Summer Vacation

As a teacher summer vacations float on the horizon variously slipping away from the pier at the end of each school year or approaching the dock upon the all too quick recurrance of "back to school." Each summer approaches with renewed hope that it will be a hiatus from obligations, a time to travel, write a bit, relax a lot and to heal from the difficulties and pressures of the classroom. This summer is punctuated by jury duty for a three month period between July and September.

Naturally I foster hope that a kind, (fatherly?) judge might grant this miserable soul her request for transferral to another time of year...and yet doubt creeps in. My first request for "leave of absence" from jury duty between July 1st and August 20th was met by a formidable lady of the court telling me all about the law & how I am bound and obligated, indeed might be held in "contempt of court" for sailing away this summer as planned, indeed only for two weeks of the summer might I be granted "leave." I of course wrote another appeal for special consideration, but methinks the local court system is convinced that this obligation should take precedence over my personal desires and need to recover from a year of teaching at an alternative high school.

Realistically I spend ten months of the year devoted to public service, albeit in a different form, via class room instruction of "at risk" students, many of whom are aquainted with another side of the courtroom. And while I realize that many citizens serve their community in various forms and methods throughout the year, I wonder what part of the "system" recognizes this teacher as a special case for consideration. In general my experience of the public is one that provides encouragement and support to public school teachers although this is not by any means always the case.

A question I have revolves around the numbers involved. I have resided in this community for eleven years, during this time I have served on jury duty twice, for similar periods of duration. It starts to feel as if there is a dirth of potential jurors residing nearby. One wonders if members of the community are exempted for reasons other than having a criminal record? Does the Mayor have to serve on jury duty? Do the clerks of the court or judges? (Probably not the latter.)

A law abiding and responsible tax paying citizen, I recognize "fairness" to be a relatively childish notion with regard to living in general. Still it seems reasonable to request that I be allowed to enjoy the two months of summer vacation without this inconvenience.

Former experiences include a murder trial from which I was absolved serving as juror on due to the defendants' own admission of guilt, publicized in local newspapers prior to his hearing, which for some reason came about anyway. During his subsequent hearing, he confessed to his crime and all jurors assigned to the case were released from the burden of finding him innocent or guilty. How odd is that? Another case involved a person seeking damages (money) in addition to previously received monies (due to an unfortunate traffic accident), someone who apparently hoped to be awarded enough money to retire from of all things, teaching. How ironic is that?

One could imagine that I might prefer to serve on jury duty during the summer months, versus during the school year when I might have to subsequently miss time from my teaching obligations. However comforting it would be to believe all of us teachers to be a never ending font of giving toward humanity, I am not ostensibly without limits. In fact, my entire being resists giving up this precious freedom called summer vacation, and I would prefer the obligationary period of my life to be confined to my working months. After all, it is one of the greatest benefits of being a teacher.

Sailing away from my pier this summer has been a dream conceived long ago. Last July I purchased a beautiful and sound thirty foot sailboat capable of providing me with the means to enjoy several weeks of un-interupted respite on the waters of the Chesapeake. I admit to having doubts concerning my sailing skills and worries about the weather patterns which include increasingly violent storms accross the Nation. Still my dream exists regardless of these concerns, the considerable expense and time required to obtain the perfect sailboat which I can singlehand.

The fate of this summer dream is in the hands of a judge. I can only hope and pray that he will respond favorably to my request and permit me to sail forth under the skies of adventure so that I might begin again next school year with renewed energy and spirts.