As teachers take sabbaticals throughout the school years, a question that always surfaces when they announce their absence to their classes is, “What are you doing during your time off?” A misconception is that teachers only take the time off to sit on a comfy couch and watch TV the whole time. This rumor is very untrue to what teachers strive to complete during their few months off. Sabbaticals are a time for teachers to take a break from teaching and to become the learners themselves.
WFS Upper School Music Teacher Margaret Anne Butterfield took a sabbatical in 2017 during the spring semester, and currently, English 9 Teacher Katy Kenney is embarking on her sabbatical journey. Both Mrs. Butterfield and Mrs. Kenney set professional goals for what they wanted to accomplish while on sabbatical. Mrs. Butterfield answered, “Originally, my goal was to learn more about musical technology, which I did. I also wanted to learn Spanish, but I was not able to do that because I got so in-depth with my music technology, and that just took over, which was really great.” The goals a teacher makes for themselves vary from one to many. While Mrs. Butterfield was focused on one goal, Mrs. Kenney is pursuing multiple goals. Mrs. Kenney says, “I have a research project that relates to having a writing center or peer tutors for writing. I want to do some research into developing a curriculum that combines museum visits and English-related work. I have a lot of books I want to read and review for possible use in English Nine or other English courses, and I’d also like to complete a short audio-storytelling project and complete a screenplay translation of a piece of literature.” The range of opportunities for a teacher taking a sabbatical is well represented between Mrs. Butterfield and Mrs. Kenney.
Along with learning music technology, Mrs. Butterfield also took this opportunity to spend quality time with her family, to focus on herself, and to take time to volunteer. However, her ultimate sabbatical goal was to bring back a better and more advanced program for Wilmington Friends. “I took several courses in music technology. All of them were online, and the particular programs that I learned about while I was taking those courses just ignited an interest in me to pursue this a little further.” Mrs. Butterfield introduced the Algorithms class to the music and technology program at Wilmington Friends School. Now in its sixth year, this technology-based music-making class has become a student favorite!
Mrs. Kenney, whose sabbatical is just underway, says she is excited to experiment with new writing and reading ideas to bring back to English Nine. “I’m really pursuing projects that I can bring back to make English Nine a better course and to support and expand on the work the English department does.” Mrs. Kenney’s personal goal of taking a sabbatical is to have more time for herself, to go to museums, and to spend a lot more time with her dog, Mouse. This opportunity for Mrs. Kenney has been long-awaited, and it is clear that she is enthusiastic to see what extraordinary changes she can make to the English Nine learning program.
Over the years, many Wilmington Friends’ teachers have taken sabbaticals. These learning journeys have proven to be meaningful not only to the educators but also to the many students who have benefitted from the experiences their teachers have gained during their sabbaticals.
