Summer School Teacher

Securing a summer school teaching job can be a great opportunity for you; however, it’s highly competitive so if you manage to secure one, then consider yourself lucky. To increase your chances of getting a summer school position, it is advisable to begin your search early and ensure that your application reaches every school district you wish to apply to, especially if you are not yet a certified teacher. The best starting point is your local school district, where you can explore their website, check the bulletin board in the main office, or inquire at the teacher’s lounge.

Additionally, online platforms like Indeed, Craigslist, or local job finders can also be valuable resources. Don’t overlook the potential openings at your alma mater, as many colleges offer paid teaching positions for summer workshops or advertise vacancies on their websites, both on and off-campus. Lastly, announce your job search on social media or inform friends and colleagues, as word of mouth can often lead to promising summer teaching opportunities.

Tutor

Tutoring is another highly sought-after summer job thanks to its flexibility and the advantage of your experience working with children. Many opportunities exist for teachers to work as tutors in the summer months. To start your search, first, ask around and inquire within your network. If that falls short, the next step is advertising your services on social media. If you’re looking to work outside of the home you can check out test prep companies such as Huntington Learning Center or Kaplan, as they constantly seek experienced staff to support students during the summer months.

Personally, I have served as a tutor at Huntington Learning Center for several summers, and I can attest that the compensation and working hours were excellent. This allowed me to earn extra income while still enjoying precious quality time with my children throughout the summer. Another option is to become an online tutor. Numerous online tutoring platforms are available, with Varsity Tutors and Wyzant being two of the most popular choices. Working for these companies comes with the added benefits of working in your pj’s and not leaving your home.

Virtual Instructor

The demand for virtual instructors has been rising primarily due to the attractive benefits of a flexible schedule and the added benefit of not having to commute. Websites like Connections Academy have simplified the process of teaching summer school, offering a wide range of online teaching opportunities in public schools for students in grades K-12. One of the most remarkable aspects of this opportunity is that you can conduct classes right from the comfort of your own home, while also benefiting from the chance to enhance your teaching skills and experiment with new teaching strategies.

Another enticing option for online teaching is joining VIPKID, where you can teach English to Chinese children. This part-time teaching opportunity is especially suitable for the summer months because it allows you to teach from any location with a stable WIFI connection. Additionally, you have the added satisfaction of helping children learn English, which equips them with the skills they need to thrive in the world and lead better lives.

Selling Teaching Materials

If you’ve been teaching for a while and have accumulated a vast collection of unique lesson plans and activities. In that case, you can capitalize on them by selling them online to fellow educators. Platforms like Teachers Pay Teachers make it easy for you to share your lessons, classroom decorations, teaching strategies, and more. While it may not match your regular income, selling your materials online can be an easy and convenient way to supplement your earnings during the summer months.

If you are seeking to spend your summer at home while earning extra income, selling your lessons might just be the ideal opportunity for you. If you’re worried about how you will get through the summer having so much extra time or with much less income than you normally have, don’t fret because you have options. Whether it’s taking up a summer teaching position, tutoring, becoming a virtual instructor, exploring blogging or freelance writing, or selling educational materials online, you now have an array of options to choose from.

Freelance Writer

Becoming an educational writer is another great idea for summer jobs for teachers. While you may have to do a little bit of work to find a website to write for, can be an easy and fun way to get paid to share your knowledge and expertise. To get started as a freelance writer you must have exceptional writing skills as well as be prepared to pitch article topic ideas. If you are especially knowledgeable in one particular area, then it’s wise to highlight that. Some websites will pay you around $100 for a 500–700-word article if your submission is chosen. Start reaching out to education websites today and see if they could use another freelance writer!

Blogger

Have you ever felt like you needed to put all of your experience and knowledge out there for everyone to read? Well, now you can and get paid for it! While it may take some time for it to become lucrative and take research to get the ball rolling, it can be a great source of passive income if you put in the work over the summer months. Most of the money to be made as a blogger comes from partnering with companies and becoming an affiliate. So, if you have a lot to say and a lot to share, then starting a blog may be the summer job for you.

Educators never stop learning; check out our available graduate degree programs  to hone your skills and promote lifelong learning and academic excellence.

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Be Proactive

The 2021 school year has been a year like no other. When asked if they’d like to teach summer school, the first thought teachers have may not be a big “hooray!” They’ve been through a lot this year and may need some time to think about how they want to spend their summer. Considering this, it is important for administrators to be proactive when preparing for summer school.

