12 Tips For Finishing The School Year

The end of the school year is just around the corner. At this point teachers often marvel at the progress their students have made and feel nostalgic about finishing with their class. At the same time teachers are often exhausted, running on adrenaline and wondering how they will have everything completed by the end of term. Here are 12 tips to breeze through the last weeks of term and finish the year on a high note with your class.

1. Pack Up Early: Plan to finish course work and send student books home in advance. Take down displays, clear out tote trays and complete projects so that it’s not a rush to get everything sorted on the last day of school.
2. Mark Efficiently: It’s not uncommon for teachers to have marking to catch up on before sending student books home. The reality is that parents are likely to read over the final learning activities in a student book rather than the first. So it’s important that you complete all marking. Mark efficiently using rubrics, use stamps rather than stickers and dot points for feedback. Time yourself and see how quickly you can batch a set of student books. To learn more read my post The Key To Effective And Efficient Marking.
3. Go With The Flow: Interruptions and cancelled lessons are inevitable at this time of the year. Changes to the timetable and calendar are often made with little notice as the leadership team are also incredibly busy finishing end of year projects. Go with the flow and be adaptable to these changes.
4. Get Outside: Your students will be tired struggle to focus with holidays just around the corner. Make the most of the sunny weather and take your class outside. This might be as simple as a run around the playground or a quick game of dodge ball. When children are active they are more cognitively alert. To learn more read my post Brain Plasticity and Movement. Alternatively plan hands on activities that can take place in the playground so that students can enjoy collaborative work without constantly focusing on using their ‘inside voices’.
5. Class Awards: Host a special ceremony for your class with personalised awards for each student. Consider a student and teacher award for each child. Allocate each child another student to write a certificate for as well as presenting your own award to acknowledge personalised areas of growth and achievement.
6. Class Gift: Classroom teachers often like to send their students home with a small gift to celebrate the end of year. There is no need to hand make individualised gifts for each student. It is also best to avoid a food related gift. Instead just buy a simple present such as a packet of stickers, hand ball or decorative pencil. There is also no need to gift wrap each present. The students will unwrap their gift immediately and throw the wrapping away.
7. Thank You Presents: It is a good idea to buy a present for your grade partner and leadership team to thank them for their support during the year. Again this does not need to be expensive or hand made. A simple gift such as a book or plant will be appreciated.
8. Tidy Your Classroom: Be ruthless in what you throw out and recycle. It’s unlikely that you’ll need spare copies of worksheets the following year. Do a thorough clean up in order to clear the clutter for a fresh start the following year. If you are moving classrooms or leaving the school it is even more important to leave your classroom tidy.
9. iPad Projects: For classes with one to one iPads, use the flexibility of the final weeks of term for students to work on a creative project. Students can develop an iBook using BookPress or Book Creator to reflect upon their learning in a topic. Similarly they can create an animation using iMotion HD or Puppet Pals to answer questions such as ‘How have you grown this year?’. To learn more read my post 8 Creative iPad Projects To Finish The School Year.
10. Smile: As you get tired, this is likely to show on your face. Therefore, greet your class and colleagues with a smile. Smiling has a powerful impact on your brain as it fuels a chemical reaction releasing dopamine and serotonin which makes you feel happier. ‘Even forcing a fake smile can legitimately reduce stress and lower your heart rate’ (Dr Sivan Finkel).
11. Practice Gratitude: Gratitude counteracts negative emotions. Those who express gratitude are relatively happier, more energetic and hopeful. Sonja Lyubomirsky in her book ‘The How of Happiness’ suggests frequently counting your blessings to increase levels of thankfulness and appreciation. Spend time writing down what you are grateful for from the school year. Ask students and colleagues what they are thankful for and  celebrate their successes. To learn more see my four part series Growing Happiness.
12. Celebrate: Plan a special activity to celebrate the end of year. This might be a massage, manicure, celebratory dinner or even a night at a hotel in the city. It is very motivating to maintain energy and enthusiasm levels when you have something to look forward to.