This last weekend my daughters both showed their Brown Swiss heifers at a local four county fair. It’s a very laid back event, something that was good because we’d all been fairly stressed about things going on. From the garden going in way late to 4-H forms not being done to transporting our animals, last week was a long week and the weekend to sit a little bit wasn’t bad. In fact, I rarely had any technology out other then to take a picture.

Of course, I fire up my email this morning and there’s emails about missing forms (not sure where that is), suddenly scheduled meetings (really), and various “try this to be a better teacher” emails.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the fact that I’m more connected to education, but yet, there are those draw backs. It seems that our summers are becoming more and more invaded with “stuff” that has nothing to do with families. I use this time to be a swim dad, to get outside, to just be. I won’t be that teacher who demands payment for every minute outside of the contract, yet, where do we draw a line? And how can we say no without both that feeling of guilt and apprehension at being labeled someone who won’t play ball?

It’s just another conflict that we as educators will be forced into more and more as that “break” becomes more a working lunch, a time to check email and do work at home.

And how many of us like working lunches? 😉

20130617-121001.jpg