The first week of summer break is a magical time for behavior teachers.
For approximately 48 hours, we walk around in a state of complete confusion. We wake up at 5:30 a.m. for absolutely no reason. We hear a random loud noise and immediately wonder which student is climbing on furniture. We instinctively reach for a walkie-talkie that isn’t attached to our hip anymore.
Then reality sets in.
No lesson plans.
No ARD meetings.
No behavior data.
No parent emails marked “urgent” at 9:47 p.m.
Just freedom.
Naturally, with all this newfound free time, I decided to do something completely unreasonable.
I went car looking.
Now, before you picture me test-driving luxury SUVs and comparing leather interior packages, understand that car looking on a teacher salary is very different from actual car shopping.
Car shopping involves choosing between vehicles.
Car looking involves walking around dealership lots saying things like:
“That’s cute.”
“I wonder what the monthly payment is.”
“Oh.”
And then immediately walking away.
The salesman asks what kind of budget you’re working with, and suddenly you become an accountant.
“Well, technically, if I stop buying coffee, cancel three streaming services, eat ramen noodles, and convince my current vehicle to survive another school year…”
Meanwhile, the car you’re driving into the dealership sounds like it’s personally offended by your presence there.
The funniest part is that every vehicle starts looking practical when you’re not spending money.
I sat in a truck I’ll never buy.
A sporty SUV that’s definitely out of my tax bracket.
A vehicle with more screens than my entire classroom.
I pushed buttons.
Adjusted seats.
Pretended I understood all the fancy technology.
Then I got back into my faithful teacher-mobile and drove home.
And honestly?
It was kind of fun.
Because that’s what the first week of summer is about.
Not rushing.
Not solving problems.
Not breaking up arguments.
Not collecting data.
Just wandering around, looking at things, and remembering what it feels like to have nowhere urgent to be.
Will I buy a new car this summer?
Probably not.
Will I continue looking at cars like they’re houses on HGTV?
Absolutely.
Because after spending ten months managing behaviors, writing accommodations, attending meetings, and doing approximately seventeen jobs under the title of “teacher,” I have earned the right to sit in vehicles I can’t afford and dream a little.
Summer break is finally here.
And for now, the only thing I plan to manage is my air conditioning setting and my snack inventory.
Happy summer, fellow teachers. Enjoy the freedom while it lasts. August is already somewhere in the distance, warming up its copier jams and staff meetings.