Summer Is A Time for Transition

Teachers and their students take the time to breathe from the previous year, prepare for the next year and get a (small) break. As an assistant teacher, I get the chance to fully relax and de-stress from a tiring first year. My friends who are lead teachers at the school I work at are spending their summers working at camp, in their classrooms or traveling. It is most interesting for me to see the difference because it shows where they are at in their careers. My friend who is traveling has a lot already set for next year. The other teachers need to spend time in their rooms or planning because they are still getting things together year to year. I know I will be at that point soon and some part of me is looking forward to it. I look forward to eventually reaching the point where I can spend the time traveling because I don’t need to worry about preparing too much.

Summer is also a time of transition for the kids. Most or all of my second and soon to be third graders are in camp this summer or traveling. I know when they come back in the fall they will be completely different kids. Mentally they will be more ready. Academically they might feel more prepared. Emotionally they will have grown and gotten older. The jump between second to third grade is huge. That might be one of the best moments for me as a teacher: seeing them grow as learners and people. The difference in who they are between September to June is already huge, I can’t imagine what a summer does for them! Time will tell.