What Do Walls Teachers Have Lined Up for Summer Break?

With summer break fast approaching, SWW faculty members are looking forward to their own fun in the sun. Whether it's going on an international trip or staying here for a well deserved staycation, Walls’ beloved teachers have exciting things planned for the extended break. 

Mr. Adam Vrooman, a biology teacher, prioritizes travel over the break. “I like to travel, usually one beach location, so someplace warm and near the water, and one sort of mountainous or more outdoorsy area as well.” Vrooman typically visits different destinations each year, but a few consistent favourites have been Spain and Mexico City. This summer he will continue this trend, and has plans to embark on trips to Germany and Spain. 

Math teacher Mr. Gabriel Webster also enjoys taking some time outside the city, and has big plans for an international trip this summer. “I’m going on a bike trip with some friends in Iceland. We’re going to fly to Iceland, rent bikes, and spend five days biking in a national park” he said. Webster also took a trip outdoors last year, when he traveled to the grand canyon with his wife, English teacher Ms. Laura Webster. 

When not exploring abroad, Mr. Vrooman likes to take advantage of DC’s most popular attractions. “I usually take a week to have a DC staycation,” he said, “So I like to be a tourist in the city and spend time revisiting some museums, parks, going to the arboretum, and just being able to experience the city during the daytime.”

Mr. Christopher Alberts, music department chair, also enjoys staying rooted in DC over the summer. “I spend more time with my girls, just hanging out, doing day trips, or grilling in the backyard,” he said. Mr. Alberts also likes to use the summer as time for home improvement projects. He explained,“I build or fix something. I always need a hands-on project. It helps me decompress and feel productive” he said.

Mr. Vrooman, like Mr. Alberts, spends some of his time over the summer working. Each summer, he teaches Walls’ Summer Bridge program and works on developing the curriculum for the following year. Explaining his process, he said: “I usually reflect on the activities throughout the year. Kind of what worked, what might need a refresh, kind of the responsiveness of students to those materials.”

Generally, there’s consensus among faculty that the extended break is beneficial, both personally and professionally. “If I didn’t get that time to reset, I’d be useless by October. Summer gives me a chance to be a better teacher and a better dad,” Mr. Alberts said. Mr. Vrooman shared that sentiment:, “I recognize it’s important to have just a cognitive brain break from work throughout the year.” He also mentioned that it was important for students too. “I think it’s really beneficial, just like for students to be able to refresh and take that time to reflect, enjoy family, explore new hobbies, things that people should be doing throughout the year” he said. 

Mr. Webster agreed, and he believes in taking some time during the summer to delve deeper into his area of expertise. “I always like reading a couple books about math and teaching. I don’t have any capacity to do that during the school year… It’s nice to get a little break and then part of that is doing some heavy thinking about how to teach math.” Mr. Webster also believes this time is beneficial to his teaching in an indirect way, as it gives him time to recharge and bring more energy to the school year. 

The break does have its downsides in the teacher's eyes though, and Mr. Vrooman outlined a schedule that he would prefer. “I would almost rather have a year round school with two weeks off between semesters” he said, citing his appreciation of consistent routine and inflated travel prices during the summertime. However, all three teachers agreed that it would be beneficial for DCPS to extend its break. Mr. Vrooman highlighted the benefits of previously working in a district where summer break lasted approximately two and half months, relative to DCPS’ one and a half.

And so whether our teachers are planning on having fun in the sun or spending time with their families this year, come June 18 they will be in full swing all summer long.