Ode to A Teacher in August

Ah, Fall. The days are already getting shorter. The weather is still hot but the nights are a we bit cooler. The fire flies are fading into the distance. Traffic on the tollway is a little less hair-raising. School supplies are flying off the shelf....

.....and, teachers are freaking out, gasping as they hold on to that one last shred of summer vacation.

I determined long, long ago that it is MUCH more traumatic for teachers than students to return to school. I know I've written about this before and I know that until the wife retires from teaching, I will write about it again.....the end of summer is a tough time for the majority of teachers on this continent.

A teacher in August is nothing to mess with.

You would think that having a summer vacation would be amazing, refreshing, delightful for all teachers. I would find it a time to rejuvenate, hang out with adults, say "no" to grading papers or doing common core math. The days would be filled with opportunities for relaxation and freedom.

Non-educators tend to think that being a teacher is the best job ever because of the summer vacation.

(Side note: If you are one of those college fools who is going into teaching because you get the summer off, pick a different profession. Shame on you. I'm embarrassed by you and I'm not even a teacher.)

Those thoughts of mine are true--Summer is rejuvenating, refreshing and filled with adult conversation for those of who educate for a profession.

Yet....

I'm here to tell you, from this non-educator standpoint, that having a three month summer vacation appears amazing AND cruel at the same time, especially once July rolls around. I've watched the wife ride this roller coaster for the past three decades. From my perspective, here's what summer vacation must look like to the wife's people:

June: Ahhhhhhh! Summer Vacation! (Frolic in the gardens, skip down the sidewalk, smile in the golden summer sun.) "No grading, no prepping, no holding pee in my bladder for eight hours!" 

July 4th: OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD! SUMMER IS HALF OVER! (Begin to fret. Forget the here and now. Stop skipping, start pacing.)

Third week of July [walking through a department store]: "OH MY GOD! ARE THOSE SCHOOL SUPPLIES?" (Roll into a fetal ball.)

August 1st: Silent Panic.

August 8th: Everything has gone black. The only thing of which to look forward is a snow day.

When teachers get together once August has arrived, whether it be for a backyard barbecue or a festive gathering of friends, it is clear: the end has arrived. Summer can no longer be enjoyed. Commiseration begins. Talk of school resumes.

Although the wife loves being a teacher and loves summer vacation, she says, and said again this year, that it is REALLY hard to go back to school after such a long break. For the record, she votes for year-round school. I daresay the end of summer is torturous for her (with the end starting on July 4th).

You would think it would have gotten easier for her over the years, but I think the opposite has happened: it seems like every year it gets harder. This year has been especially painful. I don't know why, but it did. I know it will be fine once she jumps back in to the schedule. Oh, but the seconds before that leap.....torturous!

Of course, this is not true for all teachers. If one has learned to fully live in the here and now, the arrival of school supplies has little to do with one's enjoyment of summer vacation. It may stop you cold in the aisle of that department store, but once back in the car, the enjoyment of summer resumes, uninterrupted until the next school meme rolls around.

I've witnessed first hand how hard teachers work during the school year, so I do not begrudge any of them one milli-second of summer vacation. The wife is always grading papers and reading and doing whatnot on evenings and weekends. It is no wonder summer vacation is so coveted. And yet, how painful it is once that summer vacation comes grinding to a halt.

To you, dear teachers, I remind you of how it will be all right. The pre-school-year meetings will come and go before you know it and you'll be behind that desk or podium before you know it and you will once again enjoy the passion that sweeps down upon your very teacher being. You'll get back into the groove without missing a beat and you'll roll along without issue...

,....all the while waiting for a snow day.

Happy back to school, educator friends. May the days be short and the homework be light.