BARBER BULLETIN
Last week of school - May 29-June 2
Finishing the Year Strong
Summer vacation is on the horizon. The hard work you’ve put in throughout the school year has paid off. Your room hums with productivity and wonder, at least most of the time. You’re almost there, but don’t relax the reins quite yet. Students can get antsy as the end of the year approaches, and without an end-of-year plan, the days can begin to spin out of control.
Here are a few strategies to help us all end on a high note!
Drive the Curriculum to the Very End
Why waste the few remaining days of school with “free time,” parties, and busy work?
Instead, put your students’ acquired skills into action.
A good book is an effective way to carry you through the final days of the school year. Whether you’re working in small reading groups or doing a class read-aloud, using literature through the end of the year is a handrail that many teachers find useful.
Give Students the Reins
If your students have proved themselves by showing they are responsible, work well together, and respect your system, let them run the show. This doesn’t mean you loosen your demand that they follow routines or continue to meet high expectations—it simply means they’ve earned more responsibility.
When I taught elementary school, I assigned seats. But in the last few days, I would let students sit where they wanted to at certain times of the day. I’d explain, “You’ve proved to me that you can be responsible and make good choices, so I am happy to let you take on more responsibility. Feel free to sit where you feel you will do your best.” The students loved it, and the extra accountability brought out the best in them.
This can even extend to the morning meeting. You’ve been running it for the past 175 days. It’s time to let someone else give it a go. Let a small, rotating group of students plan and run the meeting while you become a proud participant, watching your students take over with ease.
Finish With a Positive Message
All kids look forward to summer vacation, but for those who struggled throughout the academic year, whether because of behavioral or academic difficulties or out-of-school issues, the end of the year can be a relief and feel like a chance to move on. Their parents might feel the same. Reach out to these students and families with a positive message. It will send them into the summer break feeling better about a school year that you all know was not easy.
For these students, if you haven’t done so already, create some guaranteed “wins.” Even if it’s simply having them erase the board, sharpen pencils, or serve as line leader, be sure they get to do something that makes them feel good about themselves. Even if you cannot seem to find anything they do well, make up something that will bolster their self-esteem.
To finish on a positive note with parents, share the successes their child had over the year. Even if the relationship between you and the family was strained, share an appreciation of their child with them.You want parents to head into the fall feeling optimistic about their relationship with the school and their child’s teachers.
Leave It How You Want to See It
The last kid just walked out the door, giving you a hug and a high five. You’ve cleaned up most things and thrown a few others in random boxes and shoved them into the corner.
You’re ready to walk out the door. But wait.
Picture this: You’ve finished an awesome workout at the gym. You’re sweaty and feel great. Instead of washing those socks, you leave them in your shoes. A week later, when you go back to the gym, you need to find a clean pair of socks or cancel your workout.
Think of your classroom the same way. Do not slack on cleaning and packing up. I know—you’re done in. But when you come back, the last thing you want to do is reorganize. You want to open your classroom door and feel like the room is pretty much set up. Short of pressing a button and—BAM!—magically having everything fall into place, how can you best ensure you won’t walk into chaos in the fall?
Give your students jobs and label everything with your name, room number, and contents. When school begins, you’ll be able to spend time planning for the upcoming year and not searching for your stapler and those rainbow-colored pencils.
Whether it’s your 30th year or your first, everyone deserves congratulations when the school year ends. Your students, their families, and you can now rest easy over the summer knowing you ended the year with passion and creativity. Finishing strong will lead to returning strong in the fall.
This article was pulled from an excerpt from Otis Kriegel. He is the author of Everything a New Elementary School Teacher REALLY Needs to Know (But Didn’t Learn in College).
A Look at our Week Ahead:
Tuesday:
Child Development Water Day
8:30am 2nd grade AWARDS Day
12:30pm 4th grade AWARDS Day
12:30pm 5th grade picnic
1:45pm TA Meeting
2:00pm Calendar meeting
5pm Retirement Dinner to honor Karyn Taylor
Wednesday:
7:30am PLAY Breakfast book study at PES
5th grade MOCK Middle School experience
11:30am HALF DAY DISMISSAL
1pm Montessori team meeting
2:30pm Lighthouse Team meeting
5pm Montessori 5th picnic at Sesqui
Thursday:
Last Day of School
Report Cards distributed
11:30am Half Day dismissal
12:30pm Lunch Served
1:30pm End of the Year staff meeting
Friday: Teacher Workday/SWAP