Spring break is behind you, and each day is a day closer to summer vacation. So how are you feeling? Upbeat? Thankful? Overwhelmed? Exhausted? A mishmash of these emotions and more? I’ve known teachers who cruise through the end of the school year without breaking a sweat. Trust me—I was never able to pull this off. However, I always made it to the finish line, and you will too.
Here are five of my “berry” favorite end-of-the-school-year tips. What tips do you have? Please share!
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Keep a sense of humor. Laughter reduces stress and improves problem-solving ability.
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Find the positive. Let go of time-wasting negative thoughts.
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Prioritize. Focus on what really matters for today.
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Stay flexible. Anticipate delays and changes in schedules and routines.
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Love yourself. Say yes to sleep, no to self-doubt.
Thinking of you!
Diane
PS: And remember, we have oodles of end-of-the-year activities and forms for you to choose from at TheMailbox.com!
Oh my goodness the end of the year is always hard and filled with stress.
The one way I make it easy on myself and the kiddos is we work together to close our classroom down. I already have the kids cleaning toys in the sensory table, they are helping me with taking things off the walls and so forth. Everyday we spend a bit of time on it. That way the room is ready for summer on the last day but it provides the kiddos with closure and I can answer that big question as to why I can’t go with them. It also gives me time to ask what did you like the most this year.
Do activities that have students up and moving, especially if your classroom is not air conditioned. Even though movement may make them warm, they will forget about the heat if the move around to learn. Take them on “gallery walks”, play “quiz/quiz trade”, do exercises to math facts. When they sit at their desks in the heat I found they melt. You can even do many of these activities outside where there is more air movement.