Superintendent’s Guide to a Balanced Summer

The school year is either over for you, or soon will be depending upon where you are located. As superintendents, after the celebrations and graduations are complete, our minds shift to getting some time off while thinking about the school year to come.

Today, I would like to provide a few thoughts as this transition in your work year occurs. Below, I offer a guide for how one might divide their time and attention over the next couple of months, which will go quickly.

First, you need to get away, even if for a long weekend, during the month of June. You need an initial release of energy and stress to prepare yourself for a more reflective period over the next couple of months. The superintendency, especially in the month of May, is a marathon. You have attended numerous end of year events, recognition ceremonies, concerts, grade level promotions, graduations…etc. Simply stated, you need a break mentally, physically, and emotionally. You need to plan for a longer vacation if that does not occur during the month of June, but please at least prioritize a short break in your activity.

Next, you need to gain perspective on what needs to be done professionally over the summer months. Developing a simple plan serves to organize your thoughts rather than consuming ongoing energy and focus. Put something on paper and move forward. It can always be modified later.

A third component, which really should be part of the plan I mention above, is to determine how you are going to focus on your professional development over the summer. One of the best ways to do this is to commit to reading a book or two during the month of July and into the month of August. To grow we need to learn and reflect. The best time to do this is when we are experiencing less job-related pressure. Personally, I plan to read two books during July and August. 1) The Call to Courage by Sheldon Berman and Luvelle Brown, and 2) High Road Leadership by John C. Maxwell. I have strategically selected these books as I believe they will help me to understand how we should move forward as leaders in public education.

A final consideration is to purposefully plan time to connect with non-work-related friends or family. A component of the rejuvenation process is to shift our focus away from our professional lives to other interests and activities. We need to get out of our work world a bit to gain perspective. We need to engage in conversations that have nothing to do with our jobs and challenges. Again, this is just one more way to release job related energy and stress. Doing so builds mental and emotional capacity to get back to the challenges of the superintendency in the fall.

I hope this guide to a balanced summer spurs thought on your part. Remember that we all benefit when we share and learn from each other so please take a moment to place in the comment section below where you might go this summer to get away, or what book you might read, or what conference you might attend. Enjoy your summer and make it a restful, rejuvenating, and productive one this year.