I read somewhere that summer is a “social construction”, it functions as an ” imaginary space where there is always more: more time, more pleasure, more sleep”. Sadly this is not the reality for most of us.
As a child I looked forward to the long summer vacation- 8 glorious weeks spent mostly at the beach by my grandmother’s house with cousins,reading lots of comics and novels and watching endless tv. By the seventh week I was longing to go back to school and longing to see my friends- it just seemed to never end!.
As an adult, I also look forward for this period as it feels like a reward for the long school year of hard work. But, the weeks do not now seem as long- how I long for my vacation as a child again! The myth about ” more time, more pleasure and more sleep” is just that: a myth. I can’t think of any teacher who claims to get more of any of these during that period. I even lament that my own children do not get the magnitude of fun as I did as a child perhaps because I’m almost always in teacher mode.
Er… teacher mode ….Thats the first of the signs.
1. You begin scouting the net, making charts, thinking of classroom decor and planning seating arrangement for your class.
2. Routines are disrupted. That holiday mode that you slipped into is no more, you’ve reverted to early morning waking up (perhaps with an alarm clock). Exercise and all of the other luxuries in which you engaged are no more.
3. You begin shopping for school supplies for your children and it also includes shopping for school supplies for your class.
4. You begin shopping for a new wardrobe/ shoes /bags especially after realising that you’ve put on weight and most of last year’s wardrobe can no longer fit.
5. Friends ( and the random person almost EVERYWHERE) keep reminding you that its just around the corner. ” You’re ready to go back yet?” “Just two more weeks left…”
6. Your own children are anxious to reunite with school friends.
7. Almost EVERY billboard or store sign is screaming BACK TO SCHOOL sale.
8. You are increasingly irritable at anyone who mentions back to school or who don’t understand your preoccupation with school -related stuff.
9. You start to recognise the days of the week after blissfully not keeping check for the last 6 weeks AND you’re doing a mental countdown of days left.
10. Your home looks like a cross between a classroom, a bookstore and a craft centre (the way it usually does during the term) after being tidy all summer.
11. You’re trying to fit in all of the chores and entertainment that you didn’t get done into the last 2 weeks of the vacation.
From this imaginary space we must awaken…… If only we could get some “more time, more pleasure, more sleep”. But alas! With two more weeks to go it looks like my vacation is truly over!
Roxy.
Readysetclass 