What if you made learning your top priority this summer?

In?our?new book,?Educating with Passion and Purpose: Keep the Fire Going without Burning Out (out now from Wiley !), my co-author Meredith Matson and I write, "We believe a teacher's most important job is to be the lead learner." That's why we have an entire chapter called Being the Lead Learner!

Why do we write about leaning into learning in a book about teacher burnout?

• One antidote to the stagnation that often accompanies burnout is the fire of curiosity.
• By exploring your own passions and continuing to ask questions about your why, you'll build, develop, and strengthen your sense of purpose.
• Staying curious about your purpose can help you learn more about how to live and work in alignment with it.
• Embracing the identity of lead learner can show you the kind of educator you're passionate about being.

Here's an excerpt from what I share in that chapter:

Throughout my career as an educator I have always thought of myself as a learner first and have been drawn to opportunities to explore and experiment. These ongoing learning experiences have made me a better teacher by keeping me immersed in the learning process. Because I'm always searching for new ways to learn, I never feel "done." Learning on my own has always been a year-round pursuit, whether that meant embracing my own joyful, vibrant, enchanting, empowering learning experiences during the school day, after school, or over the summer.

Starting in my first years as a teacher, I applied for grants and fellowships and brought that learning back to my students. Whether I was studying with Shakespeare scholars in Stratford-upon-Avon, retracing my grandparents' 1983 journey through Soviet-era Hungary, training preservice teachers in the Bronx, or working in a vegan restaurant for my culinary school internship, I saw the world as my classroom, and I wanted my students to feel the same way.

Summer vacation is an ideal time for self-directed learning, but that doesn't have to mean travel. In the book, I also write about my summer learning experiences taking cooking classes, teaching summer school, and visiting museums right at home. Here are 4 prompts that Meredith and I include in the book that can help educators design their own summer learning experience:

Top 4 Prompts?for Planning Your Summer Learning:

1. If time and money were not factors, what would you like to learn this summer? How would you like to learn it?
2. What fills your tank as an educator? Where do your motivation, inspiration, and resilience come from? What do you?need to do to recharge this summer?
3. What would you like to learn to deepen your sense of purpose? What summer experiences?might help you better understand how to live and work in alignment with it?
4. What does it look like to be the lead learner in your classroom? What do your students need you to learn this summer?