3 Great End of Year Suggestions for Teachers
You might be done or very close to being done for the school year. Still, I wanted to cover 3 great end of year suggestions I highly recommend before you exit for the summer. This might not be your typical list, but this list is from personal experiences.
If you’re the type of person who shoves everything in the cupboards and closets and worries about it come late July or August, I see you. I am you! Spending one more minute at school come June, was not something I could fathom. I just had to escape, so shoving everything in closets and drawers and dealing with it later was my ideal situation. I am not here to tell you to do that differently. No, this list is less evident than that.
3 Great End of Year Suggestions
1. Grab Food Before The Critters Do
Grabbing all food, snacks, and beverages may seem like a no-brainer to some and trivial to others, but I have learned the hard way that not doing this can ruin the start of a year. This can be especially true when things like student rewards or the fridge get forgotten.
I used to work in a modular, and we moved rooms right before we left for the summer. In the packing process, snacks and candy accidentally got packed. When I returned in late July, my room was coated in mouse droppings. They had eaten through boxes, gotten into snacks, and they had even eaten through a juice box corner. It was not pretty and took hours to clean up.
After that, I always took anything edible out of my room for the summer. Not to mention, I used that foaming spray to fill up all the holes I could find in the corners of the modular. Ah, the joys of working in a trailer.
So end of year suggestions must begin with getting everything edible out of your room.
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2. Wipe Down Boards
Secondly, make sure you wipe down boards when markers are fresh, and it is much easier for the marks to come off. I once inherited a whiteboard that the previous teacher had not adequately cleaned. It took over 30 minutes of diligent wiping and spraying and going over the marker again and again with a fresh marker to get the old stain off.
I even had to use Goo-B-Gone to get adhesive off the board too. It was no fun, and it was time I could have better spent elsewhere. So take two minutes and wipe all your boards clean before you leave.
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3. Reflect on Your Year
Lastly, and on a more serious note, take some time to complete a reflection on your year. You can easily have the kids complete one, as well, using Google Forms.โข Think about what went well and what didn’t. What did you not cover before state testing that you probably should have? What could you have left out that wasn’t necessary? How were kids’ needs best served? What flopped and shouldn’t be repeated? What was a homerun and needs to happen again? Also, think about how school went for you socially. Where can you get more involved, and where can you pull back and have more time?
By reflecting now, while thoughts are fresh, you’ll be able to capture moments that won’t happen in a week or two or in August. I know you’re tired, but this reflection is really best served now. Then put it somewhere you’ll easily find it come fall. You’ll appreciate looking over it in August, and you’ll have a leg up in your planning, remembering key ideas and details.
Grab your reflection materials here!
Suggestions for End of Year Tasks
What are your end of year suggestions and tasks? Share your ideas or routines with me in the comments. I’d love to know what you make sure to do before you leave for the summer each year.
If you want a list of three things to do each day before you leave the classroom, check out this post on Ways to Ease your Life with Afternoon Tasks.
And if you want ideas for students, check out this End of the School Year Activities post from my friend, Cognitive Cardio, as well as this End of the Year Activities post here on my blog.
