Before You Leave for Summer: 7 Things Teachers Should Do Now
| by Dr. Niesha Gayle
By the time the last week of school rolls around, you’re probably feeling two things: completely exhausted, and completely ready to walk out the door. You need a break, and you’ve earned one!
But there are a few last-minute items you may want to consider. Hear me out, because I know you do not want to add anything else to your to-do list. But these end-of-the-year tasks are a great way to close out this school year, keep track of your progress, and make sure you are set up for success next year. Future you will be happy you took the time.
And, I promise, none of this will take too long. You’ll be out the door and poolside before you know it.
End-of-the-Year Checklist for Teachers
1. Compile Student Feedback
How did your students feel about this school year? What did they like, what bothered them, and what would they change if it were up to them? Think about the feedback you received throughout the year and jot down any recurring themes.
You might think you’ll remember, but trust me — write it down. When you return to school in the fall, in the chaos of the new year, you’ll be happy to have a written record. It will be one thing off your plate and off your mind.
2. Loosely Outline Unit 1
Take a glance at the first unit for next school year and make a loose outline for yourself. I’m not talking about thoroughly scripting your lessons, just jotting down your basic plan and structure for the first couple of weeks. This will be of great value, especially if you are teaching a different subject or grade level next school year. If there’s something you know you want to do differently next school year, make sure you note that.
Back-to-school might seem far away, but we both know it’ll be here in a flash. Making this loose outline now will give you a huge headstart.
3. Celebrate Your Wins
Teaching is hard work, and it’s easy to focus on what went wrong. Instead, take a moment to reflect on what went right. Did a struggling student finally master a difficult concept? Did you successfully implement a new classroom management strategy? Write these victories down. Then, when you are having a difficult day next year, you can look back, remember your wins, and remember why you’re in this profession.
4. Update Your Portfolio
Keeping your professional portfolio up to date is a great habit. If you wait and try to do it all at once when you’re up for a new job or a promotion, it’s a big lift. But if you do it in increments, as you go, it’s just small tasks here and there.
Add any new certifications, professional development courses you completed, or leadership roles you took on this year. Make sure you include data that demonstrates student growth.
Bonus: This is also a good time to update the portfolio of student work you keep as examples to show future classes.
5. Back Up Your Digital Files
School laptops break. Servers may get wiped or updated during summer maintenance. It’s just good practice to protect your work by backing up your files. This should include your lesson plans, rubrics, etc.
6. Thank a Teacher
Spend a few minutes writing a note to one of your colleagues. Maybe it’s a mentor who helped you through a difficult time this school year. Maybe it’s your classroom neighbor who became your go-to confidante. Maybe it’s a teacher you watched overcome a difficult challenge or one who earned a new certification or degree this year.
Teaching is a community, and a short note from you — it’ll take you 5 or 10 minutes to write — could make a big difference to another teacher. It’s worth the effort to support and encourage your colleagues.
7. Write a Note to Yourself
Finally, write a note to yourself. Remind yourself:
- What you’re proud of
- What you don’t want to forget
- What you want to focus on next year
When August comes around, it’ll be easy to feel overwhelmed and easy to forget how much progress you’ve made. If that happens, you can pull out this note and read it. It’s a reminder to your future self of what you’re great at and why you went into teaching. It’s a record of your impact and the difference you’re making.
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