Do you remember your time in a classroom? Perhaps there are flickering images of building with blocks, playing handball at recess, or you can possibly grasp the names of your teachers all the way back to kindergarten. Perhaps you remember running the mile in physical education, joining your first bake sale, or that time you wanted to learn to play the flute.

It’s officially summer in the northern hemisphere. Days of beach frolicking, no alarm clocks, park picnics, and RV tours are met with nights spent following the trail of fireflies, roasting that perfect marshmallow, and watching nature’s evening show as the sun meets the horizon.

These are the cherished days of summer where traditional schooling is flung by the wayside and finding fun reigns supreme.

June. The month where school kids get antsy, educators are doing their best to get it all in, parents are getting stuff ready for camp, and many are planning adventures near and far. It’s a change of season, the shedding of layers, an infusion of vitamin D, and a time when one door closes and another opens. Teachers in the United States are either counting the days or already out enjoying some well-deserved time away from school.