Summertime...and the living is easy?

Want to know the difference between a teacher and a teacher-leader? Ask: "What are you doing this summer?"

Our local newspaper interviewed several teachers and asked about their summer plans. All the responses were similar: rest, play with my kids, go fishing. All noble and well-earned activities, to be sure. After all, one of the supposed perks of a teaching career is having summers and holidays "off." So readers are left with the image of teachers lounging all summer while the rest of the populace trudges off to work.

But when that same question was put to the members of the virtual Teacher Leaders Network, a very different picture emerges. Here's a small sampling of what some highly accomplished educators will be doing between school years:

• Working collaboratively with my grade-level to create a year-long curriculum plan/assessment with a focus on science and inquiry so that our district will not mandate that we use the scripted curriculum most of our schools are using.

• Attending an Early Elementary Science Inquiry Institute and learning from great primary teachers of science.

• Presenting with my team partner at an Early Childhood Conference. We are going to share the power of student-led conferences and how to do it in kindergarten.

• Attending the annual symposium of the National Commission for Teaching and America's Future in Philly.

• Training with the Virginia Education Association to become a mentor of student teachers.

• I will be in Louisville for 10 days reading AP US History essay exams.

• Attending a seminar hosted by the American Bar Association entitled "Great Trials and Debates of the Century."

• Spending 4 weeks as project director/tech liaison at a Writing Project Summer Insititute.

• Spending a week writing tech integration lessons for the state department of education.

• Teaching a university level class on "Teaching Math the 'Write' Way."

• Attending 2 rounds of leadership workshops as a part of the leadership team from my district.

• Teaching a 40-hour class called Foundations of Effective Teaching 2 for an AFT Summer Institute.

• Leading a National Boards workshop for 3 days for candidates beginning the process.

• For six weeks this summer, I will present a two-week Leadership Professional Development for K-12 mathematics teachers in 12 North Carolina school systems.

• I have written and received a $900,000 (for 3 years) Mathematics and Science Partnership Grant focused on one school system and we're beginning the start-up of that initiative.

• In May-June, I'm teaching two courses for an area university. I'm also going with two colleagues to the NSDC conference in Denver, to present about teacher research and NBCT teacher leadership. 

Many (if not most) of my colleagues on the Network will be doing multiple activities like these all summer.

As the Bible says, "you can judge a tree by its fruit."

Comments

[Louann]

This is a tremendous list that deserves wider distribution. I hope you can find a way for more people to read it because this is just what the public needs to know about teachers and teaching.

[TeachMoore]

Want to read more about what teachers do with that "summer off" everyone thinks we have? Visit the ASCD blog by Laura Varlas.

http://ascd.typepad.com/blog/

[fredthefish]

While I commend all who are actively pursuing teaching interests this summer (oh heck, I'm attending three conferences in three states), I think that after nine months of pushing, it should be okay to take time to breath, read mystery novels, watch the flowers grow.
I work my butt off, and if I choose to not do any professional development some summer, I shouldn't be hammered for it. In the computer industry, I could take a sabbatical after seven years at one of the companies I worked for. I had four weeks of vacation. FOUR not including company holidays.
We are a nation that prides itself on over-doing it when perhaps we would do well by allowing ourselves to rest, relax, recuperate, reflect, and do away with the r's of school.

[JohnNorton]

More summer plans of Teacher Leaders Network members, posted after Renee's blog entry:

• Fulfill a contract with an education publisher for a book about 21st Century teaching and learning.

• Complete the literature review for a PhD dissertation.

• Lead a school group to Italy and Greece.

• Leading summer school programs for rising sixth graders and eighth graders who did not meet the benchmarks to go to high school.

• Serve as a keynote speaker for an international online education conference.

• Supervising and offering professional development workshops every week for nine weeks.

And Cathy K. wrote: " Whoever it was who said they were exhausted just reading everyone's plans is so right! What a phenomenal group of teacher leaders who never stop trying to learn more -- and share what you have learned so that teachers and students around the country can benefit from what you continue to learn. No one in this group seems to rest on his/her laurels!

Cathy closed with this nod to FredtheFish: "I just hope you find some time to rest a bit."

[Bob]

Which of these summer activities leads directly to increased student learning rates in the Fall?

[Kevin Jarrett]

Awesome post! Birds of a feather, let's flock together!

My plans are blogged here:

http://www.kevin-jarrett.net/blog/?p=1066

Hope to see some of you around!

-kj-