There always seems to be a collective sigh of relief when the last day of the school year has arrived. The warm summer months can be spent immersed in many social and outdoor activities, however, summer is also a time when we as educators can pick up needed professional development courses to advance on the salary scale or renew our state license.

As a higher education faculty member who has offered summer courses for years I have found that many teachers intend to take summer courses, but want to take a few weeks off in June and July before registering and completing their courses. Before they know it time has slipped away and they are frantically trying to cram their summer professional development needs into the month of August not realizing that most colleges take up to four weeks to process summer grades.

We as teachers generally need our credits submitted prior to the start of the new school year so submitting final coursework in late August can mean grades aren’t posted or credit verified and assigned until mid September.

To avoid the stress of late August course submission it may be wise to actually register for your courses in June. This does not mean you need to aggressively attack the course once registered. If you register for self-paced online courses you will be able to work on the courses at your own pace, a bit at a time when it suits your schedule. Registering early for summer courses can significantly reduce the stress that can come with completing summer coursework.

So, register early and enjoy completing your summer coursework at a pace that fits your schedule.