The Beginnings of Summer Planning

There is something special about summer for those of us who educate. Summer not only marks a break from the normal routine, but for us who love teaching, it is a marvel of a time to review the year, think and plan ahead, and get excited about all the cool things we will do when we start up in the fall.

Here is my usual routine for assessing the semester gone by.

1. I spend at least a week, chill-axing before I look at anything. Hike the mountains (they happen to be near by), knit socks, catch up with friends, enjoy my kids.

2. I clean my house and organize spots that have driven me crazy all school year.

3. Then I window shop a little bit. Surf around the web, look at what others are doing, allow myself an hour or two of curriculum envy without chastising my thoughts by budgets or other limitations. I book mark and link places I might go back to. And then I let it stew for a while.

4. When I am ready, I review each subject in terms of content (book, readings), assignments, course organization, and general ‘atmosphere’ with the student(s) in that particular subject.

5. What worked well? Spend a lot of time here. You survived another year of educating; surely you did many things right. Do not neglect little obvious things such as smooth start every morning, or more attentive students. Especially compare to the previous school year and note where you have improved, where your students have improved, and what specifically it was that made this year better, if indeed it were better. I like to make a list (on the positive side of my table) of what conflicts and crises I had this year, and what it was that allowed me to get through them with my relationships intact. (Prayer, preparation, give and take, humility, ingenuity, “luck). Then I make a list of the things that worried me at the beginning of the fall that really went quite smoothly. This school year I had no idea how I was going to manage to be all the places I needed to be on time, but with prayer, planning and a resolve not to panic no matter what, our schedule was smooth and gentle on us this year.

6. Then I make a list of the things my students struggled with but conquered during the school year. For example, one student had trouble getting out of the start holes and jump into the essay outline and begin writing. What was it that helped in this process? The student is beginning to mature to the point where the student realizes that it is best just to get the first draft over with, spit it out, however bad it is, then let it rest and come back later to pretty it up. Next is the question that all bonified dwellers of the Western world like to get to. What did not work? What drove me crazy? Students working and asking for support from me after 8 pm. I am wasted at 8 pm, or thereabouts, or at least I am not energetic enough to help with Latin, essays, or math. I tried boundaries (with my older students), but the issue is not really my boundaries, the issue is their time management and planning skills. I note this in my table and resolve that during the summer I will study those tasks, figure out what it is I do to get everything done on time, break the tasks down in steps, and have some discussions with my students on how to do that.
And then the big questions that come with all the things that drive me crazy???? Is the thing that drives me crazy part of God’s plan for my desperately needed path to humility (i.e. something I have to learn to live with gracefully), or are there viable options for minimizing that ‘crazy’ to a level more acceptable to all involved?