Calming the Chaos

Once again, my BlogFriend, Kristy, from Two Peas and a Dog, has linked up some bloggers to discuss their strategies for Calming the End-of-the-Year Chaos.

In reality, this blog post ended up being rather therapeutic for me. We still have six weeks of school left, and my sixth graders seem oddly certain that summer is already HERE. We haven't even finished testing yet, and I am having to hang on for dear life just to keep the peace among thirty-five tweenagers.

I've been staring at a blank computer screen for the last hour wondering about the answer to this question: How WILL I survive until June 15th?

After some reflection, I have narrowed things down to three basic tenets...

First, I have to stay healthy. This includes getting enough sleep and expanding my food intake beyond items that consist primarily of sugar and/or caffeine. I'm not sure about your school, but in the past few weeks it seems like a conveyor belt of treats has been shuttling non-stop through school. Those yummy snacks leave me tired, which sends me in search of more caffeine... which rarely keeps me alert (or even awake) and more often leaves me feeling grumpy--all of which is counterproductive!.

A good attitude (made more likely by a healthy diet and enough sleep) gives me the reserve of energy I need to fight off the blues (theirs and mine!). Besides, every time, I don't follow through with better eating and sleeping, I get sick. And we all know how that affects the process.

Yesterday, I planned four math mini-lessons, a review of the elements of a narrative, a comparison of two texts, and a brush up on using context clues to decipher unknown vocabulary... all before lunch. By the time, the second child said, "Wait. Which one is the narrative?" my patience was ebbing. Add to this: sibling-like squabbles and broken rules and lost pencils and unfinished/misplaced/I-never-got-that-page homework, and the smile was quickly fading.

I've settled on a two-part approach to this problem. The first is forgiving myself. If I am going to reflect endlessly on the lessons that fell flat, I'm not going to be successful when I have to return to school the next day. I'm going to have to let it go (which is very hard for me--with or without the song) and focus my energy on a different approach. Today it was rotating through stations with fewer math problems but in a way that seemed more somehow more accessible. Not perfect, but better!

Even more importantly, I am going to have to pick my battles in terms of behavior. Obviously, there are problems that must be addressed. (And maintaining my routines is the next item on my list). But I think the kids are getting tired of having yet another "serious discussion" about sharing and honesty and trust and respect and, and, and... Sigh. Time to replace the lost pencil, apologize, forgive and move on. Time is precious.

This last pledge is based on the previous one. While I need to change up my lessons and plan some fun activities and let the small stuff go, I still have to navigate through twenty-nine more school days. I need to keep some constancy in terms of routines and expectations and schedules... or we will never make it to June!

At some point this week, I confused letting it go with letting it all GO. That was a mistake. I think, at least for my kids, there needs to be enough predictability so that the fun activities are novel and stand out. When there just a few days (or hours) remaining, I can let things unfold with less direction. But with weeks still yawning ahead of us, I let the hot weather convince me that we were almost done. In reality, it's not summer yet. There is still plenty of teaching and learning (and fun!) ahead of us.

So those are my three hope-fors. I recognize that many teachers are, truly, just days away from the year's end. But if you're like me, there are still days and days to fill...

That's why Kristy pulled some teachers together. You can click on any of the blog buttons at the end of the post to read about other approaches to beating the End of the Year Blues and finishing strong.

How are YOU calming the chaos? I'd love to hear your strategies for finishing the year on a good note. Leave a comment below so I can also add your ideas to my list.

And whether it is a few days or few weeks until your countdown is complete, I am hoping you have enjoyed a wonderful school year!

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Five for Sunday (Just a little tardy!)

Ahhhhhh. The last few hours of Spring Break are ticking by. All morning I've been wanting to say to the clock: Can you pleeeeease move a little more slowly?!

While I made a commitment to truly resting and recovering from a tough few weeks at school before Break, I really did get a lot accomplished. Some of the "clutter" has been put away (or at least put out of sight!), laundry is finished, papers are sorted, and lesson planning is in progress. But, best of all, I feel (almost) "ready" to go back to school and enjoy being a teacher!

Here are some highlights of my week...

When I left school on Friday, I was practically shouting...Woooooo Hooooooo! On the way home, I stopped for some promised-to-myself ice cream and looked up at the sky. I feel so fortunate to live in a place that is beautiful almost all year long. Palm trees and sunshine and loveliness...

About that ice cream... Oh. My. GOODness! There may have been more than one of these "opportunities" during vacation. My new favorite treat is "sweet cream" ice cream with hot fudge sauce from Cold Stone Creamery. Dee.Lish.Ous. I took this picture on the first day of break when it was ninety degrees. I am a less-than-capable photographer, but I was determined to get a photo before the ice cream was completely melted! (And, in case you're wondering, it tasted just as good in this "format"!)

Yep, those are my pillows. For the first time in ages, I actually rested. I may need to define that a little more carefully. During the school week, I don't get a lot of sleep. Normally, I got to sleep between eleven and midnight, and by 4:30, my coffee cup is generally in my hand. There were a few mornings when I slept all the way to six o'clock (which felt like noon!) Not to mention the TV marathons and naps! And there was coffee (sometimes with whipped cream) just for fun--and not because I had to stay up to grade assignments, essays or tests! It was just lovely, and I am so glad I "scheduled" some unscheduled time!

It was so nice to be on vacation the week before Easter. Generally, Spring Break is not connected to Easter's place on the calendar. (I am old enough to remember that, when I was in school, we called this week "Easter Break" and banks and other businesses would close at noon on Good Friday). Fast forward several decades... There were several Easter events at Church this week. And while it was beautifully decorated inside, I am so glad I got a picture of the beauty outside the church too! The color of these flowers was even more brilliant in person. I've begun thinking that this shade of pink may have become my second favorite color (after purple, of course!) So many blessings!

 Despite the naps and the ice cream and the coffee-with-whipped-cream, I did get a lot done. I am almost ready for tomorrow! On the "menu" this week: Colonies (5th grade social studies), Mesopotamia (6th grade social studies), ratios, rates and percents (6th grade math), multiplying fractions (5th grade math) to find area, analyzing poetry and finding evidence to support and opinion/argument. I even remembered to make extra reading cards, bathroom  logs, behavior reports and the April seating chart! Yippee! I am suddenly feeling quite accomplished!

I am thrilled to have found some wonderful task card-makers on TpT, whom I also happen to enjoy as BlogFriends! Pictured (blurrily!) are Areas of Rectangles with Fractional Sides (Kate Bing Coners), Rate and Proportions--Pirates! (Amy Alvis) and Measurement Conversions in 5 Days (Teaching in Room 6). These teachers have made my week a lot easier! They are printed, cut, and bagged, and I plan on using them all!

As always, I am late to the party, but there are lots of interesting sagas to enjoy if you head on over to Doodle Bugs Teaching. Just click on the words you just read (Doodle Bugs Teaching) or the graphic above.

Whether your Spring Break is just a memory or if you are currently plotting your activities (and naps) for your vacation-which-lies-ahead, I am sending you sunny thoughts...