6 summer tips for teachers, from teachers

Test prep and antsy kids–the sounds and feelings of summer are fast approaching. As a result, teachers are flooded with last-minute to-dos while working to ensure their students are well-prepared for their next year of classes, all which can feel overwhelming. But a list of advice and summer tips for teachers can help everyone prepare.

We asked some of our own teachers what tips they have used to help ease their school to summer transition. From lesson planning for the next year to administering student surveys, these six summer tips for teachers may be helpful for you, too.

6 great summer tips for teachers

1. Elizabeth Munoz, English Teacher and Ed Tech Coach at Leuzinger High School
I survey my current students about activities/lessons they loved or disliked during the year. I do this because it really gives me a chance to revise my lessons for next year over the summer, always with my students in mind and eliminating the need to guess or experiment.

2. Kevin Daniels, Math Teacher at Ritenour School District
I take care of everything (including copies) that I need for the first few weeks of school. This helps put me at ease so I don’t need to worry about it over break or panic when I return to school the following year. As a result, I spend more time living in the moment and enjoying the time with my family. I didn’t do this in my first year of teaching and I spent enough time worrying over the summer. Lesson learned.

3. Quenton Brendal, Technology Coordinator at Hutsonville Community Unit School District 1
I put together a list of projects or tasks to get done, preferably in an order of least to most time consuming, and most to least important. It can help reduce stress during the summer of figuring out what needs to be done before the next year starts back up. It can also increase the efficiency of tasks getting done allowing for more downtime later and more work to get done in a timely fashion. A win-win.

4. Sarah Klingbile, Science Teacher at Sheboygan Area School District
My piece of advice is to stay calm as the year winds down. It’s important to let my students get excited about the summer, as some of my students tend to not want to go home. I like to get them excited about the things they can do outside during the break. This makes them happier about the summer coming up and helps position it as a time to enjoy themselves outside of a classroom when they might not otherwise be excited about it.

5. Daniel Brennick, Education Technology Lead at Literacy Leadership Tech Academy
I like to create a game plan. Not only for what you want to do that is fun in the summer, but what you want to accomplish before the school year starts again. Summer flies by fast and most of us begin summer with big plans and before we know it, time is gone. To make things happen in the presence of what seems like infinite time requires a written timeline of what you hope to do.

6. Jessica Goins, 3rd-grade literacy Teacher at Jackson-Wonder Elementary School
My biggest piece of advice is, RELAX. The new school year will start when it starts, and it is important to enjoy your time. I have noticed that when I worry about school all summer, I start in already feeling burnt out. I remember another teacher told me to take the summer for me, don’t work, don’t think about school.