One thing administrators can do to be proactive is to foster an environment of excitement and engagement going into the summer months. Administrators can do this by showing teachers how much they value teachers’ work and time, encouraging teachers to practice self-care, providing teachers with time to plan and collaborate, practicing an open-door policy in order to be available to discuss summer camp, and by celebrating the past year! By modeling excitement for summer learning opportunities, administrators will attract more teachers that are willing to keep moving forward throughout the summer.

Another way that administrators can be proactive in planning for summer school is to start early! As soon as information is given to administrators from their districts, they should begin to work on draft schedules and other plans so that they can provide teachers with as much information as possible regarding the logistics of summer school.

Consider Your Needs

Considering the needs of staffing for summer camp is key to begin the planning process. In both the elementary and middle/high school levels, adequate staffing to meet ratio requirements is a top priority, as well as, providing transportation for students in need. It will be important to follow district guidelines when planning elementary school and middle/high schedules for summer school. Some needs will differ depending on the setting of summer school. For example, Elementary schools will have different needs than middle/high schools and vice versa.

Elementary

Many elementary schools are offering summer school based on student needs. Typically, if students are performing well below grade level in reading and/or math, they are invited to attend. Considering this, you want to recruit your most capable staff. Staff who work summer school in an elementary setting must be familiar with primary intervention practices and assessments.

Middle/High

Middle school and high school summer school is quite different from elementary summer school. Instead of focusing on increasing students’ reading and math performance in general, summer school for older students typically focuses on specific courses that may have failed. Students are often able to earn credit for these courses upon completion of summer school. Considering this, it is important to recruit staff that are knowledgeable in specific course areas where the need is the highest.

Plan, Plan, Plan!

You may have heard the old saying, “failing to plan is planning to fail”. In the case of any educational endeavor, this is true! Anytime you are responsible for the instruction and well being of a large number of staff and students, it is important to have a plan in place, and even a back up plan! Planning for summer school means considering your needs, both demographically and instructionally. This includes schedules, a curriculum plan, and a transportation plan.

When creating schedules consider the number of students and staff that will be in your building and the space that you will utilize within the school. Curriculum will need to be mapped out prior to the start date of summer school and students in need of buses will need to be assigned to routes. Oftentimes, collaborating with colleagues can help with the planning process.

Additionally, utilizing online scheduling tools can help you get organized and prepared for summer school. Quick Schools, for example, is an online tool that helps administrators and educators of all kinds create schedules to fit their needs. You can customize schedules to meet the specific needs of your school and make changes at any time.

Make It Fun

Making summer school fun is no easy task. Students have been hard at work all year and so have school staff. In order to create a culture of fun and to motivate students and staff, it’s important to remember to have fun. Some ways to do this include:

• Incorporate school spirit weeks
• Offer attendance incentives
• Give staff “jean days” or “dress down days”
• Research ways to increase staff morale
• Include multiple avenues of instruction in learning (videos, songs, movement, etc)
• Encourage collaboration
• Provide rewards for good student behavior
• Encourage Summer Reading at school and at home
• Create a summer school theme (examples: Splash into Summer, Keep Climbing, etc)

Remember that without staff, schools cannot operate! Treat staff with respect and appreciation and summer school will go off without a hitch!

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What is Enrichment in School?

Typically, enrichment during summer schooling pertains to remediation. These remedial programs emphasize core content for students who had difficulty reaching proficiency/mastery in a particular course. These courses are, of course, created with an acceleration concept in mind. That is, during a condensed period of time, students must achieve levels that will allow them to be promoted from current grades to the next grades. They are enriching, or building upon, those skills they presented as basic or possibly below basic.

Sometimes, they are presented in the forms of camps during the summer for students to enhance what they already learned from the year. It helps prevent the summer loss students experience over the lengthy summer break.

Sometimes enrichment can occur through a collaborative effort of local universities, depending on the geography, though the virtual advances of technology can help rural areas. They can offer true enrichment courses that enhance the depth of understanding from initial topics learned during the school year. Students may even be able to earn credits toward post-secondary education.

What is Credit Recovery?

The United States Department of Education defines credit recovery as “a strategy that encourages at-risk students to re-take a previously failed course required for high school graduation and earn credit if the student successfully completes the course requirements.”

Credit recovery concentrates on students who are simply looking to recover a failed course, rather than get enrichment for content. While they will complete the content necessary to get the credit, it does not target those skills that were not proficient, but instead has the student work through pre-established content. This ultimately prevents a student from falling further behind in high school credits, thus still giving them a “chance” to continue with their graduation cohort.

Which Students Benefit Most from Enrichment?

