72 days not a teacher…
The teaching staff was told by the school’s IT professionals to check their laptop passwords. If the password expiration date was past 72 days, we were good to go, if not, they would need to reset our passwords so that they would not expire over the summer.
I have never broken down the number of days in my summer vacation. This lack of countdown is probably because it is rare for me not to have some type of summer job, usually in a teaching capacity.
This summer, however, I have 72 beautiful days to not be a teacher.
72 days, to be like Elsa, and “let it go.” Let go of the stress, the worry, the fatigue, the politics, and the half-truths.
72 days to sleep past 5:15 am.
72 days to not rush from waking to sleeping in a futile attempt to be everything to all people and nothing to myself.
72 days to see beaches, mountains, historical cities, and Mickey Mouse ears.
72 days to read, write, and reflect on a school year like no other.
72 days to be a wife, making lunch for my husband like June Cleaver.
72 days to be solely a mom. To give my own spawn their mother’s full energy, not just the tiny amount that is left over after I care for other people’s children.
72 days to reconnect with friends, who have also been running the treadmill that is modern American life.
72 days to walk my goofy dog.
72 days to weed a lush garden.
72 days to recover and restore.
If anyone makes a comment in my presence about how teachers have it “so good” with their summer breaks, I will just smile and nod. I know the truth. I know that those 72 days will also include 15 hours of professional development, countless ideas about lesson plans and units, and most importantly activism on July 22, 2017, when I will join education advocates to March For Public Education in Washington, D.C.
Although I will enjoy my 72 days of not being a teacher, I am confident that when a stranger inquires as to my profession, I will proudly say, “I teach.” It has been my identity, my joy, and my passion for 23 years. It is who I am first. It is one of the most important jobs in our country. And, after 72 days, I will stand in front of my classroom door and greet my new students with a smile, refreshed and ready to begin another year.
Join me! The March for Public Education on July 22, 2017 is critical. Please consider clicking the heart ❤️ icon above, following the March For Education Blog Publication, following on Twitter, liking the page on Facebook, participating in the march, and donating to the march. Here is a list of marches throughout the country: https://medium.com/march-for-public-education/where-are-advocates-for-public-education-marching-on-july-22-2017-7f07f13b1815
