Students scurry to their seats with breakfast in hand before the tardy bell marks them late. It’s been 156 days of the same routine. They know the drill.
“30 more days!” I joyfully exclaim during morning meeting.
While toothy grins and cheers greet me in response, one student stares out the window lost in thought.
“Jude?” I whisper as students gathered their lunch boxes and headed to the cafeteria later that day, “Come here for a sec.” Jude drags his feet up to my desk without catching my eye.
“Are you okay?” I ask as the last of his classmates left the doorway.
“I dunno. I guess.”
“It seemed like you weren’t excited earlier during morning meeting. Do you mind telling me what’s upsetting you?”
Picking at the skin around his nails, he responds, “I mean what’s so great about the end of the school year anyway?”
It hit me hard. What IS so great about the end of the school year?
For some kids, the answer is nothing.
As the end of the school year draws near, we educators find ourselves counting down the days, the minutes, and sometimes the seconds, until summer. While the end of the school year gives us a much needed break, it also sends students back to their homes for an extra 8 hours a day and may create mixed feelings about the next school year.
I mean remember…you’re awesome, so why would they want to leave you?
But seriously, some students struggle with food insecurity, anxiety, abuse, parents who work long hours and being shuffled house to house, and even homelessness.
The school year guarantees breakfast and lunch, warmth, electricity, working lights, clean water, and safety. And don't forget a smiling teacher welcoming them when they step in the room each morning. Not to mention some much needed hugs and hi-fives too!
So what can you do to help students transition into summer and the next school year with as much comfort and ease as possible?
1. Utilize your school counselor
The school counselor is equipped with lessons literally made for students transitioning to the next grade level. Depending on the age of your students, the counselor can do various activities, games, or lessons to help ease the worries of students.
I have had counselors do summer safety activities for lower elementary students all the way to transition lessons for middle schoolers.
Don’t be afraid to utilize your school counselor to assist with those students who may be completely overwhelmed by change, summer, or the very thought of going to a new teacher next year. He/she is trained to help.
2. Letters to next year’s class
Students LOVE to be in charge and know more than other kids. One year, a third grade teacher had her current (outgoing) students write letters to her future third graders. They absolutely loved feeling so needed and helpful to the younger second graders.
3. Take students on a tour
In one of the schools that I worked at, grades K-6 occupied one wing of the building, and
7-12 was the other wing. As you can imagine, the 6th graders about to go to 7th were
terrified because they were making the leap from elementary directly into high school.
The 6th grade teachers took their homeroom classes on a tour at the end of each school year to show them the other side of the building, to introduce them to their new teachers, to show them their future lockers, and they even practiced using locker locks.
The knowledge that they gained from that tour helped ease their fears tremendously.
4. Have students complete an end of year keepsake activity
For a super fun, lighthearted activity, I love THIS student keepsake. It’s editable so you can customize it for your class, and it’s such a nice keepsake for students to keep as a memory of your class forever. It is a great end of the year gift! Some students can't afford a yearbook so THIS is also a great alternative to a yearbook that will help capture some special moments.
5. Create a survey for students
It’s possible that students may hide their true feelings about moving onto the next grade level, and they most definitely hide their feelings if they don’t look forward to summer (hello social ostracization). So I highly recommend creating a short google form or paper survey for students. Ask them a few simple questions to get the answers you need.
Below are some options for survey questions:
Are you looking forward to summer? Why or why not?
Are you looking forward to next school year?
What are some things that excite you about next school year?
What are some fears you have about next school year?
Having these answers will help you understand your students' worries more and will allow you to best meet their needs.
“Jude, is there anything that I can do to help you prepare for summer?” I ask.
“Maybe. My mom is struggling to buy us food right now,” he explains.
“I know just who to talk to. Let’s go see our school counselor. She’ll be able to help you and mom for sure.”
His teary eyes finally meet mine as he lets out the heavy breath he’d been holding.
“Let’s go see Mrs. O’Neill.”
Books to Help with Transitions:
Activities: