While I’m vacationing in a land far, far away, I thought I would leave you this little nugget. I meant to post it back in June, but as it turns out, “far, far away” equals shoddy/no internet service, and I just couldn’t be bothered.
Actual picture from my summer vacation.
Actual picture from my summer vacation.
8 Things I Plan To Do While on Summer Vacation
Sleep in. And by “sleep in,” I of course mean “sleep until 6:00am” or maybe even 7:00am, because I have a preschooler and my preschooler is notorious for rising with the sun. You just never know though, it’s summer vacation, baby! I’m gonna live it up!
Eat more slowly. Have you ever heard that you can tell when someone’s been in prison just by the way they eat? I wonder if the same can be said about teachers? One night at the dinner table, my daughter asked why I eat so quickly. I had never thought about it, but it’s true. I’m capable of devouring an entire meal in under ten minutes. I don’t think it has anything to do with gluttony, but the fact that I’m used to having only about ten minutes to eat at work. It has become so ingrained in me to eat quickly because I have other sh*t to do, that I’ve carried it over into life at home.
Use the bathroom on my own schedule. Could you imagine applying for a job and reading in the job description that your bathroom breaks will be scheduled for you? And yet, for teachers, that’s a reality. This summer, I’m using the bathroom on my own schedule, or better yet, no schedule at all. I’m going to use the bathroom when I need to use the bathroom. Amazing.
Drink less. Because of the less stress.
Going outside in the middle of the day. On a Tuesday. I don’t know about other art teachers, but I rarely make it outside during the work day. And often times I’m assigned a windowless room, so I can go an entire day not knowing the weather. My body’s probably going to go into shock or something when it realizes that it’s outside at 11:00am.
Cut back on my coffee consumption. Maybe only one or two cups a day, which, in theory, should be doable since I’ll be sleeping in more and suffering from fewer hangovers. In theory.
Nap. Because of the reduction in coffee consumption I’ll probably need an afternoon nap. It’s a sacrifice I’m willing to pay.
Participate in professional development. Summer wouldn’t be complete without a little PD, right? This summer I’ll be attending the AOE Summer 2015 Conference, although I’ll probably have to take advantage of the “watch later at your own pace using the conference ‘AOE After Pass’” feature because of this gosh-darn, laid back, relaxing vacation I’m on. And the shoddy internet. The conference is July 16th, and I won’t be back to civilization until at least the 21st of July, so… There’s still time to register if you haven’t already. The deadline is July 14th.
New this year, I’ll be attending the STEAM & Arts Integration Online Conference. STEAM is big in our schools right now, so I thought this might look impressive on the ole’ resume. Maybe earn me some brownie points with my Principals. This conference is July 23rd, registration ends July 20th.
So, what are your summer plans?
me was given by one of my education professors. “Buy your beer in the next town over,” he said. You know, lest you run into your students’ parents and they think of you as a good-for-nothing degenerate, a bad role model and someone who is incapable of educating their child. Let’s ignore the case of Mich Ultra in their cart though, because that’s different. They’re not teachers. And so I did. I took extreme measures to ensure that I never purchased a six-pack of the refreshingly thirst-quenching beverage that I was legally permitted to buy in any store that I felt my students’ parents would frequent. Evidently, all of my students must have teachers for parents because we are all shopping in the next town over.
Art Teachers Hate Glitter 