Reimagining Summer: A Season for Intentional Growth
As the final bell echoes down empty hallways and classrooms hush for the summer, many educators turn their attention to long-awaited rest—and rightly so. But summer also offers something precious: space. Not the rigid kind filled with meetings and deadlines, but the kind that invites reflection, curiosity, and self-directed growth.
This season, I invite you to use a chunk of that space to consider a powerful question: “What would it look like to return next year with greater clarity, confidence, and purpose?”
Lean into the Questions
Before diving into any learning, pause. When you look back on this past year, where did you feel the greatest stretch—or the deepest questions—in your coaching or leadership? Did you grapple with building teacher agency, designing equitable scaffolds, or sustaining energy through change fatigue?
Challenges like these often signal an opportunity—not a failure. By reflecting on them now, you can chart a summer learning path that helps you address these issues differently next year.
Trace Your Growth—and Gaps
Over the past few years, how have you grown as an educator or leader? Maybe you've embraced data cycles more confidently or led stronger reflective dialogues with staff. Celebrate that progress!
Now, where are the untapped opportunities? Maybe you’re seeking to better support multilingual learners, create a culture of peer observation, or formalize teacher collaboration. Ask yourself: *What would meaningful growth in these areas look like?*
Learn the Way You Learn Best
We always design for students’ learning preferences—but what about our own?
Consider whether you crave collaboration, finding energy in study groups, or think tanks? Or do you thrive with a podcast on your morning walks and notes in your journal afterward? Maybe a structured course gives you the push you need.
Design a summer plan that honors your needs. A book club with colleagues. A micro-credential course. A solo retreat with sticky notes and big dreams. Whatever path you choose, make sure it’s both grounding and generative.
And, please, keep it simple. You have permission to focus on just one area for growth this summer, not ten, as I often try to do! (Let’s hope I take my own advice on this one.)
Gentle is Powerful
This isn’t about overachievement. It’s about tuning in—selecting one topic that excites or stretches you and allowing yourself to explore it without pressure. When summer learning is anchored in purpose and aligned with your values, it becomes more than professional development. It becomes *professional renewal*. And don’t we all need a little of that?
So, take that nap. Enjoy that walk on the beach. And if you're inspired, crack open that book on your shelf. Your future you—and your students—will be grateful.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
If this reflection sparked ideas for your own growth—or your school’s collective vision—we’d love to be part of your journey. Our professional learning experiences are designed to energize educators, deepen instructional practice, and cultivate collaborative leadership.
Whether you're interested in:
Schoolwide workshops that bring staff together around shared goals,
Learning cohorts for leaders that foster sustained growth and reflection, or
Instructional rounds that elevate peer observation as a tool for professional insight,
We’re here to help you shape a meaningful path forward.
Let’s use this summer not just to recover—but to reimagine.
