The Benefits of Summer

Aww....summer. For a teacher mama summer means having a bit more time during your day. We run ourselves to full capacity during the school year: physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. We need this season to help us recharge. Things I do during this season are:

• Added self-care
• Enriching my personal learning network (PLN)
• Planning and executing additional quality time with my family
• Participating in a teacher bible study

Self Care

Writer, speaker, and mental health advocate, Katie Reed explains self care as

"giving the world the BEST of you, instead of what's left of you."

When I first started teaching I would spend hours at school. I would get to school early and stay at school late. I would even come to school on the weekends to work. While I felt like I was doing what was best for my class I look back now and see I was borderline on having teacher burnout. 

One thing that really helped me was joining Angela Watson's 40 Hour Teacher Workweek Program. Now there are definitely certain times in the school year that I still spend more than 40 hours a week at school or completing work for school but this program help me hone in on certain skills to have more time to practice self care. 

Need ideas on how to practice self-care? Check out The Counseling Teacher's 50 Self-Care Ideas for Teachers and this article discussing self-care specifically for parents. 

PLN

No matter how high your education degree is you can still continue learning through your personal learning network. I believe that as educators we should continue learning. Having a PLN helps you continue learning. One of the great things about having a PLN is that it is FREE!!! 

You may be thinking you do not have a PLN but you really do. The following are all ways you can widen your PLN:

• Pinning classroom ideas on Pinterest
• Following your favorite educators on Twitter
• Joining educational Facebook groups and pages 
• Following your favorite sellers on Teacherspayteachers
• Reading this post write now!

During summer is when I add to my PLN to enrich it for the following year. Try to focus on one area to learn more about to improve in your classroom for the following year. Webinars are a great way to expand your PLN during the summer. As a mama though you can't always make the webinar that is at 1:00 in the afternoon. So a tool I have used is edWeb.net. It provides educators with access to recorded webinars. There are also some educators that provide a playback option if you miss the live webinar that you signed up for.  

So take the time at the beginning of summer and think about an area you want to improve in starting this fall, then start searching. 

Quality Family Time

My #1 love language is quality time. I feel like Christmas is wonderful depending on how much time I get to spend with my family and not the quantity of presents. Even if your love language isn't quality time it could be for someone in your family. Quality time doesn't have to cost any money. For me, even just grocery shopping with my mom fills my love tank. As a mama of a toddling tot, daily walks are something that I can't always do once school starts and the weather is colder.  It is an activity that we can share through the summer in the mid-morning time about an hour after my husband goes to work. Check out  You Create the Joy's Creating Family Memories post by my friend and former coworker for ideas for day trips with your family.  

Your children grow so fast. Some of you may already be to that realization as your son or daughter is ready to spend more time with their friends, getting a summer job, or preparing to go to college in the fall. Embrace and soak in every moment with your child. For me that meant taking at least two summers off of teaching summer school. 

Teacher Bible Study 

This may not apply to every reader, but it is my absolute favorite activity I do for myself in the summer. Four summers ago, I found this teacher duo that creates a summer bible study for teachers in a group called Teachers in the Word. The first study I completed on my own and joined the Facebook Live on the group page. The next study I completed with a small group of teachers in my district. We met weekly at our local small town coffee shop. Last year we expanded and invited even more teachers to join us. Our coffee shop was under construction due to a devastating spring tornado so we met at homes. I have enjoyed each way I have completed the studies and there are pros and cons to both.

If you are wanting to be refreshed and encourage I strongly recommend these Bible studies. I appreciated the fact that in every study I have done, teachers from various backgrounds can come together and learn from God's word. I have completed and recommend all the studies they have available. Yes, I will be join their new study that will come out in June. 

Encouragement

As always I will end with encouragement. I love this meme. It definitely encompasses everything about this post. Take time to recharge teacher mamas!