Book The Flight, Take the Trip

 

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Ask any teacher for their favorite season, and the majority will give you the same answer: summer. Summer is a time of rest, relaxation, and recharging. It is also a time of freedom – freedom from students, freedom from responsibilities, freedom from the constant effort that this career choice requires. If it weren’t for summer, teachers across the nation would be even more burnt out that they already are. (Not so) Fun facts: Up to 30% of new teachers quit their job within five years of teaching. Those who stay in the career average 53 hours per week during the ten-month school year, which is more total hours than those who work 40 hours a week all year. Most teachers don’t take the summer off, though, as they still need to make ends meet during the two months they are unemployed.

Until recently, I taught summer school during those two months. I even served as summer school principal for five years, meaning there was no down-time to recharge at all. I just went straight into the next school year whether my batteries were charged or not. Most years, they were not, which always made for an interesting beginning to the school year to say the least.

In 2019, I took an amazing 10-day trip to Europe with my friend Isabelle. We were able to time it for exactly when summer school ended. I returned on the Sunday before going back to work. There’s nothing like traveling for an entire day, and then heading straight into a faculty meeting the next morning.

That trip was an amazing experience, and I wanted more of that feeling. There were some tour group experiences that caught my eye, but I couldn’t attend any of them because their days and length never matched up with when I was free between summer programs. If I was going to continue in my summer positions, then there was no way I could ever enjoy these experiences I’d started dreaming about.

That’s when I took a step back and realized that my entire life was wrapped up in my career. There wasn’t much about who I was and what I did that wasn’t connected to school, teaching, or extra-curriculars. I wasn’t okay with that. I needed some more variety in my life. This revelation came while school administration was starting to pile more responsibilities on my plate because no one really understood what my role meant to be summer school principal. Everything was lining up perfectly toward the same decision: leave summer school and go live your life.

In J.R.R. Tolkein’s The Fellowship of the Ring, the wizard Gandalf says, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” Summer vacation is a precious time to teachers, and I was foolishly filling it with activities that would further drain my batteries instead of recharge them. This would change.

In 2022, I spent an amazing three weeks exploring England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, and Wales. I met some amazing people on that tour group that I am still friends with and talk to on Instagram. The same is true of my recent 2023 trip to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. I had some amazing experiences and formed some real bonds with my fellow travelers.

Now, when I look back on my summers, I don’t see the constant work and weighty responsibilities. I see smiles and citi
es and cinnamon rolls. When I look toward the end of the school year, I don’t dread another round of even more constant work. Instead, there is a light at the end of the tunnel full of possibilities and adventure.

I choose to use the time that is given to me to live my life and gather as many new experiences as possible. That’s why, if given the opportunity, I’m always going to choose to book that flight and to take that trip. Isn’t that why I have a job with a paycheck in the first place? I choose to work to live rather than live to work.

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For other examples of "This I Believe" blog posts, check out these links to some past favorites:

1. Unmade Beds (Mr. Davidson, 2017)

2. Millennials (Mr. Davidson, 2016)

3. Rock and Roll (Evan, 2015)

4.. Detroit (Ryan, 2015)

5. Getting Lost (Mr. Davidson, 2019)

You can also check out even more examples at the official website for the program: thisibelieve.org