Why Teachers Work in the Summer

In case you didn't know, teachers don't get paid over the summer. I find myself needing to remind people of this frequently, when they start talking about how teachers have it made this time of year.

In my county, teachers are 10-month employees. Most of the teachers I know opt to have their paychecks spread out over 12 months, in order to keep getting a check during the summer.

Let me say something else about Howard County, Maryland. It has listed among the 10 riches counties in the country. But keep in mind that the cost of living in one of the riches counties is a lot higher than in other places. Yet, teacher salaries here are not the highest in the country.

Trust me, I am not complaining. Just pointing out that some of us can't afford to just chill all summer.

In the past, NerdyTeacherMom has taken the summers off for several reasons.

First, I was too fried to do anything else. Usually, by the end of the year, I have absolutely no motivation or energy. I typically plan to work throughout the summer, to alleviate the workload during the school year, but I end up am too pooped to touch anything related to teaching.

The second reason I have not worked during the summer was that my daughters were too young. I realized that any money I earned would immediately be handed over to the camps I'd have to put them in while I worked. So, my summer job, in essence, was running mommy camp. And believe me, this was work. I typically planned an itinerary that included a morning activity, lunch, afternoon activity, and dinner.

The girls are older and fend for themselves for a few hours. And NerdyTeacherMom could stand to pay off some bills. So I approached this summer with a plan to find work.

Most people think Summer School is an easy option for teachers. I did, too, until I applied this year and did not get the job. Turns out, summer school teachers don't want to give up their jobs. The hours and money are pretty good, I hear. My county didn't need another Spanish teacher this summer. When I got the news, I was too stunned to even ask if there was something else I could do, or to seek a position in another district. So, no summer school for me.

When the topic came up in a Facebook group of teachers, I realized that teachers all over the country are working during the summer. Some of the teachers posted that they drive Uber or paint houses. Others work as on-line tutors, teaching English to students in China and other countries. I know teachers who have summer gigs in retail and at concert venues. Teachers are getting it in!

One advantage of having worked outside of education is my ability to remember that there is life outside of the school walls. (Okay, I remember this sometimes!) So, for some fresh ideas, I went to YouTube and searched for tutorials on "side hustles." Gotta love YouTube! I found more than I could watch. But what inspired me most were the ones related to writing. In the past, I've blogged about how much I've always loved to write. (And how difficult it is for me to just sit down and do it!)

I've decided to make my side hustle something that I love: writing. I'm not sure how much I'll make, but I'll enjoy the process.

I've gotten my feet wet with my first Kindle ebook, Fun Activities for Spanish Club Meetings, a compilation of games, crafts and other activities teachers can do with their Spanish Club students during the school year. .

Happy Summer!

How to thank your child's teacher (and not look like a suck-up)

www.homeroommom.com

A parent recently asked NerdyTeacherMom for advice on how to get her daughter's teachers to think of her favorably as they wrap up their grading for the year.

If you don't have a child in high school, you might not see the big deal. But for those of us with high school students, we know (or will soon understand) how significant quarter grades are. In my district, quarter grades, along with midterm and final exam grades, are averaged into the overall grade earned for the course. This final grade is what is used to calculate the grade point average (GPA). The GPA, of course, helps position students for more competitive colleges and scholarships.

I asked mom who her daughter's teachers were. I figured I could give her some hints on what those teachers might like. But when she named colleagues who I actually don't know well, I was forced to give her question some more thought.

As much as I, personally, would love to walk into the summer armed with gift cards to Starbuck's, Target and Dunkin Donuts (or anywhere else -- I'm not picky), I have to admit that I would wonder about the motives behind an influx of such affection. In our district, we are allowed to accept gift valued at $20 or less. But teachers of integrity aren't going to show favor (or even grace) to a child solely on the promise of a cappuccino. In fact, such a suck-up gift might actually have an adverse affect:

What kind of teacher would I be if I bumped up Mary's grade just because her parents gave me a gift card when Marsha's parents may have wanted to but couldn't afford it? Now I definitely can't bump up Mary's grade.

And, coming from a teacher, one of the easiest ways to become a pesky parent is to act like you are entitled to everything you want -- from unlimited amounts of teacher time and attention to the grades you think your child should get.

I decided on two pieces of advice.

First, write a note of gratitude. Acknowledge the teacher's hard work and sacrifices of time. Tell the teacher something that he or she has done to help your child grow. Be sincere. Put it on paper. Keep it short and simple.

Second, talk to your daughter. Tell her that with one week left of instruction, finish strong. Tell her to put her phone away in class for the last week of school. (Let her know that you know this is not an easy thing to do and that you know other students will have theirs out.) Tell her that when teachers see students using phones in class, they make assumptions about how much those students care. Fair or unfair, I view students who put their phones away during class as much more serious and dedicated to learning then those who don't.

Since mom's question was ultimately about how to influence her daughter's teachers to think favorable about her, I encouraged her to urge her daughter to create positive, hard-working images of herself finishing out the year as a motivated learner.

I would venture to say that most teachers are pretty easy to figure out and to please. We want people to acknowledge that we sacrifice a lot of our personal time, money and energy. (Some of us even wake up in the middle of the night thinking about your child!)  For most teachers, a verbally acknowledge from parents is sufficient. And while students can tell us, too, their showing us -- through being cooperative and respectful and treating our classes as if they are valuable -- is what touches us most.