The days are both dragging along and speeding by. I’m increasingly tired and maybe a little more sharp-tongued than usual. I feel like I’m limping—or maybe even crawling—to the finish line. My desk is stacked high with papers that I don’t have the energy to file, and my stamina is on a decline. It’s that time of year a teacher both loves and dreads: The last month of school. The end of the line.

How do we, my fellow teaching companions, get through this difficult time when our students forget the rules and procedures we spent nine months teaching them? Here are some strategies that may help us more fully enjoy (or, at the very least, survive!) these last few weeks:

I have wanted to be a teacher since the 4th grade. Even when I wasn’t sure what content area I wanted to teach, I knew that I wanted to work with kids and affect lives. You see, I’ve always loved school—ever since the day I set foot in Mrs. Keethler’s kindergarten class at Lincoln Elementary. It’s the combination of my love of school and respect for teachers that led me to become a teacher myself. In reflecting last week on teaching during Teacher Appreciation Week, I’d like to recognize some teachers who have influenced me. Some of these are teachers who had me in class, others are teachers I work with or those who had my children. All of these teachers have one thing in common: They have positively impacted my teaching.

STEAM activities are an educational goldmine these days, and schools across the country are finding innovative ways to incorporate STEAM within their buildings. There are multitudes of Pinterest activities, websites, articles, and books on this very topic. My school decided that a fun way to utilize STEAM activities—and teach families about STEAM—would be through a family night. This event would let students and their parents work together, build, play, and learn.

“I know—let’s make green eggs and ham and let the kids sample it!” exclaimed my principal as I shared the first draft of my plans for our 2018 Read Across America (RAA) celebration. Her voice was filled with the same excitement that fills the whole school when March 2 rolls around. At Edgerton Elementary, we love Read Across America Day so much that we turn it into a week of events. Sure, it takes time to plan, gather, organize, and execute, but the time spent creating a grand celebration for Dr. Seuss’s birthday is well worth the effort. Let me tell you how—and why—we plan the week-long festivities. 

It’s no secret that kids LOVE a good snow day when school is called off and they can lay around the house all day long. But don’t be fooled—teachers love a well-timed snow day as much as the kids! During the dreary winter months, the kids get a little crazy, everyone’s feeling a little down, and teachers get tired. A snow day can serve as a much-needed day of rest for overworked teachers.

What do teachers do on snow days, you might be wondering? I’m sure that some may plan lessons and catch up on grading, but in my opinion, teachers should take the day off to recharge.

I love a clean slate, a new calendar, and the optimism that a new year brings. I enjoy the idea of making positive changes for myself and those around me. A new year pushes me to think about my life and resolve to do better. The same applies to my teaching—it’s a great opportunity for me to set goals for myself in the classroom, so I’ve come up with six teaching resolutions for 2018. I think these resolutions will be beneficial for myself, my students, and maybe even other educators out there.

STEM (and now STEAM) has been an educational buzzword for a while now. Just in case you didn’t know, STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics. Stop by any teacher lounge in any district at any grade level, and you may hear the teachers discussing what STEAM activities they are implementing. Though I am not a homeroom teacher, I have been able to build time into my curriculum for STEAM activities—and not any just STEAM activities, but ones tied to children’s literature. Let me share a few things I’ve done in the elementary library.

For the last twenty-something years, I’ve been a teacher. I’m extremely proud of my vocation—I see the reactions I get when I tell people I teach, and I am always glad to get to talk about what I do. Most people know that teaching is not easy. It’s tiring, heart-wrenching, and frustrating at times, but it is also fun, energizing, and amazing at its best. Teaching has given me a purpose, a paycheck, and wisdom. I’d like to share with you some lessons I’ve learned from teaching that apply both in the classroom and the real world:

Teachers, I know what you’re thinking. You’re just a few weeks into summer and your own kids are already bouncing off the walls. They’ve gone to the pool, slept in, and played with the neighborhood kids, but now you hear your offspring saying the words that we sometimes hear our students say: “I’m bored.” What do you do now? How can you entertain the kids without blowing the budget? Here are some activities you can try this summer that are either free or of a minimal cost: