Teacher’s Recharge Over Summer Break

Students and teachers alike both rejoice when the final bell rings on the last day of school.

Teachers finally are free from grading paperwork, waking up at ungodly hours of the morning, and, most importantly, dealing with rowdy kids. Instead, they can enjoy themselves by waking up when they please and hanging out with friends. But most of all, they spend their summer on vacation.

These two and a half months away from work means enough time to travel and explore new places. World Geography teacher Lisa Perez went to St. Louis for the first time.

“It was a destination that [my family and I] had never visited,” Perez said. “We did not know anyone there. It was fun to say we explored the city.”

Her vacation consisted of strenuous walks of a few miles, pigging out at local restaurants (“I felt like I kind of sold my soul to the devil … well just a bit,”), and visiting some typical tourist attractions.

“Almost all of the museums and the zoo were free,” Perez said. “When you have a family of six, that totally rocks.”

Another teacher also explored some place new. Susan McCormick, one of the choir directors, went to the Coca Cola factory for the first time. Her experience differed from Perez’s.

“The floor was super sticky,” McCormick said. “They also let us try Coca Cola drinks from around the world and I tried an Italian one. It was nasty.”

For other teachers, they used summer break to visit their family. Spanish teacher Jill Montoro went to Spain to visit her in-laws.

“The very first time I met my in-laws, I had no idea how to peel a shrimp that came with its head still attached,” Montoro said. “Ever since then, it seems like they have found every sea creature to put on the table to serve me and watch how I clumsily dissect it, ending up with only a sliver of food to eat.”

She also squeezed in some time for some sight-seeing. She stayed at the beach, went to Germany and Paris for a week, and toured the famous Alhambra.

“[The Alhambra] is a palace and fortress complex with Arabic origins,” Montoro said. “It has very lush gardens and impressive tessellations covering the interior walls.”

Even in Austin, there were plenty of interesting and fun places to go. Perez not only enjoyed taking a vacation, but also staycations.

“The must-do’s:  Walk the Green Belt in Zilker, swim in Barton Springs and eat at Hut’s Burgers,” Perez said.

So even teachers had fun during the summer break, whether it was an annual tradition or just trying something new.