1. For teachers, summer's gentle breeze can feel more like a strong headwind.
After all, test-pressure season and other stressful parts of the year are over. Now
you've got materials to pack, grades to finish, and the occasional bird flying into
your classroom window and knocking itself unconscious. You're also starting to
suspect that your school's breakfast program has started serving energy drinks
and candy.
The temptation to go on autopilot is strong during the final stretch of the school
year, but that doesn't mean veering off course. It just means that in addition to
steering your class toward its destination you also need to prepare for a smooth
landing. Here are a few tips:
Have students review their work. If students have been keeping their work in
classroom folders all year, give them some time to reflect on their progress. Let
them read, revise, or share favorite assignments. Then ask them to pick a
specific number of papers to keep long term - you can have them decorate a
folder for this purpose. Have a recycling bin on hand for everything else.
Start thinking about next year. Right now you may not have the energy or the
fresh batch of hope you'll have when you're planning in August, but you do have
perspective. Start a computer file with ideas for making next year better. You
may even want to start a "good teaching ideas" email account for insights you
have on the go. Your regrets from this year can make you a better teacher next
year.
Make your parting message a positive one. If you're hoping for a teacher-
movie-style grand finale at the end of the year, the last few days can feel like a
bit of a letdown. The classroom walls are bare. Students are hyperactive or
absent or hoping you'll just let them play with their phones. Even if you are tired
and can't wait for the kids to leave for summer break, find ways to show them
that you are proud of their progress and will miss them. Students want to know
that you will remember them in a positive way. The last few things you say and
do will them remember you in a positive way as well.
