Teachers Don’t Get Summers Off!

There’s a lot going on in June, July, and August.

As an educator, I can tell you that summers off don’t exist for us. We work all year round. Many teachers, woefully underpaid, spend their summers working various jobs to make ends meet. Depending on the state, teachers may make as little as $30,000/year. With rent, student loans, and other bills to take care of, that is not a lot of money for a career that makes a huge impact on students’ lives.

In addition, many teachers are taking summer professional development classes to prepare for the new school year. Every year, individual states have new mandates for K — 12 schools. This means that there are new expectations placed on teachers. With the pandemic still a part of our daily lives, many classes are online. After spending the previous school year on Zoom with students, teachers now have to Zoom with each other.

Teachers also have families. So, how is that time off? We’re raising kids, working a summer job, and taking classes. If we do have a day or two off, it’s spent on the couch, under a fan with a tall, glass of ice water. We’re busy trying to recover from the previous year and preparing for the nexct year. There is no rest for the weary.

Being a teacher is hard work and many people don’t know about the daily lives of teachers. It is not an easy profession. We’re instructing students, giving assessments, and grading papers. We’re also meeting with colleagues, discussing student behavior with administrators, and contacting parents. Teachers juggle a lot of demands.

Many teachers love what they do and enjoy doing it year after year. What we don’t love is being scapegoated by politicians and society. Teachers are blamed for all the social ills in our country. People need to understand that there are only so many things under our control. We try to guide and mentor students, but we can’t save all of them. There are so many other factors that will impact the trajectory of a student’s life.

This summer, if you meet a teacher, thank them for their service. We’re just like soldiers, putting our mental and physical health on the line every school day. We want the best for our students, treating them like they’re our own. We’re their cheerleader and their surrogate parent. Educators do more than just teach, we encourage and support our students.