How to successfully end your current school year and prepare confidently for the year ahead

April 29, 2022

Shekufeh Monadjem

The school year is almost over, there are just a few weeks left to wrap up a year that for many was an extremely challenging year. When thinking about how to end on a strong note, it will be important to keep the following points in mind:

Student Focus:

• Be flexible—especially with the learning outcomes of your students. It is not too late to adjust the learning goals of your students, to make them more achievable. Don’t let your students end their school year with a feeling of inadequacy because they were not able to meet their individual goals.
• Focus on the learner—and what skills will be most useful to them as they transition to the next year. Focus on the skills that the student will employ in their personal, professional and academic future.
• Be realistic—don’t expect results that are unattainable, some of the students have faced large challenges this year. Remember to celebrate what each student has accomplished.
• Make your students’ learning visible to them—compare work done at the beginning and end of the year and showcase the progress each student has made.
• Reflect—take each student through a process of reflection on what they have learned and how they have grown this year, and then celebrate the growth!
• Plan some time to clean out your classroom with the students. Take down displays, send student work home, pack up items and organize books and supplies. The students will feel valued to be included in this task.

Teacher Focus:

• Consider all of your routines and teaching procedures, and identify which ones you want to keep and which you want to change. Make some plans on the steps you need to take to make those specific changes.
• Reflect on your personal successes, be they grading systems, new assignment ideas that went really well, time-saving hacks, and classroom routines that ensured equitable participation—celebrate the successes.
• Now reflect on aspects that did not go as well. What are some of the areas of your teaching practice that you would like to grow in, and what can you do over the holidays to learn more about these areas?
• Get your classroom ready for the next year—make sure everything is in place for a smooth start to a new year.

Starting the New Year:

At the start of the new year, imagine where you would like to be at the end of the year, then plan backwards. Ask yourself what skills you want your students to learn, and prioritize them. Make detailed notes that you can refer to regularly during the school year in order to keep your vision on track.

Written by: Shekufeh Monadjem –  Shekufeh believes that the MARIO Framework builds relationships that enable students to view the world in a positive light as well as enabling them to create plans that ultimately lead to their success.