Thriving Between Spring Break and Summer

Sometimes it can feel like the best we can do is try to survive in that time between spring break and summer vacation. Everyone has gotten a taste of freedom, the sunshine outside is beckoning, and everyone's mind is on the fun and relaxation they're looking forward to. But honestly? I love teaching at this time of year. I've thought a lot about what it is that helps me thrive at this time of year, and today I want to share some of what I think makes the difference.

1. No countdowns.

So many of us do it but I think we all know, wishing the present time away does not help us enjoy the here and now. Instead of saying- or even thinking- "5 more Mondays!" or "13 school days until summer!", I intentionally focus on the fun lessons and activities I'm looking forward to doing in this season- read more of my thoughts on this in this blog post.

2. Plan exciting lessons with low mental load

I've found there's a sweet spot for lesson content this time of year. Straight-up review gets boring fast and students catch on quickly when we're just filling time, but trying to push them to learn a bunch of new skills and concepts is more work than they're willing to do when they'd rather be playing outside. New and exciting material that applies the skills and concepts they've learned in fresh ways keeps lessons engaging without being overwhelming. I've written about how I do this in more detail, including specific examples, in this post:

3. Spread positivity with students

It can be hard to stay positive at the end of the school year when students are so distracted and hyper, but I've found when I force myself to find ways to dole out positive reinforcement, the results are quite dramatic and it's way less work than I thought. Plus it puts me in a better mood! Here are some specific ways I keep the positivity going with my students at the end of the year:

4. Spread positivity with adults

Just as much as spreading positivity with students can have a big impact on my own experience, so can spreading positivity with the other adults in my building! And it can have a big impact on the climate of the entire building, which will spill into students' moods coming into my classroom. It makes my job that much easier when the vibes are right in the rest of the school! I put a lot more energy into low-effort, low-cost ways to meaningfully build staff morale, and I really do think they have made a difference. I've compiled all my ideas in this post:

5. Self care

As much as I try to help spread positivity to others, it's equally important to intentionally care for my own well-being! The two biggest things I do to this end are 1) taking concrete steps to maintain a positive outlook for myself and 2) managing my own work load and stress levels by cutting myself some slack in all areas of my life. I've written about the specific, concrete steps I take to do each of these in these posts:

I'm not trying to sugarcoat how exhausting it can be to teach at the end of the year, or suggest that we should never vent or express frustration when we're frustrated. I'm just suggesting that, instead of only complaining and going into survival mode, we can take conscious, concrete steps to actually enjoy ourselves in this season (at least more often than before). What do you do to keep yourself going at the end of the school year? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.