This is officially the last Monday of the 2014-2015 school year for me. Four more days, a week of post planning, and then summer break–glorious summer break.
But what do you do with that last week? The students have checked out, and the administration has sent a “friendly reminder” warning us away from movies.
Sure, if you’re high school like me, exam days are Thursday and Friday, but the kids are all tested out (thank you, standardized tests).
Seriously, what do you do? I’d really like to know. If you’ve been following my Spring Survival Tips, then you know what I’ve been doing for the past eight weeks (if you haven’t, check out #s 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, and 2).
But this last week has got me stumped. I can see it in the very depths of even my best students’ eyes. “We’re done,” they say.
Well, me, too. But the school year’s not over–not yet.
So, I’ll remind my students of that with a final lesson (coupled with review). We will trudge along until the bitter end. And when things get crazy, and I start to think that maybe I made the wrong choices with my life, I will remember my last and most important spring survival tip:
Just Know You’re Not Alone
I always doubt myself, I’ll admit it. I think it’s part of being a teacher. I even wrote about it here. When I start doubting myself at the end of the year–and I always do–these three things keep me sane.
1. I will remember myself in high school. I will try to recall the anticipation of summer vacation and how little attention I paid to my teachers in the last week of school. I will try not to resent their lack of attention because it’s only normal. My students are only kids.
2. I will frequently visit the box of letters from students that I have kept over the years. You know the ones (and if you don’t yet, you will). Those letters that we get unexpectedly from students talking about how much they liked our class or about how much we helped them in some way–these really help here at the end.
3. I will talk to other teachers to know that I am not alone. They will tell me about what happened in their classes, and I may even feel better. 🙂 Whatever my students are doing (or not doing) this week, I will find comfort in the knowledge that it’s not just me. And if it is, I will avoid people that I know will tell me that. 🙂
How do you get through the final days until summer break? Leave a comment below to let me know.
