Posted July 19 - There is a commonly held myth that teachers don’t work in the summer. Anyone married to a teacher - as I have been for nearly 40 years – knows that isn’t true.

In fact, many teachers do their best and most creative work in the summer when they can focus on professional pursuits.

Debra Lynn, professor of music, is having just that sort of summer. She emailed me recently and pointed me toward a website (https://debralynnmusic.wordpress.com/) that tracks her summer efforts, including progress on her composing and recording projects. Beyond the news of her summer work, I was drawn to the “completed works” page that lists nine compositions since 2015 and 20 total since 2010. Among them is one of my favorites, “I Find My Feet Have Further Goals,” which is sung each year during Baccalaureate by our graduating seniors.

I am grateful to all of our faculty who devote significant parts of the summer conducting research with students, pursuing academic and professional interests, preparing to teach during the coming year and, yes, recharging their batteries. Thank you for serving Manchester and our students so well.