Rhythms of the school year

We have just a few weeks left of school and really only a handful of "normal" days remaining. This is my twelfth June in the classroom. Like the turning of the seasons or the gradual approach of a holiday, I recognize some of the same themes and melodies from school years past: stressed out (or checked out) seniors and their exasperated parents and teachers. Stifling classrooms slowly taking on the baked smell that I recognize from cracking open the door in September after a long summer. Fans push warm air around and posters drop off the walls.

I caught myself getting extremely anxious about one student's chances of graduating last week. I don't have as much experience working with seniors and I realize that as immature as ninth and tenth graders can be, at least I don't usually have to participate in the harried dash to the finish line that some seniors force on themselves by degrees in the final months. My lessons are now mostly review and our schedule will soon contort to accommodate more than week of testing. I've been creating final exams and projects. Soon my focus will be on grading and end of the school year tasks- and then it will be over.

For me, summer is a time for some adventuring that doesn't fit nicely within the strictures of the work week. I'm hoping to do plenty of hiking this summer- maybe a section of the Appalachian Trail, the Cranberry Lake 50, as well as some peak-bagging with Rashna. I'll also be doing a good deal of curriculum writing with two different groups of teachers. I have to complete my "Maintenance of Certificate" work for my National Board Certification next year and there's plenty of work to do there. There is a stack of books I want to read and some house projects that will keep me busy too.

If it were up to me, a teacher's year would have a slightly different rhythm with less time off in the summer. The negative effect of such a long break for my students is hard to overstate. While I always make the most of my summers, I feel that I could do with a much shorter and less disruptive break. I think teachers and students would benefit from shorter breaks spread out more regularly throughout the school year.