End of School Year: Celebration? Or Collapse?

May 21

As teachers and leaders, we have often complained that the first week after the school year ends consisted of drooling into our pillows. It is so exhausting to reach the end of the school year! Collapsing seems like blessed relief.

For many leaders, the long holiday signifies a quieter time around the school but a busy work period trying to finally do many admin tasks that have been put off and get ready for the next school year.

What if this year’s long holiday could be more than collapse? What would be a good way to celebrate the end of this year and look ahead to the next?

First, we suggest celebrating the many successes of the past year. Perhaps doing some note taking or journalling around what you’re most proud of and how you grew this year. One of our coaching clients is a school leader who keeps a note on her phone of accomplishments in a bullet-pointed list - now would be a good time to update that list with the most recent successes.

Here’s a set of reflection questions for the end of the school year.
Here’s a photo of our termly (or quarterly) reflection prompts.

Secondly, rest, even collapse, is an important part of the holidays. Sufficient, extensive rest is needed. Non-teaches have no idea how long it takes to regain a sense of restedness after the onslaught that is reporting, parent/teacher conferences, curriculum writing, and class parties in the last teaching month!

Maybe it’s time for weekly ice cream (sign us up!), yoga, or reading some books that have been calling from the shelf. It’s definitely time for family and friends, good coffee, more sleep, and getting out into nature.

What refreshes you, physically, emotionally, spiritually, and intellectually? How can you incorporate some of these into every day of the holidays?

Thirdly, it’s time to plan ahead for next school year. What do you want to leave behind about last year? What would be your ideal accomplishments in the coming year? What would you like to look back on in one year’s time? It’s a good time to set some goals in the quiet that is the holidays. In which relationships do you want to invest in the coming year? How do you want to be and who do you want to become? This could again be journalling, or read the questions to a friend and talk with each other. Working with a coach is another option for setting exciting or ambitious goals.