What Could You Accomplish with 160 Extra Hours?

The Gift of Time: Image Credit

Ask any teacher what their greatest need is and many will respond: TIME! As curriculum demands increase, classrooms become more diverse, testing and test prep take increasingly more time, and schools move toward 1:1 technology adoption, teachers report not having time to fit everything into their day.

At the same time teacher contracts vary in number of months teachers are under contract. Some schools offer 9 month contracts, some 10 months, some 12 months. New teachers wonder how they should best use those summer months.  While those two months of summer can initially seem like a long time, without setting goals and implementing effective time management those two months can fly by quickly.

Just this year a preservice teacher graduated in December and began teaching in January. She jumped in and learned a new way of teaching with Project-Based Learning. When the school year ended, a wise school administrator interpreted this new teacher's 12 month contract to help her plan her summer. June is a month off for relaxation and enjoyment. In July teachers were expected to work 40 hour weeks on topics of their choosing. Teachers participated in a type of Genius Hour where they were "empowered to explore their own passions." Each teacher could read, blog, tweet, code, or create whatever they wanted to do to grow as an educator. What would you do with 160 hours outside of the school year to accomplish whatever you wanted?

Blog, Tweet, Connect: Image Credit

This preservice teacher began reading books her students would enjoy and then blogged her reactions to each. Now when students return they can go to their teacher's blog to get ideas about books they may like to read, and blog about them! She also began connecting with other educators online. She took a big step and made her blog a public blog so her amazing ideas can be gleaned by others. This new teacher also explored Project-Based Learning more deeply as she began to think about possible projects to help her students meet learning goals this year. She will empower students to ask questions, search online, evaluate information, and communicate learning by creating a project that makes a difference in the world.

In August all teachers at this school come together for collaborative workshops on this school's unique Project-Based Learning teaching format. I really like this school's creative summer plan: June off, July Genius Hour individual choice, and August collaborative staff learning. I think this teacher, beginning her first full year of teaching this fall, will be ready to share her learning with her students when they arrive in September. After experiencing herself how to learn individually and collaboratively, she will be more comfortable empowering her students to learn in similar ways.

As I calculate there are approximately 4 weeks until students return to school. What will you do with these 160 hours to grow as an educator? Please share what you do with us, and with your students! Have fun!