How to finish the end of year for teachers 2021: 11 top tips

The end of year for teachers can be a crawl to the end. In this post I am going to give you 11 top tips to finish the end of year strong.

Let’s be honest. For most of us in the teaching profession, 2021 sucked. Global pandemic, school lockdowns, online teaching and mask wearing. The fact that you’re still standing is an achievement in itself. 

With only a few weeks left until the end of the year, how can we finish such an abnormal year well?

I’ve compiled this list of practical things you can do to finish the end of year for teachers strong. 

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The end of year for teachers: 11 top tips

1. Stay on top of your admin.

When you’re tired and itching for the end of the year to come it can be easy to get slack with admin. But we always pay for this later.

Keep on top of all your normal tasks by keeping to-do lists updated and prioritising tasks that have a deadline.

2. Keep building relationships with your students

While the school year may be wrapping up, it can be a great time to get more of an insight into your students’ lives.

Ask them what their plans are over the holidays or what they might be looking forward to next year.

For some students the holidays may provide more uncertainty for them. It can be helpful for them to know that you care and that you will be there when school returns.

3. Find fun ways for students to revise content

While a lot of teachers hate coming to revision time, I actually love it! There are so many fun things you can do!

Turn task cards into a board game or use no prep digital escape rooms! Quizlets and Kahoots are fun too. Make the most of it and get the students involved.

4. Be patient with your students

As tired you are, your students probably are too. They have also had a big year of uncertainty and disruption to their learning. Remembering this has helped me to be a little more patient and gracious than I may have been otherwise.

5. Tell your colleagues what you appreciate about them

As everyone is exhausted and is just counting the days, colleagues can become short with each other. Try to be a positive part of their day and tell them something you are thankful for about them.

It could be that you enjoy their sense of humour or that you’re thankful to a colleague for the resources they’ve shared. Make it known to them that you are thankful to work with them. Be specific.

6. Clean your desk

My desk is what some may call ‘organized chaos’. I have piles here and piles there. Yes, I do know where everything is, but yes, it is also considered a mess.

Don’t leave the school year with this year’s mess to come back to. Clean it up now so you have a fresh start on your return.

7. Throw out old resources & papers 

Following on from the last point, it’s time for not just a clean, but a declutter. Throw out everything that is not essential to keep for next year. These days with so many of our resources being stored online it is unlikely that you need to keep a heap of papers from different assessment tasks and hard copy rolls on your desk. Therefore, chuck it! Just be sure to dispose of anything containing student information appropriately. 

8. Evaluate your programs and assessments

This is probably the very last thing you feel like doing at this time of year. It is definitely not what I feel like doing. But I also know that if I leave it until next year I will forget all the little things I noticed while I was teaching the unit. Therefore, it is worth taking the time to make changes now while it is fresh in your mind. 

9. Grab any resources you want to have with you over the holidays

Look, I could tell you to not take any work home with you over the break. But I’d be a hypocrite because I absolutely will be. 

This helps me keep on top of my planning and helps me have a smoother start to the year. Using some of my holiday time to plan gives me time back during term time.

It may be that there are textbooks or resources you need from school in order to plan during the holidays. Grab them now before you forget. It will save you a trip back there during break.

10. Create a to do list for the beginning of next year

The end of year for teachers can feel like you’ve got a head full of ‘to dos’. If you can brain dump all of the things that are rolling around your head regarding what you need to do to prepare for next year, then it will be easier for you to switch off a bit over the break knowing you have it all written down somewhere. 

11. Keep a record of all you have accomplished this year

Sometimes we can get so caught up in the end of the year that we miss the opportunity to reflect on all we have accomplished this year. 

I encourage you to write a list of things you have accomplished. Include new skills you’ve developed, new resources you created, what professional development you undertook.

While you’re at it add these to your resume. It is always a good idea to keep a running list of these items and if you leave it too long you are likely to forget a lot of it. 2021 was a hard year and there is no doubt that with online learning you worked hard to develop your skills in new areas. 

Conclusion

2021 has been a really hard year. The end of year for teachers can feel like trudging waist deep in snow.

But don’t give up yet! Make the most of the last weeks of school to help you relax during the break and also start 2022 refreshed and prepared. Once you make it through the end of term and into the holiday break make sure you check out my post Teacher recharge ideas: 19 ways to refresh over the holidays. 

If you’re feeling like this year might have overcome your passion for teaching then check out my post ‘How to love teaching again’ here.