Then there’s summer school – a longer holiday period allows for remediation - particularly in a system where a student is required to pass a school year in order to progress on to the next. My experience of teaching this type of academic summer school was positive. Motivated students who wanted to pass in order to stay with their peers; a curriculum that focuses on areas they have already gone over in class before – it’s not new material, so they are reviewing topics for the second or third time that year – for a slower learner who just needs more time to master those basic skills that may be all they need for the lightbulb to go on. Success with those students certainly upped my standing as a ‘talented’ teacher – but I felt the praise was undeserved. Those kids worked hard in their holidays to pass a subject they had found extremely difficult during the school year. All I did was build on the foundation laid by their regular teacher, giving them another opportunity to succeed – one that they needed and took hold of.

Summer schools aren’t just for kids though. For many teachers the summer is a great opportunity to do something about professional development. For me, as an ICT specialist, it has tended to be informal rather than formal training. I set myself projects to master a new programming language or a software application that I might incorporate into my scheme of work. It’s fun! But, as Seymour Papert might say, it’s hard fun! I’m not the only one. I’ve known French teachers who spend the bulk of their summer immersed in French language and culture – it’s a hard life I know, but someone has to do it. If it helps them communicate their enthusiasm for their subject in a fresh and dynamic way, then I’m all for it. I’ve known English teachers for whom the long break is the perfect opportunity for them to concentrate on honing their writing style – relevant skills they can pass on to their students. Yes, they were good teachers before the summer, but why shouldn’t they aspire to be even better?

Development of resources, research, administration – all to prepare for the coming school year. September arrives far too quickly some times.

There’s also the downside I’ve heard few people talk about publicly. For the first few years of my career, every holiday would start with some form of sickness. Teaching is a demanding vocation. It is emotionally and physically draining. It is not unusual to be completely exhausted at the end of a term – vulnerable to succumbing to whatever bug was circulating in the school in the run-up to the holiday.

Why am I so sure?

To be honest, I’m not – but the good thing is, I can always move the domain somewhere else and start again…