting.

Are you doing any workshops or classes this summer for teaching?

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