Wrangling the Summer Break To Do List

Can it really be?  

 

This was the question I asked myself week before last as I sat at my desk, jolted by the realization that our teachers would be back at work in two weeks.  

 

I’m not ready.

 

Looking around my office, I saw stacks and stacks of papers, books, and handouts.  Testing forms and materials not filed after the end of year assessment frenzy littered a table and a filing cabinet.  

 

Three sets of books also fought for space on the table.  Cases of water for workshop topped a filing cabinet. Shelves were home to haphazardly stacked periodicals that I want to read.

 

Stacks of data for an assessment project covered the floor behind my desk.  

 

Yep, my office might be a candidate for a TV show on Office Hoarders.  

 

Still A Surprise

 

In all honesty, I get hit by this realization every summer.  I know it is coming, but it is still a shock.

 

Despite being a central office administrator for fourteen years, I look to the summer months through rose-colored glasses.  I believe that with fewer people around and fewer programs running, I will be able to accomplish so much more.

 

The Plan

 

Here is what my summer To Do list looked like in May:

 

1. Pull together and analyze assessment data.
2. Implement STEAM Camp pilot program.
3. Implement PD for teachers around a district initiative.  Plan and begin implementation of phase two.
4. Develop district PD plan for upcoming year.
5. Look at survey results around the district’s mission and vision and plan next steps.
6. Complete the district’s annual report.
7. Update website.
8. Purge my office.   
9. Rearrange furniture.  
10. File everything.

The Reality

 

Here is what really happened.

1. Pull together and analyze assessment data.  (still working on this)
2. Implemented STEAM Camp.
3. Implemented PD for teachers around a district initiative.
4. Worked on budget development and budget compliance reports.
5. Began a proposal for a federal grant opportunity.
6. Served on several interview committees.  Assisted with hiring three critical positions.

 

These lists represent only major To Do items.  If you have worked any time in a district office, you know that new work items land on your desk every day.  

 

It is possible that the tyranny of the immediate has a stronger hold in education, especially educational administration, than any other profession.

 

Each spring, I have a plan to be more productive, more scheduled, but then when the day-to-day actually hits in June, I feel less in control than ever.  

 

One Strategy

 

One way to free up a little bit of time is in my meeting schedule.  Which teams and committees won’t benefit from a summer meeting? If most of the members will be gone, if the work slows down over the break, then cancel those meetings and resume them in August or September.

 

Suspending certain meetings is a strategy that I have employed for a couple of summers.  It frees up a bit of time from the actual meeting itself, but it also frees up time because I do not have to plan agendas, create materials, find a location, or arrange for refreshments.

 

Not every meeting can be bumped, of course, but if a project or process will not be hampered by a break over the summer months, then why not?  The mental energy savings alone will be worth it!

 

One of these summers, I will embrace the crazy schedule – days that fly by and progress that moves like molasses.  But it isn’t this summer.

 

I am resigned to the fact that I did not accomplish all that I wanted to do.  I am going to be okay with not being as prepared as I want to be. It is fine if I don’t have everything packaged up prettily.

 

Next summer I hope to have more realistic expectations for my summer To Do list.  What can reasonably be accomplished in two months?

 

Are there things that don’t have to be done any longer?  Are there easier ways to accomplish certain tasks? Could I delegate?

 

The Upside

 

Fortunately, the end of summer break has a perk.  In a few days, I will be seeing teachers and staff that I haven’t seen in two months.  Central Office can be a lonely place during the summer.

 

A week later, our students will be back.  Then we can begin again what we enjoy best.  

A new school year means a new opportunity for students, teachers, and administrators to start something great.

 

Tell me – as a central office administrator, how do you organize your work during the summer?  I would appreciate the tips!