Everything You've Ever Wanted to Know About The Holiday Season Teacher Slowdown
Students and teachers alike appreciate Thanksgiving break, but you don't want to lose your momentum. Before and after the break, maintain students' interests by keeping them engaged. Make sure you and your students recharge over the 4-day holiday weekend before you finish the year strong. Even though the break is short, follow these recommendations as the holiday approaches.
You want to maintain the momentum you've built before and after thanksgiving break, so make sure to keep your students engaged and find educational activities that get them up and out of their seats. Make sure you give yourself time and rest over the holiday weekend before you jump back into finishing the year strong. Even though it's a brief break, keep these pointers in mind as the holiday week approaches.
Don't try to finish everything before you go, it will be there when you return!
Don't stress -think about your mental health! Try not to think about finishing projects or units before Thanksgiving. I usually recommend wrapping up assignments before a long vacation, but not Thanksgiving because the break is so brief. The assignment that I choose encourages my students to apply what we've learned in class to their current studies in a deeper way, see “Truth and Beauty.” Don’t offer new material, instead, review previous concepts and be creative with your review. You want to leave your students refreshed and ready to tackle the next topic when you return to school after the holiday. Here are some things that have helped me over time, especially before the break:
Try not to take anything home, I mean ANYTHING.
Connect with friends and family while being present, asking them about their lives…
Refrain from talking about your students in your classroom, it’s hard but try to stop yourself and refocus on the people you are with.
Involve students in the cleaning of your classroom, cleaning out desks, organizing classroom materials, dusting spaces in the room, and sometimes you can have a couple of helpers prep work for the upcoming weeks.
Do not spend your break making Xmas crafts for staff, colleagues, or students. (Stay away from your circuit cutter. (LOL)
Do something new, go on Groupon or Virbo, and plan something, even if it’s in town. Go ice skating, hiking, golfing, etc. push yourself to reconnect with the world. Education can easily remove you from things that you love!
Use a Celebration Log to Inspire Participation and Chart Small Victories
Students may lose focus during the short period before Thanksgiving break, I know, sometimes its hard when they know they are taking a break. I use to keep a gratitude journal, but many times I would add the same concepts and it would seem like I was going in circles. One year I started a celebration log to chart my growth and wins. I wrote down all my "wins" and during each win, I would do a mini celebration. Sometimes my celebration would be to dance in the kitchen, share with others with hugs, or yell out my accomplishment in thin air. In my classroom we started to create a mini log, especially counting down the days before break, students may keep a victory log in a journal or notebook. They may fill in what they've accomplished so far, whether they had a high test score or improved with time management. Thanksgiving may be a good time to present the log as a means of thanking yourself and appreciating what you've accomplished so far. This year we started cheers, students love cheering on others and they love to be celebrated when they have accomplished a goal or they have a win! When you get back to class, students should review their progress and set goals for the weeks between Thanksgiving break and winter break.
Try to Work on Rest and Relaxation- Remove Teaching From your Thoughts.
It's common for me to be tired by the time Thanksgiving break rolls around but try to think… “More fun” while making sure that I'm caught up and ready to teach when we return to the classroom. In the days prior to Turkey Day, try not to stay late at school and try not to come too early. Work to prepare for days to come while at school, remember- it never ends. There will always be work to do. I hope you consider these pointers because they have kept me going through the holidays.
This year teachers are finding it very difficult to get through the year. It is taking much more energy than in years prior. Is it just me or are your teachers finding 2022 challenging to get through?
Citation:
A teacher's guide to thanksgiving break. Hey Teach! (2018, November 16). Retrieved November 20, 2022, from https://www.wgu.edu/heyteach/article/a-teachers-guide-to-thanksgiving-break1811.html
Murray, K. (2022, August 25). Thanksgiving data [2022]: 18 unexpected statistics about Turkey day. FinanceBuzz. Retrieved November 20, 2022, from https://financebuzz.com/thanksgiving-data