As the year winds down and you have about 1 million things to do before checking out for summer…here’s a quick list of suggestions to make that outro a little less stressful and a little more manageable.
1-Make a To-Do List
Ok, if you’ve been around here for awhile, then you know I love making lists! The list has to start with making a list! 😀
Some of these will be dictated by your school, and others will be your own list items. I believe it’s never too early to start! Keep that list in a handy spot so you can constantly add to it as items come to mind.
For instance, this morning I was wiping down the student desks in my classroom and for whatever reason, suddenly remembered that my school requires us to push all the furniture to the sides of the room for the summer. I should write that down, because although it’s not as crucial or mentally taxing as getting report cards done on time, it is time consuming and will need to be taken into account.
2-Maximize Your Peak Times
…Speaking of mentally taxing, another good tip is this: know thyself…and then work around thyself! What I mean is, know when your most alert and productive times of the work day are: Are you a morning person? Afternoon? (I’m not going to ask if you’re a night owl, because I want to encourage that work-life balance in you that does NOT take your work home)!
For me, late morning is usually best. So I try to do any mental heavy lifting (like grading essays) during that time if possible, and leave the more mindless tasks (entering grades online, posting assignments, answering email, organizing files, etc.) for the end of the day when my brain is pretty much done (or would like to be).
3- Start Early
…And speaking of menial tasks…start cleaning out your classroom early! If you are in the unfortunate position where your school asks you to take home for the summer everything that isn’t nailed down (including wall decorations), then START NOW. Even if you have a lot less required cleaning to do, still start now!
Trust me, your little cherubs in the class are barely going to notice. And even if they do, they will not be academically scarred for life just because you took down the “commonly confused words” poster. All your personal items, knick knacks, etc., you can start to either pack away or take home a little at a time every day with you, starting now!
By the time you get to those final teacher workdays when all your neighbors are just starting on theirs, you will actually either have FREE TIME (yes, it’s POSSIBLE!), OR you will just have some breathing room to do the other things on your list without always feeling so pressured for time. It’s a win either way.
Depending on your relationship with your students and whether you’ve finished your curriculum and review, you could also find jobs for the students to help you with! Beginning to gather up and pack away small things is even something you can work on during down time during class, if students are doing independent work or during transitions. I’ve already started to organize my files and clean off my shelves, with 11 class days left til final exams.
This week’s tips are short and sweet, but that’s ok because that’s likely all you’ve got time to read at the end of the year anyway!
Get Ready to Go!
If you do these simple things to maximize your time while the students are still in the classroom, by the time they’re checking out for the summer, you won’t be far behind them. In fact, if you’re able to get the time-consuming but necessary menial tasks done early, you’ll find that during those final teacher workdays, you will actually have time to set yourself up for that first week back (as we talked about last week)! See how all these pieces come together? 🙂
Now go make a list and get packing!