There is no doubt that younger students will benefit from enrichment more than the traditional concept of summer school and credit recovery. Because the foundational elements of content (notice it isn’t just the core content but includes technology, arts, etc.) are so integral in the elementary and middle-school ages, the differentiation in instruction works quite well. Educators can prepare objectives that enhance those basic skills from the previous year.

This approach is supported by the idea that most curricula are built according to one pathway during the year with differentiation extending the content in the classroom, as opposed to high school where several pathways exist based on skill sets. So, especially in the elementary and middle school grades, differentiation is of the utmost value. These foundational skills are improved through enrichment, which creates a much stronger opportunity for students to be successful during their high school years.

Which Students Benefit Most from Credit Recovery?

The credit recovery process is most effective for some middle school students and definitely for high school students. Since credit recovery is more about simply getting the credit, not as much emphasis is placed on the lack of proficiency in skills but more on the fact that the course was failed. It does not mean that teachers still shouldn’t care for the foundational elements of the course; for example, any math class, specifically Algebra 1, because it is building block-oriented should still reach for proficiency or mastery status before completion of the credit recovery. Most of the time, these courses may have moved beyond foundational skills and focus on depth or areas outside of a general curriculum.

Depending on the design of the middle school program, students in eighth grade would benefit from credit recovery in order to transition into the high school. Some middle schools do not keep track of credits, thus eliminating the need for any form of recovery, in those cases.

What Constitutes an Effective Summer School Program?

No matter which direction a school aims, whether with credit recovery or enrichment, several characteristics will make for an effective summer program.

Engagement is one of the most important aspects to consider when developing a program. Students taking these programs do not often represent the highest levels of motivation, so the activities and ideas must be engaging and relevant (meaningful) for them. Rigor should be included at the appropriate levels, but it should not outpace the idea that students want to learn and want to have fun doing so.

Relationships are paramount to student learning. Summer school programs can fail if teachers are simply present for the financial aspects. They must be the cheerleaders for this group of students, as well as veteran enough to identify the gaps in non-proficiency and adjust instruction and assessment accordingly. Their goal is to get these students to enjoy learning in order to support their unskilled areas.

Finally, fostering a comprehensive collection of social, emotional, and physical components will strengthen any summer school program. Students want a positive atmosphere, a desire to feel safe, will best learn on full stomachs, and will accept any support when these areas are fulfilled. They are still in the formative stages of development and teachers have the opportunity to direct them in a positive direction.

Depending on the how school districts want to focus their summer school programs and the age levels with which they are working, they have some choices to make. Is credit recovery for students the goal or is it building on foundational skills that students will need in order to be successful in their next educational stages?

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Get a Team Together to Collaborate on the Plan

Whether it is a few other administrators working on the same type of project or a few lead teachers who know the audience and the curriculum needs, collaboration is always a good place to start. It is important to have other colleagues with whom you can discuss ideas and postulate problems and solutions. Likewise, you will want to choose people who have effectively worked with online conferencing platforms and can share experiences and ideas.

A team of three to five is ideal, as too many people involved can slow down the process, and with summer quickly approaching, you need to get started as soon as possible.

Determine the Scope

As with the development of any new program, an administrator needs to carefully consider the scope of the project. Who will be involved and how many will attend are the first questions that need to be addressed. The entire student population may have lost eight to 12 weeks of traditional class instruction, yet it would be a daunting task to try to get every student involved in summer school online. Other questions that might be addressed include:

• Will the program cover all content areas and electives or will it be based on selected courses?
• Will the program be open to all students K-5, 6-8, and/or 9-12 or be more selective to narrow the participants?
• If you choose to narrow the number of participants, how will those students be chosen? Will it be based on benchmark scores, final grades, or other criteria?
• Will you need one teacher per content area or multiple teachers per subject/grade?
• How many students will be able to enter each hosted class?
• How long will the summer program last and will it meet every day of the week or only a few days each week?
• What length of time will each meeting last, knowing the students’ development needs?

You and your team know your student population best and your most pressing needs. The first step you must conquer is identifying the scope of the online program and then you will better be prepared for addressing other issues.

Choose a Learning Platform

The next question that needs to be addressed is what kind of platform will work best for your school’s needs? The age of your students may help in determining the learning platform. Younger students will need a user-friendly site while older students will be able to share screens and files. Some platforms allow the host to divide the entire group into smaller groups and then go in and out of each group to listen and share ideas. This is very similar as to how teachers utilize small-group instruction within their classroom and could provide time for collaboration and peer tutoring. One way you can choose is to hold practice meetings on a few different platforms to see which would work best for your teachers and students.

