Are you the type of teacher who looks forward to summer professional development, or are you trying to avoid anything related to learning until you absolutely have to go to a training seminar? Chances are you are somewhere in the middle. If you find yourself looking for a relaxing yet meaningful way to grow professionally this summer, try these quick and easy activities

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How often do you get the chance to really get engulfed in academic reading?  If you have ever had the urge to get to the heart of a troubling issue in education or simply have wanted to learn something new about your craft, the summer break is the perfect time to dive right in.  Even during the summer, our lives can be busy, but without the hustle and bustle of the day-to-day classroom and school activities, we can really take the time to dissect an academic topic at your leisure.  Make a list of the educational topics that pique your interest or get you on a soapbox the quickest.  Then, search for relevant journals, books, or research articles, and strive to make the complex plain.   Analyze the reading as though you were going to be responsible for supporting a new teacher on that topic.  Before long, you will discover just how much you can grow professionally from simply researching topics of your choice during the summer break.