It’s hard for me to believe, but I only have one month left of school. Every year seems to go by faster than the one before it. Year nine has been extremely good to me, and I want to end it as positively as possible. In the next two weeks, I have my final performances, and then my focus will be on closing out the year as well as I can.
Keep an eye on your calendar
Look at your calendar. That came out sounding a little rude, but hear me out. I was listening to Brene Brown’s “Daring Greatly” audiobook the other day, and one of her admissions resonated with me. She owned the fact that she has a tendency to underestimate how much time tasks will take, and will overload her schedule. Yup. That’s me. Although I don’t do a countdown with my students, I’ve found that I myself need to keep track of how many days we have left. Between assemblies, field days, and field trips, I need to keep track of how many more times I get to see each class. One year, I forgot to factor in the talent show, and missed out on saying goodbye to one of my classes. I hadn’t realized that because of the talent show, I wouldn’t see that class again before summer. Especially if you do a reward day at the end of the year, make sure you plan out when each class will have that reward. The last month of school has so many special events, and it’s important to keep an eye on your calendar.
Reward the Good Behavior
I won’t sugar-coat it; behavior can be rough the last month of school. Students are excited, teachers are overwhelmed, and there are so many special activities that throw everyone off their game. My students at my new school are usually very well-behaved, but with fewer than 30 days left of school, even they are getting restless. Bust out the PBIS rewards, stickers, prize box, or whatever else you need to keep your students at their best. And something that is always underrated? Speak about expectations before you begin an activity. See someone doing the right thing? Compliment them in front of the class. Keeping your classroom management positive will make everyone’s day better.
Plan for the Chaos
Accept the fact that May is kinda crazy, the schedule will be jam-packed, and the kids will be squirrelly. Accept it and plan accordingly. Movement activities are more important now than ever. I plan my favorite singing games and folk dances for the end of the year, like “Ye Toop Doram,” “Bump Up Tomato,” and “La Raspa.” I also add in my Spring and Summer Music and Movement Cards as a way to reinforce steady beat with my lower elementary kiddos.
Another thing I plan at the end of the year is a lot of hand clapping games. I want to teach kids things that they can play with their friends over the summer. We learn everything from “Miss Mary Mack” to “Four White Horses.” I love giving students the time to practice with partners or small groups, so that I can go around and help. But my favorite part? That’s definitely when I hear them playing these games outside of class. Doesn’t it just make your day when you catch kids doing things from music class on the playground?
Reflect and Get a Head Start
What did you learn this year? What do you want to change for next year? Is there something new you want to incorporate? Now’s a great time to start planning. Do you want to do more centers activities? Why not copy and laminate them now? That way, you don’t have to stand in line in the workroom during back to school season. Do you have resources that you’ve inherited, but haven’t had time to look through? Get out some post-it’s and flag things you want to incorporate.
For me, I am implementing a new numbering system for all of my Orff instruments, ukuleles, and classroom recorders. Because I want to put vinyl numbers on them, I need to make sure that they are completely clean, so the vinyl adheres. Judging by the dust bunnies inside my bass xylophone boxes, this is going to take a while, so I’m happy to get a head start on the process!
Using more technology is another goal for me for next year. For assessment, I’ve purchased Plickers cards, so I’m brainstorming some logistics for their implementation. I’m also playing around with the iDoceo app, so that I can really hit the ground running with it in August.
What do you like to do at the end of the year? Have you started thinking about things you’d like to do differently next year? I’d love to know. Please comment below.
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