Plan The End Of The School Year With Less Stress
It’s That Time Again
We all know what’s coming up. The End Of The School Year. Dun, dun, Duuuuun. Yet, every year it takes us a little bit by surprise. The end of the school year. It’s great. It’s horrible. All at the same time.
The exhaustion is real.
The excitement is real.
The kids are crazy (for real.)
The teachers are tired (for really real.)
Let It Go
You and your students deserve to have these last days filled with positive memories.
Here are some ways to end the school year filled with joy and energy.
Why Do We Stress? How Can We Stop?
Why do we stress? Because of all the EXTRA stuff that gets put on our plate. Let’s face it. Most days we are maintaining, and some days just barely getting by. Then the end of the school year comes with all its extras, and our life starts slowly unraveling.
The Solution
Form a Plan.
Just get it all out there.
Look at it for what it really is. It’s a lot but it can, and will, get done.
How you execute it will mean the difference between crying in the bathroom or laughing in the hall. Here’s a plan and free download templates to help you transform your end of school year.
Don’t Have Time?
Don’t have time to read this post but want the 3 list template? Click The Image Below- Fill in your info and check your email inbox. It will be there waiting for you.
Then I will periodically send you more freebies to help make your teacher life amazing.
3 List Of Low Stress-Sucess
Let’s make it visual.
First, make a list.
No, make 3 lists.
Planning, Prep and Fun
There’s nothing different about the end school, or is there? We still have to plan and prep but it’s the fun that gets us.
That sounds strange but the added pressure of the forced and expected fun is sometimes the problem.
I found this article from the ASCD about the end of the school year to be helpful.
List 1-Events Callendar
The first list is all the projects, activities, special school events, etc. This includes field trips, school assemblies, school performances, end of year memory books, yearbook signings, parties, summer birthday celebrations, testing (yuck), student clean-up (desks, cubbies, mailboxes, displayed projects), and classroom clean-up.
Just to name a few.
Why?
Once you have it all on the calendar, you are freeing up your mind. When you do that you automatically begin to destress. You can stop juggling those balls.
Go Public
Here’s a calendar for you to write down all the events. Make sure to write the time of the event too. Then put it somewhere everyone can see it. Students are good at reminding the teacher of events and during this time of year, that’s a good thing. (I’ve been that teacher who was 10 minutes late for an assembly because I’d forgotten all about it.)
Cross off each event and task as you complete it. When students get crazy, refer to the list and reaffirm that their positive behavior is needed to accomplish completing the list.
Don’t Make This Mistake
One year I wrote my list on the board (I didn’t use the calendar method), and it was amazing….. Until…. Dun, dun, dun. I came into my classroom one morning to find someone was extra efficient and erased the entire board. Nooooooooo. (Excuse me, people, I put “save” all over that impressive list.) So to help you from a fate worse than death I have created this cute little printable for you. The school of hard knocks is the mother of invention.
List 2- Special Supplies
The second list is the list of stuff you will need to have on hand. I’m the teacher that had her husband get 92 Popsicle at 1:00 in the afternoon so that the kids could have them at 1:30. Panic, panic, panic,- grumpy husband. Not good.
Are You Like Me? Do This.
I would actually place this list on the board too. Why? Well, if you are like me, I am a Paper Misplacer.
(Graduated First In My Class)
I always loose paper- so if it’s on the board, I can see what I need for the day and more importantly what I need for tomorrow and the next. I can add and delete at will. I also have had moms come in and say “What do you need for the last day of school?” Well, there it is for all to see. I have them initial by what they will provide, so I know who is bringing what. (Never erase any item on the list- Just cross it out) Yahooeeee. When I do go to the store (or shop my house), I usually snap a picture of the list on my phone, and it becomes my shopping list.
Another Printable For You
Print a bunch of these out and when you are doing your lesson plans, fill them out and put them on your board. Then you will know exactly what you need. Freeing up your mind from remembering lists of materials is going to help with the stress. Grab your free template below.
The Mother Of All Lists- List 3- The Teacher To-Do List
This is the mother of all lists. It’s the Teacher To-Do List. It’s the one that reads something like this: enter grades in SMS, do class inventory, clean shelves, submit report cards, complete student cumulative files, write thank you notes to volunteers, students, etc, enter student data into IEPs, turn in classroom purchase orders, staff meetings, parent meetings, curriculum meetings, make student gifts, attend various functions, (Seriously- can we have more meetings? NOT)
Do As Much As You Can Do and Then Delegate
Do as much on this list as you can before the last two weeks.
Here’s a big tip:
- Write your thank yous before you get the gift. Write out a form on a word document or card. Leave space for the name and a short thank you to describe the gift. If you are using cards keep the pen with the cards and then fill in the appropriate info when you get the gift. Fast, done. Hand deliver that thank you and be proud of yourself.
- Fill out as much of the cumulative file as you can.
- Get a mom volunteer to do the classroom inventory. This works really well if you have a past years template for them to follow so that they don’t miss any items.
- After the classroom inventory is done, do your classroom order. If possible grab your order from the last year and compare it to any “leftover supplies.” If you have 4 reams of lime green construction paper left, you might want to consider not ordering quite so many for the upcoming year. (um yeah that happened to me)
Plan for Next Year
Now make copies of the 3 lists and other documents like inventory, classroom orders, lesson plans, blackline masters and put them in a big envelope. Put them in a file cabinet for next year. You just did yourself a big favor. You don’t have to think and reinvent next year. What a lovely gift you have just given yourself.
Getting It ALL Done
So now your question is, “How am I going to do all of this and teach?”
Never fear. In the next blog post, I will have some ideas on how to structure your time to get some all of this accomplished during the regular workday.
If you liked this post and want to get “extra” good resources and tips, click the image above and you will receive these exclusive perks right in your inbox.
Until next time-
Remember you are amazing and that your energy and joy is changing the world. Now go be your awesome self.
Yikes, I almost forgot your bonus. It’s a Countdown to Summer Poster that’s included in the Template Bundle. Here’s what it looks like. I know some of you don’t do countdowns but my students always asked, “How many more days until _____.” It was a nice tool to help with them trying to remember. Here you go.
In Summary
You don’t have to end your school year stressed. With a bit of planning, prioritizing and delegating you can leave the classroom behind ready for an amazing and revitalizing summer. You deserve to be your best for you and your students. Use the free download templates to get the job done.
Other Posts About the End Of The Year
Spring Dot-To-Dot and Graph Freebie
Just a heads up. If you haven’t downloaded the Spring Dot-To-Dot and Graph bundle head on over to this post and grab it. Click the image below to go to that post.
Photo credits:
Photo by Ian Espinosa on Unsplash
Photo by Pim Chu on Unsplash
