End-of-the-School Year Exhaustion

What is End-of-the-School Year Exhaustion? My countdown to the end of school is sitting at 5. My countdown to our big graduation play and program is 2. Do you know what that means? I am officially in the epitome of the End of the Year Exhaustion Zone.

Let’s Break Down End-of-the-School Year Exhaustion

The to-do list is ever-growing. I get at a minimum of 10 emails a day of things that need to be done by a particular deadline. And all those deadlines are before post-planning.

Time is dwindling. I no longer have planning time and I haven’t in weeks. We use that time to do our play practice so the kindergarten team is working without planning and prep time.

Effort Wasting Tasks

One frustration I have is with the effort-wasting tasks like filling out the same information on various forms and platforms. Using time efficiently is a great way to help with End-of-the-School Year Exhaustion. I can’t enter report cards accurately with a classroom full of 5 and 6 year old. Most of these tasks wait until lunchtime, after school, or evenings. I am re-entering data over and over again in various forms.

I am not sure why but I have to keep doing it. I have to enter assessments into the county’s system, my state system, then into a form for administration. Be the teacher who does it and does it well, even when frustrated.

Diligent Tasks That Require Many Hands

I have props to find, costumes to create, and details to attend to. And I am being honest here, I don’t even do that much of this compared to my team member. She is like the play goddess. She is fantastic.

I have play programs to make, edit, proof, print, and fold. Thank goodness for the staff children and those upper grades students who need busy hands. They will be folding a few hundred Graduation Programs tomorrow. Be the teacher who uses the many hands of those who can help to lighten your load.

Make the Effort for the Celebrations

I have paper scrapbooks to finish and bind. Then certificates to add. {I am using Mel D’s this year.} I create paper scrapbooks to hand out on the day of our program. We ran out of binder rings. We ordered the wrong size. We right size should be here on Monday. {I really hope they get here!} What do I put in the paper scrapbooks? Check out this post here. Be the teacher who tries hard and makes mistakes, but keeps trying anyway. You don’t have to be perfect.

Then, I try my best to make digital scrapbooks and give them out before the last day of school. Sadly, time didn’t allow me to get to that yet. {I use my templates here for the Digital Scrapbook because this saves me so much time! You can also check out my older post here on how to make them.} Be the teacher that knows you can’t do it all and that is okay.

I also print out and prep summer packets for my students to work on. Many of my families don’t have the money to buy these themselves, so I try my best to provide them. We don’t always have enough paper at the end of the year, But if we run out, I buy it myself to give this to my students’ families. {This year I am using Annie’s from The Moffatt Girls.}

Somehow Remember Your Own Children

Did I mention my own daughter is in K and therefore I also need to prepare her for the end of her year as well? Teacher gifts. Program outfit. Normal stuff.

But the end is near. And it will all get done. Your job is now End-of-the-School Year Exhaustion.