Regardless of when your break is as teacher it is a great opportunity to upgrade your teaching abilities and hopefully add a few more resources\skills to your teaching tool belt. This summer I am completing my Additional Qualification specialist in integration of information and computer technology in to the classroom. This upgrade has a strong focus on leadership (becoming and supporting a leader) in the school environment.
I have taken courses before and in fact just finished one in June, but summer courses are different. For one, they are very instense because they only last about a month and cover all the material that normally would be covered in 3-4 during the school year. I like the ability to focus on the content without other competing responsibilities (report cards, interviews etc) so I am ok with the truncated amount of time to complete the required assignments. This last course in the 3 part series cost me about $700 to take (just like the last 2) but will qualify me for a slight pay bump in September if I complete it in good standing.
What are my hopes from this summer upgrade? After teaching for over two decades now... my primary motivation is to stay current and hopefully make connections with other teachers that will provide opportunities in the near future to discover new resources. It is important for a teacher to stay current and finding new reasources contributes to the subjects you teach staying fresh. I am a better teacher when I am engaged in the teaching process. New ideas (resources) energize my teaching and my students inturn are more likely to fully engage with the content I am teaching them. It is so true that enthusiasm is contagious... I see it everyday.
I have been a leader in the schools that I have taught most of my career so that aspect of the course will come in handy too. My leadership at my school has for the most part revolved around my technology program and skills. I have served on the Leadership team at my school my entire career so hopefully this course can provide some fresh ideas to motivate and inspire moving forward.
