“I love those two weeks between school ending and summer school beginning,” Ray says. “I think I spend most of that free time in my friends’ backyards, catching up and having a good time. “By the time summer school starts I’m ready to go,” she adds.
The big pay off
Working as a summer school teacher has its rewards, Ray explains, even more than just helping to pay the bills. “It’s nice because it’s a half day, but a half day of very intense work. In summer school the kids are extremely involved. It’s great to see them accomplish their goals and succeed through hard work.”
Following the five-week summer school program, Ray says it’s back to unwinding and her friends’ backyards. “It’s how I reenergize to teach 160 kids for 180 straight days,” she says.
Summer, year-round
Captain Bob Burkhardt, an educator for NorthBay educational camp on the headwaters of the Chesapeake Bay, says there is no formal “summer vacation.”
But that’s okay with him. “I don’t look at it as not having a summer vacation because I’m enjoying my job every day,” he says. “I’m teaching, but I’m not in a formal classroom. I’m outside and on the water in a beautiful environment. I love what I do.”
Burkhardt says that with a full-time staff of more than 100 professionals at NorthBay, “we use experiential education to instill confidence, knowledge, and leadership in young people and teach them that their actions have a lasting impact on the future. And in the summer, our camp is a bit different. We do the classic adventure camp things, but it is very educational too, blending science and ecology into our activities for the day.”
No ‘down’ time
Burkhardt received his degree in geosciences from Salisbury State University on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. After college, with a lifelong love of the water and the Bay, he obtained his United States Coast Guard OUPV (Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels) license. Burkhardt’s interests were a perfect mix for NorthBay as the waterfront director and faculty member.
“There’s really no such thing as ‘down time’ here atNorthBay,” he says with a laugh.