Enrollment and Correspondence

In order to be able to enroll your students, you will need to determine how to conduct enrollment. Will you have teachers call, text, email, or put information on social media sites? Just remember, a personal contact will allow time for parents to ask questions while an invitation on social media may open the door for more participants wanting to attend. You will also need to determine how enrollees will gain access to the platform. Will they set up their own accounts or will the teacher set up accounts for each child?

Once enrollment procedures have been established, the administrator will need to develop guidelines for future correspondences from teachers. Some questions to consider include:

• How will teachers relay information for future dates and times of meetings to students?
• Will students who miss a session be able to view it at another time?
• How often will teachers relay student progress to parents, and how will this information be shared?
• How will assignments or activities be distributed and collected?

Final Preparation

As an administrator, you will need to prepare a method for holding teachers accountable. Will you visit meetings in progress and/or request documentation of student progress? Will you provide teachers with forms for data collection of grades, times met, and those in attendance? Also, you will need to determine how teachers will receive any necessary professional development prior to initiating the summer program and how they will be compensated.

Once you feel secure in your plans for online summer learning, teachers will need time to set goals, prepare materials, and contact students. Some teachers might need a tutorial on how to use the online platform if it has changed from what they used in the Spring or they are new to online learning. Some teachers might need time to conference with other teachers and share ideas on how to make summer learning rigorous and engaging. All teachers will need a chance to meet with you, even if it is through an online conference, and learn your expectations for making this summer’s online school a successful event.

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Parent to student: “You better work hard; I’m not paying for summer school!”

The threat of summer school is rarely enough to motivate a student who is already not doing well academically in a class or classes at school. In my experience, summer school has never been a positive thing in a student’s mind. Students are most often assigned summer school classes in subjects that they did not successfully complete. If they sign up for summer school and successfully pass the assigned coursework, they will not need to repeat the course during the following school year.

Summer school courses typically come with a monetary cost that covers teacher pay and materials. At my school, students have to earn a minimum of 50% for their final course grade to be eligible to take the course in summer school to earn credit. Our grading scale is typical: 0-59% F, 60-69% D, 70-79% C, 80-89% B, and 90-100% A. The reason for the minimum required is so that we are not allowing a scenario to exist where a student did 10% of the work for the class over the school year (180 days in PA) and then be able to attend 6 weeks of summer school and pass the course. A reasonable effort must have been shown during the school year for a student to be eligible to finish the course and earn credit through summer school.

The format of summer school has been in-person classes two hours in length per class with strict attendance guidelines. This year, due to COVID-19, our attendance expectations have changed, as our format has changed from in-person to online learning through our local cyber programming provider. Adjusting to this change brings about several concerns; will a student who has not been successful online over the past two months of school closure be any more successful now with the online format? How will this affect cost, attendance, and instructor support?

Looking forward, my hope is that summer school does not always need to come with a negative connotation laced with feelings of failure. I hope that we can create funds for a model of summer school that is aimed at preventing summer loss, encouraging retention of academic knowledge, and providing scaffolding for academic concepts that will be introduced the next school year.

What are ESY Services?

ESY is an acronym for Extended School Year. ESY programming exists to help students who have been identified as having a disability and fall under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). ESY happens over the same calendar months as summer school (break in school sessions), but has a different purpose and, sometimes, audience. Students who have been identified as eligible for special education services may be eligible to participate in ESY program services within their local school district. This programming comes at no charge to families or parents and is covered and protected by the school’s responsibility to provide students with disabilities a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE).

ESY programming is not designed to introduce special education students to new instruction or materials, but to prevent loss of skills over the summer. These could be social/behavioral skills, communication/organization skills, or any other goals that are included in their Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Eligibility to participate is determined by the IEP team: parents, case manager, regular education teachers, counselor, and possibly psychologist. Not all students with disabilities are eligible for ESY. The main considerations of the IEP team are; (1) Will the student regress without continuation of services during the break in school sessions, and (2) How long will it take the same student to relearn or regain the skills that they lost?

In-person programming is the most effective and conducive way to conduct ESY. This year, due to COVID-19 and potential social distancing guidelines as outlined by the CDC, schools are preparing to do their best at providing ESY programming through online instruction. This is much different, and without a doubt more difficult, than conducting session in-person, but preventing loss of skills is extremely important for students with disabilities.

ESY services are provided by special education teachers and other professionals who provide therapies that students would normally receive during the school year.

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Yet, in many schools these programs are not planned strategically. Often summer programs are staffed based solely on seniority. In reality, summer school should be staffed with the most innovative, respected, and skilled teachers in a building. Further, students should be specifically recruited based upon need. Failing simply due to lack of effort or attendance may not be the best identifier because these issues may persist in the summer as well. Additionally, summer school should not be open to anyone who is willing to attend, as this can easily become a babysitting service.

