The Power of Predictability

September marks the start of a new semester, making it a fitting time to reflect on a benefit of our profession that might be overlooked at first glance: the predictable academic calendar. After 20 years in the classroom, I see the academic calendar as akin to a fringe benefit of the job. Before diving too deeply into this, I want to outline some assumptions for this discussion. For most teachers in the United States:

• The school year begins in mid-August and ends in early June.
• There is an unpaid summer break lasting seven to nine weeks.
• The contract day typically starts around 7 AM and ends around 4 PM, Monday through Friday.
• Classes are not held on most holidays or weekends.
• The calendar includes a winter break in late December/early January, a spring break in March/April, and a few other breaks based on context.
• The academic calendar for the following year can be reliably predicted based on previous years.

Of course, there is variation in these statements since schedules are shaped by a range of factors (e.g., state laws, semester length, school day length, snow days). Additionally, some teaching positions require time outside of these assumptions. For instance, music educators often have early morning rehearsals, evening concerts, and summer programs. Theater educators must oversee rehearsals and productions, and art educators may have to organize art shows. Although these additional responsibilities may come with extra pay, they are an expected part of the position. This differs from, say, a mathematics teacher who takes on additional duties like coaching a sport or advising a club.

Given these assumptions, why do I consider a predictable schedule to be a fringe benefit? My answer: once you understand the structure, you can make more purposeful and intentional choices about how you use your free time. Time is the most valuable resource we have—it’s finite and easily wasted. Moreover, we risk devaluing our time when we focus on the wrong things. Understanding when the profession of education provides free time and when it doesn’t can empower you to make better choices about how to use it. I’m not talking about using sick or personal days strategically (I find those often lead to more work), but about the time that is clearly defined by a typical academic calendar.

For educators, the unpaid summer break is particularly valuable because it offers a substantial window of time when you still have health insurance but no work responsibilities. It’s like having a mini-sabbatical each year, giving you the freedom to decide how to spend your time. The opportunities are numerous! For example, you might:

Visit family and friends: Spend a few days, a week, or even a month reconnecting with loved ones.

Spend quality time with children: If you’re a parent, summer is perfect for making lasting memories with your kids. You can also spend time with nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Experiment with a side hustle: If you’re passionate about a hobby, you have a great opportunity to test it as a business without the pressure of needing immediate profits.

Volunteer: If you’re dedicated to a cause, summer is a perfect time to contribute your time and support to organizations you care about.

Travel: With a flexible schedule, you can hunt for deals and be open to last-minute opportunities.

A picture from a trip to Mile High Comics 
in Denver during my spring break.

Pursue graduate education: Many programs offer flexible options, making it easier to further your studies over the summer.

Engage in seasonal work: Need extra income? You could work as a camp director, help out on the family farm, or assist with a friend's small business during the summer.

Engage in Seasonal Work. Just want a job that you can fit into June, July, or parts of August? Spend the summer as a camp director, help on the family farm, be an extra set of hands at your friend's small business, etc.

Managing your free time might be challenging at first. As I discussed in my post Focus Less on Numbers, new educators typically spend a lot of their free time learning the craft (e.g., preparing, grading, handling emails). If you've recently moved to a new town, you’re likely also exploring your community and figuring out how to manage everything. However, over time, as you build professional knowledge and settle into the job, the amount of time you spend on work-related activities outside contract hours should decrease. You become more efficient, more confident, and less reliant on detailed scripts. As this happens, you’ll see how you can better use your non-contract time.

The sooner you recognize how the academic calendar offers predictable windows of free time, the sooner you can plan to take full advantage of it. How does your choice of free time impact your personal finance journey? What goals could you achieve? If you haven’t yet, I encourage you to read my post, Navigating Your Personal Finance Journey.

Originally Posted September 7, 2024

Note: I recognize that building professional knowledge and improving efficiency with work time is a vast topic. At the top of my list in meeting these goals is rethinking assessment practices. I believe traditional assessments (e.g., timed paper-pencil exams) often waste time, create power struggles, and disengage students. Over the past five years, I’ve been evolving my assessment practices, incorporating technology tools and shorter, focused evaluations in some courses. In others, I’ve implemented labor-based grading. These changes have helped me humanize my practice, create more meaningful assessments, and make better use of my time. While I’m passionate about this, I believe the topic is too far from personal finance for this blog. Therefore, I won’t delve into it in my posts at this time.