It’s true. The year is almost over…and it really FEELS like it’s almost over, doesn’t it? We’re thinking about summer school, summer plans, classes for next year, graduation, promotion, cumulative files, report cards, finals…the beat goes on.
I want to encourage you to have some self control as you ease into the end of the year and also remind you of one thing: you can’t stop teaching yet. You shouldn’t stop teaching yet!
In fact, I’m going to make my case for teaching ’til the end of the year. Like the very end, end of the year.
Yeah, I know the kids are wacky…I know you’re having to compete with summer…I know you’re tired…I know they are less focused…I know you’re already thinking about next year…I know! I’ve been there! In fact one year I listened to my grade level colleagues and took down my room decorations and bulletin boards a few weeks before school was out. Um…WORST IDEA EVER! The kids lost their minds. I did, too.
So, I put the bulletin boards up and they got their minds back. And I got my sanity back!
If you’re feeling exhausted or if you’re already mentally moving onto next year, encourage yourself by considering these 4 Reasons Why You Can’t Stop Teaching Yet!
- Instructional minutes matter. You have 150+ hours of instruction left in the year. Use them wisely because they DO matter.
- By stopping our teaching early, we knowingly add to the phenomena of “summer slip” and make our jobs more challenging in the fall.
- Instructional intensity is a behavior that takes practice. When you stop teaching early, you immediately compromise instructional intensity.
- There is a connection between your “packing up” at the end of the school year and their behavior. The earlier you “pack up” (literally or figuratively!), the wilder and wackier they get.
I love this quote and I think it’s important for all of us educator types to take it to heart: “We rate ability in men by what they finish, not by what they attempt.”
How are you going to finish?