2019 Summer Updates! And How You Can Maximize Your Summer Too

As many are aware or else can appreciate, summer is a crucial time for educators. Summer offers a chance not only for some relaxation and rejuvenation after a demanding year, it can also prove beneficial for engaging in opportunities to grow and invest in passion projects whether for recreational or professional purposes. Summer is an amazing time filled with flexibility and opportunity for educators and is a time that should be used for whatever is needed at that point in the professional’s career.

For myself, as it is only the middle of summer for me, I can definitely say that I have been maximizing my time this summer and have been working on some key updates! This summer I have enrolled into another master’s program and have earned nearly half of the credits needed to graduate in one month alone. I have attended a restorative circles professional development session (more on that in a future post!) which has given me plenty to think about for my pedagogical practice this upcoming fall. I have been working at a summer youth camp program providing services as an education specialist and have formed some very strong partnerships to carry throughout the school year. And, for my own personal passion project, I have finally found an editor for my novel and am setting sights to finally publish soon!

As you can see, I have been very busy this summer and yet still able to enjoy it as my second wedding anniversary was only a week ago and my little pup has been learning very well how to be a proper dog! I love feeling productive and achieving that just-right balance between work and life, and this summer has definitely allowed me to pursue and expand on both meaningfully. 

I know that as August has just come upon us, many educators are either preparing for back to school or are already back to work. For those of us, like me, who still have a way to go of summer break or even if you want to consider planning for future summer breaks, check out some of the tips I have below to help maximize your summer!

1. Set goals and prioritize your tasks. Nothing beats all this extra time like creating plans and following through. It is not to say that these goals have to be super extravagant either. Simpler goals like drinking more water or biking more can be worked on meaningfully just as well as more complex goals like creating rigid weight-loss plans. The key here is to set goals you could realistically and reasonably do, and are actually willing to commit to doing and it will almost always be successful. You know your limits, so plan accordingly!
2. Reflect and improve. Summer is great for finally taking a step back, slow down and carefully consider your choices and decisions made in the year thus far. In a way, it is almost like another opportunity to set some resolutions and check in on your own growth as a person and as a professional. Reflection is a powerful tool that cannot be stated enough and as the adage states which I have modified over time, ‘when you know better, you, hopefully, do better!’ So take some time to mull over your strengths and weaknesses, celebrate your successes and make conscious choices for next steps of improvement.
3. Invest time in at least one passion project. We all have hobbies and interests that often go unrealized as we venture into the daily grind of life. Summer offers an amazing opportunity to engage in interests you may have put on the backburner. Interested in baking? Now is the time to find a yummy new recipe and give it a shot! Always considered trying a hand at improv? Google the next meet up for a local improv group. Wanted to learn an instrument for the longest? Grab a Groupon for an upcoming class to see how you’d really like it. The opportunities are endless and as an educator, now that the weekdays are a bit clearer in scheduling you can actually try these endeavors in the day time, so take advantage!
4. Spend time with loved ones. Bonding and socializing with friends and family is so important. There is even extensive research done as to the benefits of maintaining friendships that cannot be ignored. As adults and professionals and the like, it is so easy to be solely invested in your job and career that one can easily forget to nurture those close relationships. Now is the time to really devote quality time to creating those beautiful memories and remembering you are a valuable person even outside of work. 
5. Have fun! Of course, it almost goes without saying, summer is a time for fun! Whether you finally get a chance to sleep in, play video games until the wee hours of the morning, make trips to the beach and movies or curl up with that romance novel you’ve been itching to read; by all means let loose and enjoy yourself. Life is way too short to be constantly bogged down by seriousness. We all deserve some fun too.

Hopefully these tips and even my recent successes have given you something to think over for how you can better maximize your summer. Summer can be an extraordinary resource and opportunity for educators, if taken advantage of. Happy summer and continue to enjoy all it has to offer!