What do teachers do in the summer?

Sleep mostly…

Snack constantly…

Doom scroll endlessly…

Eeek — we sound an awful lot like… gulp… teenagers! 

In all seriousness — there’s a perception that teachers spend their holidays sunning themselves in exotic locations (and to be fair, it has been pretty bloody warm in Scotland this summer!). But the truth is, many of us don’t. Not that we wouldn’t like to — but travelling abroad during school holidays is wildly expensive, and often more stressful than it’s worth.

This week, I spent a few days at an education event with folks from all across the sector — and honestly, it was bloody lovely. A chance to talk, share, laugh, be sociable, and feel part of something bigger again. It reminded me how good it feels to connect with others who understand the highs, lows, and occasional absurdity of life in education.

I won’t go into too much detail, but giving up a few days of my break was absolutely worth it — for the learning, the connections, and the friendships made. Sometimes we need to step outside our schools and classrooms to remember why we care so much about stepping back in.

So here’s your slightly soppy but also very real:

If you’re feeling a bit meh about education…

If an opportunity pops up to join a network, a subject group, or just a meet-up with other people who also have five different ‘marking pens’…

Say yes. Even if it feels scary. Even if it means wearing real clothes and remembering how to make eye contact.

I was nervous walking into that venue on Monday — new faces, new place, definite “am I meant to be here?” vibes.

By Friday, I was booking the next one in my calendar and wondering how many of these people I can adopt as work BFFs.

All opinions on summer holiday teacher antics - are entirely my own! Would love a wee summer escape - is it too late to crowdfund….