2012 VoyagerSopris Blog Contest Winner
By Michelle George
This Fourth of July, I was at our local park with family and friends, waiting for the fireworks to start, when an acquaintance walked by and stopped to chat. He checked in with everyone in the group, and then turned to me with a grin and said, “How are you enjoying your extended vacation? It must be great being a teacher and only working nine months a year.” Smiling, I explained that, actually, I was mid-way through my summer semester at the local university and just home for the weekend. He looked to my husband as if to check my story and then, laughing, he said, “Yeah, well most teachers are just sitting at the beach or in front of the TV. Teaching must be great.” I smiled and nodded, encouraging him to move on to his own chair.
In fact, sometimes I find myself feeling embarrassed about having time off in the summer. It’s like a guilty secret that everyone knows, but we avoid talking about. Now that the summer session is over and I have a few minutes to reflect, I wonder why it is that many of us feel defensive about the time we have to unplug and refresh ourselves. It seems that educators, and many other adults in the United States, think that we have to be running at full speed all the time in order to be productive.
Like most educators, my school year is a model of modern, self-imposed martyrdom. Routinely, I arrive early and leave late. My lunches at school consist of slurping leftovers that are somewhere between cold and warm while comparing tales of being overwhelmed with colleagues. Many days I don’t even make it to the staff lounge, but shovel something in my mouth with one hand while I hurriedly catch up on grading and e-mail with the other. I spend my weekends reading essays and preparing lesson plans. My summers are filled with classes, reading, and curriculum preparation. It could be that we educators take a certain pride in a nose-to-the-grindstone existence.
Yet, research shows that taking a break and restoring our energy reserves actually improves productivity. A study by the Ernst & Young accounting firm in 2006 found that for every 10 hours of vacation their employees received, their annual performance ratings improved by eight percent (Schwartz). The principle seems to be that energy is limited but renewable. In order to maintain high productivity, humans need time to relax and renew their energy. Teaching is a demanding job: mentally, emotionally, and often physically. It’s not selfish to take a break; it’s necessary.
Perhaps the old tortoise in the nursery rhyme stopped for a nap along the way…which is how he maintained the energy to carry on and finish the race. Likewise, maybe we educators would be better able to keep up with the rigors of teaching if we took some time in the summer to rest and rejuvenate. So, put on your swimsuit and head to the beach, or set aside the research and read a book just for fun. Take some time to reconnect with family and friends. When August comes, your students will thank you for it. As for me, I’m off to the river to enjoy the water and sun and a good book. The gentleman at the park is right, being a teacher is pretty great.
Michelle S. George is a language arts middle school teacher in Orofino, Idaho. She has a B.A. in English and secondary certification in English, reading, and journalism. Michelle has been teaching seventh and eighth grade for 20 years, and still loves going to school—as a teacher and a student. She has published a variety of lesson plans and written several award-winning grants.
References
Schwartz, Tony. "Relax! You'll Be More Productive.” NYTimes.com. 2013. 28 Jul. 2014.
