I was talking to a neighbor the other day when it occurred to me: I've never really had a vacation before in my professional life. Sure, I've taken time off of work, but there was always the cell phone, emails, the occasional meeting to dial into (it'll just take a half-hour). And if those things weren't there, there was the dread of returning to face problems that had simply festered in my absence.
But summer break is a clean and complete break. No calls. No emails. No endless stream of issues, growing more explosive over time, waiting for me to return. It's a real (and needed) break from the job.
Funny thing happens when you don't dread the imminent return to your work: you find yourself voluntarily reflecting on the work that you do, and thinking about how to do things better. I've been thinking a lot about the way I teach and how to do it better since school let our and we've barely been out two weeks. This week I'm taking a class (voluntarily) on how to teach science a different way, and I'm excited to begin applying it in the fall.
A job that I want to return to. It's a really good feeling!
