June 9, 2007
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Every single summer, I feel a bit lost.
As a teacher or a student, the summers are supposed to be filled with opportunity and fun and sun burns and sunflower seeds. However, it’s hard to get used to them.The school year (whether you are a student or teacher) is chaotic. One is thrilled to have a Veteran’s Day pop up every so often. Yet, when the large summer break rolls around, and I don’t have to scurry around trying to find work (like I have for so many summers in the past), I feel lost. Everyone around me who doesn’t teach, continues on with their regular routine. They are jealous of my three months “off” perhaps, but they don’t see the boredom/anxiety that I face.
Sure, I want to do a lot this summer. Travel mostly. But who with? I have no problem going on one roadtrip by myself, but who could sneak away for more trips after that?
And there’s the money aspect. Having one’s salary divided into twelve months is nice, but when the routine of the school year caused you to not have the energy to shop/spend, you forget that the boredom of summer causes you to spend more.
I could get another job. But doing what? I already teach one class online for summer which helps keep me somewhat busy. Yet if I wanted to work more, especially in my field, there would be conflicts with me teaching for another place, etc. Working at say, The Gap, again would be delightful, but that’s a long communte for minimum wage… and then what if someone wants to do something fun on a Wednesday afternoon?
It’s a shallow tragedy I have. There are people who would kill (maybe?) for my position. There are people who don’t have my money or lifestyle, so I should probably just shut it and deal.
So far, I’ve dealt with it by diving into a plan of reading an hour a day (to keep up with research and the recreational reading I’ve missed out on over the years) as well as exercising an hour a day. I have other concrete and abstract plans… like a week of Workshops in Kalamazoo at the end of July… buying a sewing machine and learning how to use one… a trip to Noonan, ND… a roadtrip somewhere (weaving & winding through lakes country?)…
so, “we’ll see.”
Comments (3)
I agree–I am not a fan of summers, either. The time is too unstructured, with nothing real to do. Travel is short-lived, since no one else has this much vacation time and we don’t make enough money. I’d rather work year-round and just have shorter days and one or two fewer classes, so that I didn’t feel overwhelmed or burned out to begin with.
This year, I’m taking more graduate classes, so that will keep me busy through mid-July.
I can so-o-o-o relate! The rush of the school year causes us to crash and burn about May then we get to smolder for “three months” before we get to race around again. This year I am taking a sabbatical – I think – unless something better comes up.
It’s nice to know I am not alone in this odd feeling/situation.