Teachers are wrapping up the school year along with the students yet another time this year. Students may think that their summers are cool, or should I say “hot”, but teachers crave the sun just as much as we do.

To begin, Mrs.Steinke is an English, journalism, and yearbook teacher who loves to travel. Each summer her family goes to a different country. Previously, they’ve been to Guyana, Dominican Republic, Dominica, and many more making it hard for her to pick her favorite vacation. A traditional summer with the family consists of a ton of picnics, but this year, Mrs. Steinke is going to South Korea to see her daughter get married, and is staying there for two weeks! You may ask the question, do teachers still work on their summer vacation? To answer, Mrs. Steinke takes lots of time to plan her whole next school year’s worth of planning.

Secondly, Ms. Robson is a new biology teacher this year. Her plans are to spend time with her husband and dog, exploring new parts of Colorado while hiking and camping. She also might go to Mexico to visit her in laws, and Arizona to hang out with friends and family. In addition, she is doing some professional development for the new AP Biology curriculum in Denver. Ms. Robson’s favorite past summer event was going overseas on a Japanese Memorial Fulbright tour. This program offers a fully-funded study tour in Japan to share knowledge. She said that it was an amazing experience! When I asked if she had any summer traditions she said, “We used to spend every Memorial Day in Mexico, but now that we have moved here we are creating new traditions!” Ms. Robson also does planning for school over the summer, but she doesn’t consider it “work” because she loves what she does and plans throughout the whole summer!

Another teacher, Mr. Mayhew, used to spend his vacations in Colorado, but now that he lives here, his wife and him climb fourteeners in their free time. Two summers ago, he backpacked for three weeks however; it was interrupted because he had to rush towards the hospital due to kidney stone problems. Other things he enjoys includes golfing, rock-climbing, camping, fishing, and other summer activities! Last year, he participated in an xterra triathlon in the mountains, and plans to try it out again soon!

It seems like students today think that teachers don’t do much over the summer. Although the majority of them love summer just as much as we do. Most likely doing the same types of things such as visiting new places, talking to friends and family, and enjoying the warmth that summer brings.