A Lighter Load at Thanksgiving?

I’ve touched upon this subject before: students pulled out of school for family vacations. The last time I mentioned it, I was on the verge of actually doing it myself. This time, we are on the verge of the week when it seems to happen most, Thanksgiving week. Already, most teachers are looking at three days of school at best. Locally, students merely have to show up for two days. And I know there are more than a few parties thrown in during that time.

The Best-Laid Plans of Teachers on Vacation

A teacher friend of mine recently saw her summer plans implode like a tinfoil submarine at 20,000 leagues. School district administrators told her she had to attend a five week intensive class to gain much-needed certification in her field. Forced to shelve her plan for spending time with her eight- and two-year old children, she suddenly found herself scrambling to arrange child care, gather required paperwork, and understand just what had become of her summer.

What is your approach to summertime continuing education? Are some summers better than others? And is there a dream workshop you wish someone offered?

Where’s that kid going this time?

That one kid whose parents think it’s perfectly acceptable to pull him or her out of school for a trip to You Name It. This happens despite all the other students staying where they are, coming into school everyday, waiting impatiently for the next vacation, and getting their work done to fit with your lesson plans. For that one kid? For him you’re either preparing work in advance or waiting to deal with the fallout when he returns.

Surviving the Marathon

As an upper grades teacher, February was always when I came to the conclusion that school planners had done at least one thing right: back-loading vacations. As the year dragged on, I realized that February break and April break and the assorted holidays in between were timed perfectly to help me stay evenly keeled. If [...]