Summer school should be carefully planned with skilled teachers working in small-groups with students who have learning gaps with a purposeful, individualized curriculum. In planning, it is important to consider feedback as both students and parents deserve specific, quality, and timely feedback. Formative assessment measures must be imbedded in the program structure. Planned instruction should be engaging, purposeful, relevant, and fun. Summer school can be an opportunity to rekindle a love of learning. Planning summer school in this manner will lead to a program that can make lasting change.

In-School Program

Summer school is a remediation program that aims to provide additional instruction to key students. Summer school typically lasts about four weeks for approximately half of the traditional school day. Many elementary and middle school summer programs focus only on reading, mathematics, and writing.

Pros

Traditional summer school offers students additional time with skilled teachers. Teachers are able to adapt instruction instantly as student needs arise. Further, schools are able to provide additional care to meet the physical and emotional needs of the students enrolled in summer school. Students need human interaction, and the traditional classroom cannot be replaced.

Cons

Cons of traditional programs mainly relate to space and access. Some students in split families may live in other towns during the summer and may not have access. Others things like parental employment may limit student access. Most importantly, the COVID-19 pandemic has halted most traditional summer school programs.

Hybrid Program

Hybrid programs offer a blend of the traditional and virtual models of summer school. Students attend a traditional summer school program on select days or weeks, but also engage in some online instruction as well.

Pros

Hybrid programs still allow the traditional classroom experience. That is, relationships are still developed among the class. Research has shown that building productive relationships is critical to student achievement and growth. Students typically want to please and work harder for teachers that take the time to show they care. One additional pro of the hybrid program is that select students can attend on alternating days making small class size and differentiation easier.

Cons

The cons of hybrid programs largely parallel the concerns associated with traditional summer school programs. Further, the current pandemic has halted any in-person school attendance. As such, traditional and hybrid summer school programs will not be possible for most districts this summer.

Virtual Program

A virtual summer school program should have all of the quality metrics that are associated with a sound traditional summer school. Particular attention should be given to class size in developing a virtual summer school program. It is ideal to have classes of eight or less. If a district will not or cannot afford eight or less, consider small-groups with students with the most similar skill gaps. Having set office hours is recommended for a virtual summer school program. This recommendation will allow easy access for both students and parents as concerns arise.

Pros

Access and flexibility are key positives related to any type of online instructional program. Work and instruction can take place anywhere that connectivity is available. Further, summer school can proceed in a time in which many schools are closed. With careful planning, an online program can be nearly as effective as a traditional summer school program. As learning gaps have likely increased in the last couple of months due to school closures, online summer schools have the potential of stopping the summer slide that has already begun and reversing the effect. That is, key students can begin to make up for loss of instruction and work on closing learning gaps.

Cons

The drawbacks of virtual summer school programs are mainly associated with the lack of personal relationships and direct contact. Without careful consideration, these programs can seem less personal and engaging. Yet, with careful planning, educators can overcome the drawbacks and create highly engaging programs with high-quality content.

Programs should include a combination of live instruction in which special attention is given to reassuring students and building strong connections. In addition, virtual programs should include some prerecorded videos and engaging online assessments that reinforce skills covered during lessons. If all sessions were live, too much time would likely be spent on introductions and updates. An appropriate amount of socialization is key. As such, a blend of live and prerecorded is best to both foster a positive climate and give instruction focus.

A second drawback of a virtual summer school program is the amount of time that will need to be invested to create a quality program. Virtual programs require a lot of upfront planning. More time will need to be devoted to virtual programs compared to traditional summer school, at least initially. Also, there is always a fear of the unknown and new. One thing that is for certain, the pandemic has changed education in a way that educators would have never imagined within a few months. Further, there is no doubt that America’s dedicated educators will rise to this new challenge.

How to Determine Which Program is Right for Your School

If all options were available, the traditional format would likely be preferred by most schools. Personal contact and face-to-face instruction cannot be replaced. The closing of schools due to the pandemic has made many Americans see the value in our educational system. Teachers are the key to the future and cannot be replaced with technology.

Given that most, if not all schools, do not have the option of any traditional instruction this summer, virtual programs are likely the only option. Schools may be able to consider hybrid programs later in the summer, pending their state’s guidelines and taking social distancing measures. Teachers should view virtual summer school as an opportunity to narrow the learning gaps and provide high quality instruction. An open mind will be required, but this is an opportunity to make a difference.

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