End of Semester Backwards Planning for the Win [S3 E76]

Listen to the full episode below:

Picture this. It’s the weeks leading up to winter break and that’s exactly what you need…a break. It’s so close you can taste the sweet smell of the coffee that you’ll enjoy from the comfort of your own home rather than your early commute. 

Yet, you can’t bring yourself to feel the excitement because you still have so much to do before walking out your classroom door for the holiday.

If mid-December marks the end of a semester for you, then yes, there is much work to be done. There’s IEP updates, grades that are due, report card comments, phone calls to parents, and end of semester gifts for students and staff members. No matter how long your list is, we want to help you intentionally plan out how to cram it all in.

The important thing is that when you clock out for a break, you actually are clocking out. You don’t need to be dragging home bags of papers to grade. 

Before you get too overwhelmed, and tell yourself “I’ll just do it over break,” take a deep breath because we’ve got you. We’re going to share our top strategies for keeping yourself sane as you stay on top of everything on your to-do list. It all starts with determining what stresses you out the most. Get it on your calendar and make space for whatever that is.

Want a little extra support? Amanda breaks down some unit planning best practices here in this YouTube video:

Topics Covered:

• How to deal with the end of a semester without losing your sanity

• What our end-of-semester to-do list typically looks like

• A step by step solution to getting it all done

• Our top recommendation on what to do during those last few days of school before break

• A reminder on how to be efficient with your grading

Resources

• Join Curriculum Rehab.

• Let us know what you think! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

Related Episodes:

• Episode 74, Giving Students Discussion Feedback: Discussion Series Part 3

• Episode 73, Troubleshooting a Classroom Discussion: Discussion Series Part 2

• Episode 72, The Case for Classroom Discussions: Discussion Series Part 1

• Episode 71, Teacher Work/Life Balance: Holiday Edition

• Episode 52, To Backwards Plan

• Episode 17, To Hack Digital Grading and Assessment

• Episode 10, To Make This Year End Count

More about Brave New Teaching:

Join hosts Amanda Cardenas (Mud & Ink Teaching) and Marie Morris (The Caffeinated Classroom) in discussions about being brave, trying new things, and all things teaching! As seasoned classroom teachers, Amanda and Marie bring their experience, insight, energy, and oh, so many opinions and ideas... It's time for all teachers to take their classroom and teaching practice into their own hands!

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