It has been one month since the school year ended, and I have followed through on my “Summer of Suz” promise to myself – plenty of travel, pool days, and relaxation after a whirlwind year!

And, I’ve been working on my summer reading list! Thanks to my amazing family and friends, I have a great collection of young adult and middle grade texts in my classroom library collection. But, also because of the family and friends in question, my TBR (To Be Read) list seems to only grow bigger and bigger. So, it’s not so much a TBR list as it is a TBR bucket…and I’ve made it through five of those titles in June 😊 I can’t wait to add these titles to my classroom library this fall.

• Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko
• We Are Not From Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez
• In Five Years by Rebecca Serle
• Love From A to Z by S. K. Ali
• We Are All Made of Molecules by Susin Nielsen

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As much as I’ve loved my evenings reading and daily TikTok binges, I just would not be myself if I didn’t squeeze some work in every once in a while, too. I’ve gotten to see my new classroom and tour part of my new school, I have applied to a new graduate program, I’ve registered for conferences & professional development seminars, studied for a Praxis exam (that test is next week – wish me luck), searched for a new place to live so I can start the moving process, and more.

So, even as I relax and soak up the daily snuggles from my puppy (snuggles that I miss so much when I’m at school all day), I still feel a little anxious for all that is happening outside the “Summer of Suz.” There is so much to do to prepare for what comes when summer is done!

While some days it is easy for me to push aside the little voice in my head whispering all the things I should be doing when I sit down with my book, it has been a little harder for me this week.

Because it’s summer and I finally have time to do things during the day, I purposely scheduled doctor’s appointments and checkups during these summer days. This week, I just happened to have three different appointments. As one does, we started each appointment with pleasantries: how I’m doing (always “Well” in case you were wondering), exclamations about the weather (it’s true, we are having a hot summer), you know the drift. And, without fail, the question “What do you do?” is always posed rather soon into the conversation. The response “I’m a teacher” is met with a few follow-up questions.

None of this bothers me. In fact, it’s kind of refreshing to talk to adults and not high school students who already know way too much about you and no longer care to address pleasantries.

What did bother me, however, was the follow-up question that I answered at each of my appointments this week. When I told the helpful nurses and assistants and doctors that I am a teacher, each one responded with something along the lines of “Gosh, it must be nice to have nothing to do all summer, huh?”  

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You know what, I’m sure it would be nice to have nothing to do all summer! I personally can’t say I’m familiar with the feeling, but I imagine it’s a great one 😉

As much as I try to live my poolside, ultra-relaxed, dream summer lifestyle, I can’t fully ignore that little voice pushing me to get some work done. I can’t seem to fully push down the guilt I have when I don’t open my computer, or the anxiety I get when I think about the upcoming school year and how much uncertainty I still feel.

Teachers – I could use some advice. If you are currently a teacher, if you were previously a teacher, if you just happen to know a lot about teachers, help me out. What is the best way to balance summer relaxation with productivity for the next school year??!! Because I think we all know that school is definitely not out just because it’s summer – but I’d still like to enjoy this little break!