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Two educators offer tips on how to make the most of the summer months.

With the academic year coming to an end, schools around the country are doing everything they can to help their students avoid the dreaded “summer slide.” But students are not the only ones who are prone to distraction from June to September. Here, two educators share their methods of keeping teachers and parents engaged during the summer months.

Sarah Griego: Earning Money and Building Skills by Teaching English Online

In August 2016, I started teaching English to students in China. It was summer, but my family needed the income from me working so we could send two children to college. Through 51Talk’s videoconferencing platform, I was able to start teaching from home on a flexible schedule. I started by making myself available for a few time slots during the peak hours at night, Beijing time (which is early morning for me), and also some weekend slots.

With the flexibility of this schedule, I was able to slowly start teaching and getting familiar with the various platforms 51Talk offers. I gave myself time to take the required trainings and gradually work my way into a great schedule that worked for my family and our lifestyle. The income I made during the summer was a great help to my family, providing the cushion we needed to pay for college and the flexible schedule I needed to get both my children ready for college in the fall.

It’s about more than the money, though. I have continued to learn different strategies and techniques from teaching online that I can then take into the classroom daily. As a substitute teacher, it has been a great opportunity for me to learn new strategies to apply with my students who are learning English, or even with students who are just struggling with reading. By learning Total Physical Response (TPR) I have been able to bridge some of the communication gaps with ELL students.

To any current teachers interested in this sort of work over the summer, I would first recommend setting up a home office space so that you deliver your lessons from a professional setting. I would also suggest setting up the same class schedule each week. If you are consistent with the days you work, there is less chance that you might miss a class—and you have the opportunity to get some great regular students. I also suggest only booking one week in advance. That way, if something comes up that you want to do over the summer, you are still able to do it.

To keep engaged during the summer, remember to put aside some time for hobbies and activities that you enjoy. Allow yourself time to refresh and re-energize throughout the summer. Spend time with friends and family, and of course, enjoy your time teaching the wonderful students you meet through 51Talk. You can really learn a lot about their culture! I also take time to hit yard sales or thrift stores to pick up stuffed animals and other tools that I use to enrich the lessons for my students.

I originally started teaching online as a part-time summer job, but over time, I started enjoying it so much that these days I work almost a full-time schedule.

JoDee Lanari: Engaging New Parents for a Successful Start of the Year

As we get closer to the end of the school year, my thoughts are turning increasingly towards how to ensure that next year’s students have the resources and preparation they need over the summer, to make sure they are ready for the fall. As a kindergarten teacher, this is particularly important, since the transition from pre-K to kindergarten is a major one, and I want to be certain my incoming students next fall have all the skills they need to have a successful year.

We plan to have class lists formed before the last day of school on May 25. We had our Kindergarten Round Up Day on May 18. We invited all current pre-K students and other incoming kindergarten students to come to the school, where we shared important information with their families. We did short observations in order to place students into each of our four kindergarten classes.

We also asked parents to provide contact information, so we can send them invitations to Bloomz, our parent-teacher communication app. Once we have parents connected on Bloomz, we plan to send information all summer long on how to prepare students for kindergarten.

We plan to send:

• A list of what incoming kindergarten students are expected to do;
• A calendar of activities that they can work on every day over the summer to prepare for kindergarten;
• Pictures of the progress of the classroom set-up;
• Classroom rules;
• Beginning-of-the-year paperwork/forms;
• Communication for any fears families have, issues we need to know about, or questions that they may have before the school year begins; and
• Information on events like our Boo Hoo Breakfast and Teacher Meet-and-Greets

We have found that incoming kindergarten parents often don’t know what to expect. We want to do everything we can to prepare them over the summer so that their kids will feel at home on the first day of school.

Sarah Griego has worked as a reading interventionist and has taught elementary education for 1^st through 5^th grade, as well as 9^th-grade English, 11^th-grade English, and high school science.

JoDee Lanari is a kindergarten teacher at Katherine Gallegos Elementary in Los Lunas, NM.