4 ways to end the year on a positive note

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Across the country, teachers and students are counting down to the end of the school year. At the same time, they have plenty of teaching and learning left to do -- not to mention assessments to conquer. Here are four ways I make sure that every school year has an upbeat ending.

1) Ask every teacher three key questions. To close out the school year on a positive note, my assistant principals and I take the time to meet with our teachers face-to-face and talk to them about their year. It’s always hard to make time during the busiest month of the year, but we carve out 25 to 30 minutes per teacher to sit down and ask them:

• What has been the highlight of your year?
• What’s something that you wish could have gone better for you?
• What’s something that you’d like to change for next year?

We create a safe environment for teachers to speak openly. Their ideas may benefit the whole school: a teacher may tell me that they love what they're doing, but they've really been thinking about a different grade. Then it becomes a partnership to help them get where they want to go.

2) Help teachers (and students) stay focused. In May, kids lose their minds. They really do. All they want to do is go and play, so I ask my teachers, “How can you think about teaching differently so that you can keep the energy and the motivation? Because if you don't, you're going to be beating your head against the wall.” For example, I like to challenge my teachers to find ways to move certain lessons outside.