Three Cheers for Teaching Summer School

High school teachers that spend part of their summer vacation teaching summer school provide a valuable service, giving kids a second chance in passing required courses and directing them back on the path to graduation. Teachers themselves benefit as well. Teaching and working with young people is a skill. Teaching skills must be practiced like any other, and summer school prevents a lapse in practicing. There’s still plenty of vacation time left for necessary relaxation and recharging after summer school is over.

Second, teachers can make some extra money. My district pays me at a higher hourly wage than I make during the regular school year. True, I can make an even higher rate consulting, teaching drums or playing gigs, but I can’t work nearly as many hours. And I would rather teach than engage in the seasonal work that most teachers do—retail, construction, herding, etc.

Third, and most important, summer school challenges a teacher’s classroom management skills. Students that take summer school are usually (but not always) the least skilled and attentive and worst behaved. They often have parents that don’t care about their academic performance or have given up on them. These students already consider themselves failures and work hard to keep that view consistent. Many have learning disabilities and read at a low level. If you teach summer school you will encounter bravado and defiance, clowning, and shut down behaviors every day. You will need to work out how you will react to these problems in advance, before summer school starts, both working with administration and alone in the classroom. Your classroom management skills will be quite sharp when you go back to the classroom in the fall.