4 summer tips for teachers

1. SIMPLIFY your stuff. With the rapid changes in the ways we teach, we have to let go of some old school stuff. I know it's hard, but next school year, you will have a new freedom.

Simplify hard copy files. I had collected so many reproducible books and photocopies over the years--good stuff, too--but I use them less and less as I find fresh resources online. When cleaning out, I ask myself, "Have I used these items in the last 3 years?" No? Pass it on to someone else or recycle the paper. If you think you might use it in the future, look at the format. Is it loose in hanging file folders? Think about 3-hole punching it and putting it in binders. These can still be stored in file drawers. I put my binders in large clear tubs. Then I labeled  the tubs, listing what materials are inside. I can stack the tubs and still see what's in them when I need them. If I don't need them, they are already "packed" away for the end of the year and easily moved out of the room for summer room cleaning.

Simplify hard drive files. This one gets me. Everytime I see something online, I save it because I just know some day I will use it. In the summer, I look at these materials just to remember what I have saved. Sometimes I reorganize. Sometimes I delete. Sometimes I put items on a list to use next school year.

Another great oranizer for my online favorites  is Livebinder.com. It's like a hanging folder file system of online sites. I use this extensively. In addition to keeping track of your stuff, you can also share these files with people you know or make them public for other people on the site to benefit from the collections you've made. This is free and easy to use.

2. IMMERSE yourself in something else! Find something unrelated to school and teaching and immerse yourself. If you can't afford a cruise, borrow a tent and find the nearest campground--or explore your own backyard or trails nearby. Or go to a part of your town you rarely go to, and explore it by walking. I have to leave the house and do something totally different to really get a break from the job. Otherwise, I'll end up on the computer and all of a sudden I'm searching and planning for school. I know it's almost impossible to let it all go and not think about your class when you're on vacation. That's where Tip 3 comes in.

3. Take a BRAIN BREAK! When you think of ideas for the next school year--and you will--write it down. Get a notebook and jot your ideas down as they come to you. Then put down the notebook and forget it. I save a lot of my ideas in Google Docs in a folder I set up for just that purpose. When I'm ready to plan, all my ideas are accessible at home and at school. Enjoy your break time away from your work. As you get closer to the start of the school year, look through your ideas. Some things you'll cross off. Others you'll pick up and flesh out.

4 Give yourself PERMISSION! It's so easy to make teaching a 365-day-a-year, 24-hour job. To be my best as a teacher, I have to be intentional and give myself permission to break away from it for a time. And the best part is that I find myself energized and eager for a new school year. 

Enjoy your summer break!

Jean Lawson