Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! Our department spent the month of May preparing and presenting our summer reading assignments to every high school student. We talked about our educational goals for the next school year. We shared advice and insight into how the selected […]
summer school
Posted inConfessions of a Teacher, High School, History
The Summer School Diaries
Six in the morning is early for any faculty meeting, especially on the Monday after the July 4th holiday, but I was told to report to the library in a large high school I have only driven past. Hired over the phone, I wonder what kind of Gong Show I am attending. Is my employment […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
Why I Worry About My Students
There are a thousand reasons why I worry about my students I had a challenging group this past school year. Generally, my “teacher radar” runs in the background on low intensity-ready to alert me as needed. Off-task behavior or potential disruptions elicit a ping. But with this group, I had to be constantly aware of […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
I Love Teaching Summer School or Am I a Glutton for Punishment?
I tell myself that I love teaching, in theory, I get summers “off”!  But I realized recently that I have not taken a summer off in over 12 years!  Some may ask why have I consistently worked during the summer? To be honest, the money is pretty good, since it’s my hourly wage without being […]
Posted inFeatured, Opinion, Professional Development
Break The No Summer Break Cycle
I have been out of school for four weeks. If I take my normal work day, which is from 7 am-5 pm, Monday through Friday, I have a total of 50 hours a week that I usually spend working. Â That totals to 200 hours that I’ve supposedly had off thus far. This is supposed to […]
Posted inFeatured, High School, Instruction & Curriculum, Opinion
5 Reasons Summer School Is Better Than Regular School
My first exposure to Summer School teaching was the acting performance of Mark Harmon (as Mr. Shoop) in the 1987 Carl Reiner comedy, Summer School. It might not have been an Oscar-caliber performance, but it has stuck with me for the better part of my life. I wasn’t even a teenager the first time I […]