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Eric Baylin's
Songs to Brighten
A Teacher's Day


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It's not that you dont love the job -- and your students. Its not that youre not deeply saddened at the thought of this class moving on. Really its not. Its just that the arrival of summer is so worth singing about. Join the chorus!

Oh, My Summer

(To the tune of Oh My Darling, Clementine)

Its almost here, the jewel of a teachers calendar: summer! Its up for grabs who longs for it most, the students or their teachers. Dont get me wrong. I love the work. I love the kids. But give me a break -- a nice long, long break. Weve hobbled through May with waning energy. The finish line is in sight. The arrival of summer is really something worth singing about, truly a cause for celebration Belt this one out with colleagues in big hearty voices.

About the Lyricist
Eric Baylin has been a teacher for 36 years, working with a variety of age levels in both public and private schools in New York and North Carolina. He currently works at Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn, New York, a K-12 independent school established in 1854. In addition to teaching art and photography to middle- and high-school students, Baylin coordinates a program of collaborative faculty study groups in Packer's professional development program.

In a building, in a classroom,
Ive been teaching every day,
But the tank now, its on empty,
Ive got nothing left to say.

Chorus:
Oh, my summer, oh, my summer,
Oh, my summers finally here.
There were times I didnt know if
I would make it through the year.

No more classes, no more meetings,
No more kids to entertain,
No more donuts for my homeroom,
No more parents who complain.

Chorus:
Oh, my summer

Wrote my comments on my laptop.
Ive had such computer woes.
Looked around, but never found them,
Didnt save before it froze.

Chorus:
Oh, my summer

These were lean years for some seniors,
Always turned their work in late,
Didnt know if they would make it
To the stage to graduate.

Chorus:
Oh, my summer

Oh, its not that I dont love them.
Oh I absolutely do.
But Im tired, uninspired,
And I need a month or two.

Chorus:
Oh, my summer

In July, I start relaxing,
Give myself a lot of slack.
Then a letter comes in August
Im not ready to come back.

Chorus:
Oh, my summer, oh, my summer,
Oh, my summers finally here.
There were times I didnt know if
I would make it through the year.

Song lyrics copyright 2005 Eric Baylin