This past week marked the ‘official’ start of summer for our students as they walked out of school for the last time in the 2014-2015 school year. As always, these last days of school were filled with myriad activities including award ceremonies, step up ceremonies, signing yearbooks and planning summer activities for their two months of ‘freedom’. While everyone looks forward to the change of pace, the reality of that change is significantly different between various groups.
Students are looking forward to late mornings, fun activities, and some time to unwind without worrying about homework and tests. Our teaching and paraprofessional staffs also have some time to relax but, for many of them, the end of school marks the beginning of their own continued schooling as they develop new skills, take graduate classes, and hone their abilities to meet student needs.
For our cafeteria staff, the pace moves from feeding breakfast and lunch to students to doing the deep cleaning, maintenance, repairs, and planning for the following year. Secretarial staff will be working diligently to complete all of the required items to officially end the school year (report cards, state reports, updating records) and then preparing everything for the students and staff to return in late August. Our maintenance, custodial, and grounds staff will be very hard at work to complete the large number of tasks that can only be done during the summer—deep cleaning (during the hottest point of the year) in classrooms and offices, painting, maintenance and repairs—when students are staff are mostly absent from the buildings.
Administrative and central office staff will be finishing up the many state and federal reporting requirements, updating procedures, working with numerous systems and individuals to prepare for the upcoming school year, and working to implement a budget (which we all know has not been approved by our member towns at this point in time).
Many people are amazed by the increased pace of work that is done during the so-called “summer vacation” by the groups that remain working throughout the summer. Of course staff whose contracts require them to work year round also try to squeeze in some vacation during this time, but that does not eliminate the need for them to complete all of the tasks that must be finished before the beginning of the school year. To believe that all of the work in running a school or district, or in preparing daily lessons for the classroom, can be done only during the days, or times, that students are in school would be, at best, wishful thinking. The reality is, whether it is during the school year, during school vacations, or during the summer, the majority of educators and support staff work significantly longer hours and days than the times that students attend school and their willingness to do so is what makes it possible to maintain a school that positively supports student opportunities and success.
