The Summer Lives of High School Teachers

By Jinwoo Chong and Zoe Crain
“I love seeing teachers outside of school. It’s like seeing a dog walk on his hind legs.” The quote, one from the 2004 movie, “Mean Girls” seems to best sum up the situation. We see our teachers 7 hours a day, 5 days a week, 180 days a year. But what do they do when they aren’t teaching? How do teachers spend their summer vacation?
Some students had a few ideas. “They probably spend their summers like most of us do,” said Michael Hamati ’14, “I doubt they do a lot of lesson planning though.”
“Teach summer school. I mean, they’re teachers…” said Kristina Scheckel, a senior.
“I’ll occasionally run into one of my teachers in town. I don’t think they go totally crazy during the summer. It would be kind of awesome if they did though,” said senior Malcolm Richards.
However, all in all, the specifics remain a mystery to most students. In fact, it seems to have been that way for generations.
“I was a very narrow-minded person in high school, compared to who I am today,” said Arlene Sinding, PHS librarian, “I used to think my English teacher read books over the summer while my Spanish teacher traveled to Spain.”
“I knew that a few teachers held different jobs over the summer when I was high school,” agreed Gary Snyder, PHS principal.
To others, the secret lives of teachers were not so secret at all.
“I was in a strange position, because my father taught [wood shop] at the school.” said Susan Murphy, who now teaches English.
So the investigation began. Do teachers spend even their summer days at their desks, preparing for the upcoming year? Or do teachers at PHS assume a distinctly different lifestyle during the summer, doing all of the things that they didn’t have the time to accomplish during the school year?
Some teachers like a little peace and quiet. “One of my biggest summer pleasures is that first day. I don’t have to worry about waking up early in the morning, so sometimes if I have a good book, I’ll read it all night,” said Murphy.
Other members of the faculty are a little more drawn to the open possibilities of summer. “I’m taking a rather eclectic trip this summer,” said Sinding, “First I’m touring the Baltic on a cruise, and then we’re staying for a week in Venice. After that we’re flying to Bangkok, and then we’re ending up in Bali.”
“That’s what I would do if I were a teacher,” said Sheckel. “What other jobs give you a full two months off? I would take some crazy trips, and have everything I wouldn’t have time to do during the school year.”
Like their students, some faculty members need to stay at school and work to prepare the new year.
“I will be here at PHS, mostly,” said Snyder, “The staff works all year, but of course we take a few days off every now and then. The important thing is to balance work with relaxation.”
“I’m sure it’s just some down time for them,” said sophomore Catherine Sawyer. “It’s probably crazy at the end of the year with grading finals and stuff, so I’m sure it’s nice to just spend time with family and relax.”
Teachers who coach fall sports also spend time at school to prepare for the upcoming season. Many of the fall sports hold summer workouts, which require planning and supervision. Coaches’ summer vacations also end early when the official preseason schedules begin a few weeks prior to the first day of school.
“I know there’s work for the athletic department,” said field hockey player Sydney Watts. “They have to make the schedules, and figure out practices and stuff. I’m sure it takes a lot of time to organize, especially with all the different sports we have at [PHS.]”
Teachers seem to be a lot more similar to students in regards to their summer schedules than we think, but there are still quite a bit of misconceptions.
“My students seem to think that, because I live in New York City, I live some glamorous life of luxury, sipping martinis and eating at the best restaurants every night,” said Michael Zimmerman, an English teacher, “I’m really just visiting some friends and family. It’s really a time for relaxation.”
It seems as if even teachers need a break from the near ten months of school that comes around every year, and even with a few misconceptions, “students have much bigger worlds today, more global. They certainly have a more realistic view of their teachers,” said Sinding.
While our teachers seem to us like only what we see them to be at school, “It’s important to remember that they’re people just like us, and sometimes people need a break,” said Richa Rai ’13.
So none of the teachers at PHS lead secret lives as F.B.I agents or loan sharks. The truth is that teachers are teachers, but they’re also people.