Teachers’ family plans heat up (during summer vacation/as summer vacation approaches)

 

Despite having had a hectic school year, teachers will be able to enjoy their summers reconnecting with their families by traveling and relaxing. 

"Summer is a time to relax, travel and take lots of pictures. That is how [my family and I] reconnect," Spanish teacher Arnoldo Rodriguex said. 

Rodriguex often does summer activities that relate to the subject he teaches at school with his wife, who is also a teacher, and his two kids. 

"All trips we have taken have been to Hispanic countries. We always explore the culture and traditions [of those countries] and then relax on the beach," Rodriguex said. 

History teacher Matthew Torrens also often draws from his interest in history to create unique summer experiences for his family. For the last three summers, he and his wife, along with their four kids, have taken road trips half way across the country for family reunions,  visiting places such as Minnesota and Illinois. 

"Five years ago, I took my three of my kids and we visited all the missions in California, which was kind of nerdy," Torrens said. "On these road trips across the country, we're always stopping at Buffalo Bill's grave site or other weird things [like that]." 

Teachers and their families often take away unforgettable memories from their summer vacations together. 

"There are a lot of weird stories from being on a road trip with four kids, [including] changing poopy diapers in the middle of the highway," Torrens said. "One time we were driving across Nevada and I got pulled over by a highway patrolman for speeding and he said 'I'll let you go because I can see that you can't afford the ticket', so that was kind of cold."

For Rodriguex, one of the most memorable experiences occurred when he and his family traveled to Panama and visited the Emberá indigenous people. 

"We had to travel by canoe for a long time to get to [the Emberá] reservation. [However,] the indigenous person that was rowing the canoe was wearing a loin cloth that exposed most of his behind," Rodriguex said. "Both of my children were sitting right behind 'his behind' and complained of how badly it smelled. My wife and I were laughing all the way to the reservation site." 

Teachers also build traditions with their families during the summer. Torrens, for example, enacts a point system with his children every summer. His children have to get up in the morning and do certain jobs in order to earn points. The points are then tallied up at the end of the week and "spent" on fun local excursions. 

"When they were young, [the points were used for things] like going to places like Happy Hollow and Gilroy Gardens but now they want to go to places like Great America," Torrens said. 

Torrens is also looking forward to catching up with kids and his extended family this upcoming summer.

"We're driving out to southern Utah for a family reunion," Torrens said. "I'm also going to take two of my kids to go backpacking this summer for three days up in the Sierras at this place called Thousand Lakes."

  However, Torrens will be able to spend quality time with just his wife this summer as well.

"My wife and I are going for five days up to Lake Tahoe. We're going to actually hike up the Donner Pass," Torrens said. "I'll probably bring some beef jerky as a joke."