Seeing the Forest for the Trees
It’s the dog days of summer, and there’s not a lot going
on in the world of education—on the surface. Students, teachers and
staff are enjoying a well-deserved summer break. Inflation costs and
work shortages are putting a damper on the usual bustle of summer
construction and renovation projects. The shooting at Robb Elementary
School in Uvalde, Texas, in late May—just two days before the
last day of school—closed the 2021–22 academic year on a somber
note nationwide.
I’m well over a decade removed from my last summer vacation.
I’m at the age where I’m not even sure what I’d do with three full
months off. I remember May as the last push through finals into
the gleeful indulgence of sleeping until noon every day. I remember
spending June hanging out with friends, catching up on books and
movies and TV, maybe travelling a bit. In July, filling 16 waking
hours every single day started to feel like something of a chore. And
by August, it was really time to have something to do again.
However, even if school isn’t in session, there’s still plenty of
work going on behind the scenes. Teachers are attending professional
development sessions and staff training, or maybe teaching summer
school. Admin is using the short respite to reset and revamp their
facilities as necessary for the coming year. Students coming back to
new furniture, new technology, sparkling-clean hallways and revised
course curricula should know that all these changes didn’t come from
nowhere. Schoolwork continues whether the students are there or not.
What follows are some highlights from the previous school
year and some works-in-progress for the coming one. During that
little bit of breathing room from the day-to-day madness, school
administrators have time to consider broader-level ideas like electric
school buses, or virtual reality technology, or the importance of the
performing arts. We can review some highlights of the best ideas and
projects from the past year for consideration for our own districts.
Summer gives time to focus on the big picture before it’s back to the
day-to-day grind.
This article originally appeared in the Summer 2022 issue of Spaces4Learning.
About the Author
Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at mjones@1105media.com.