10 Things You Can Do Now that It's Summer Break

Man, being a teacher is such a sweet gig. I mean, we get out of school at three o'clock every day, have our weekends free, have super-long vacations, and we get the summer off? Okay, so maybe all of that's not true (most of that's not true), but unless you're at a year-round school, you still get a decent summer break. Now, if you waste your summer on anything other than maximizing your fun potential, you're not doing it right. Let me tell you what you should be doing during summer break!

10 Things You Can Do Now That It's Summer Break

1. Read a Book (That You Choose) - So, I can finally finish reading some of the books that I started and then put down because I needed to catch up on curriculum updates and learn new teaching methods. While that material is super interesting, I would kind of like to finish Stephen King's Mr. Mercedes at some point!
2. Play with Your Kids/Dogs - It doesn't sound that interesting, but the truth is that we spend a lot of our time focused on the 65 students (or more) that we teach each year and our kids (and pets) kind of get pushed aside while we try to keep our heads above water. If you don't have kids, spend some time playing with your dog or cat or snake or whatever (I have all of the above and more). If you do have kids, maybe play some games with them before you spend time on your pets.
3. Use Your Gym Membership - Wouldn't it be nice to go to the gym and get your workout on? Or maybe you can just go for more walks. Either way, nothing is more relaxing then the rush of endorphins you get post-workout.
4. Eat Better - We often don't have time to eat healthy foods when we're teaching because we grab whatever's convenient to put in our lunches (or whatever we can scarf down in less than 10 minutes while watching kids). It's tempting to grab a bag of chips or a candy bar. Use the summer to get back on a healthy diet. Between that and the gym membership, you'll come back in August feeling refreshed and shaped up!
5. Watch Game of Thrones - Or, you know, whatever else you wanted to watch that required more attention than you could give while writing lesson plans.
6. Sleep in! Unless you have kids like mine who still get up super early. Either way, you can spend your morning in  your pajamas and drink a cup of coffee that hopefully isn't cold for too long before you get to finish it.
7. Catch up on Housework - The floor needs a good mopping, the kids' closets need to be cleaned out because they contain clothes that don't fit anymore, and the master bathroom is a mess. Sometimes a good Spring Cleaning (in the Summer) can reenergize you and make you feel better.
8. Catch some Rays! And I'm not talking about a line that starts off in one spot and goes forever in one direction, math teachers! I'm talking about getting some sun! Just make sure to do it responsibly and put on some sun protection.
9. Attend a Workshop - You know you need those professional development credits anyway, so you may as well find a workshop that you actually want to attend and learn about a topic that is relevant to your classroom. Just wait until it's almost time for school to begin and you've fit in everything you want to do first. That leads to the last thing you need to do before your summer ends.
10. Go on a Nice Vacation - Seriously. Enjoy your summer. Go to the beach, go to the mountains, or have a really nice staycation, but do something fun. Randy Pausch says to "never ever underestimate the importance of having fun." Go have some. And maybe consider bringing your significant other with you. Especially if he/she listened to all of your stories about kids at school all year long.

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="yes" overflow="visible"][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none"]Here's what you SHOULD be doing during summer break, #teachers! @embracespectrum Click To Tweet

During the school year, while people may think teachers have an easy schedule, the reality is that a lot of stuff goes by the wayside in our personal lives. Take the time off and do what's important. Enjoy your summer break because you never know what the next school year holds! Keep calm and vacation on!

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