As students come streaming into the building after spring break, there is always this sense of excitement. They can see the end is near and will begin to count down the days until summer break. Unfortunately, this excitement and energy does not always flow into the classrooms.
While most teachers would agree that the mid-winter slump can be a challenge, I always found the downhill slide after break to be more so. Keeping students focused and driving their energy into an educational format can be difficult. Here are a few tips to keep you sane until June!
1. Think Kinesthetic! Students are stirring from sitting all winter, be sure to incorporate brain breaks and movement into your lessons.
2. Don't be afraid to change the environment. The students are gazing out the window at the sun for a reason, and not because your lesson is not engaging them. They simply missed the sun. Think about lessons and activities that can be completed outside on a nice day. My guess is that you will enjoy it more too.
3. Keep the goals in mind. Remind students of the goals they set at the beginning of the school year or at the semester mark. Constant reminders of this progress can help when keeping them focused with the end drawing near.
4. Reduce homework. Some educators will disagree with me on this one, but think about it. You will be battling spring sports, beautiful weather, and lost focus. To keep yourself sane you should examine what homework truly needs to be assigned with the largest impact. Don't feel like you have cram at the end of the year, just examine closely.
5. Plan something fun as a building. When I was a building principal, my 7th grade team always planned their amazing race unit towards the end of the year. It was tied to student learning targets and content, but also allowed for some pretty fun grade level activities.
You can do this!
