No matter how stressful the school year can become for some teachers, the one thing that keeps them sane is the promise of a stress-free summer. However, with this freedom also comes some FOMO (fear of missing out). With having a few months free, some teachers become overwhelmed with their options and end up wasting their summer away.
Do you want to avoid this happening? Read below to discover how teachers can make the most of their summers.
Take a Vacation or Two
While it is beneficial to maximize the vacation time you get throughout the school year, you also want to take the summer to embark on a trip or two. This is the least stressful time for you to do so, as you won’t have to worry about finding a sub or taking vacation days. Of course, this also means other families will be traveling during this time since their children are off from school. But this shouldn’t prohibit you from taking some trips. Consider some less touristy areas you can travel to and get the most bang for your buck. You’ll return to school in the fall with some fun travel stories for your students and the relief of knowing you didn’t waste your summer away.
Seek Summer Employment
For some educators, taking an entire summer off of work can grow boring. This has motivated many to seek summer employment to fill these empty months and bring some extra paychecks. Finding a summer job does not mean you need to take a full workload. Instead, this can be a side hustle or part-time position that you dedicate three days a week to. Not only will this help fill your summer up while your friends are busy with work, but it will also reduce some of the financial stress you sometimes feel during the summer months.
Do Some Lesson Prep
Throughout the school year, you most likely looked forward to a few months sans schoolwork. However, have you ever thought about how much less stressful the actual school year could be if you did lesson prep over the summer? This might not be everybody’s cup of tea, but for teachers who want to minimize their workload throughout the school year, this could be a real timesaver. Educators know just how time-consuming lesson planning can be, especially if you want to create engaging lessons for your students. Even if you teach a subject like physical education, being able to plan some interesting units for your students in advance will help you be more in the moment when you’re actually teaching.