End of the School Year FAQ for New Teachers

I’ve been looking forward to the last week of school for months.  But now that it’s here, all I feel is stress.  I’m begging students to behave.  Just getting them to complete a little work is a struggle.  Does everyone feel this way at the end of the school year?

This may be the most prevalent end-of-the-year question out there.  You’ve been counting down to the end of the year for a while.  Unfortunately, the challenges you face all year don’t magically disappear as school winds down.  Sometimes these end-of-the-year days are more difficult than an ordinary Tuesday in March.  

It’s completely normal to find this time of year stressful and to feel like you are in a constant battle with students.  We cannot eliminate these feelings, but we can offer a few tips to make your life easier at the end of school.

What are some strategies to best handle the last week of school?

Some teachers are eager to shut down their curriculum with a week or more left in the year.  This is a mistake, in our opinion, for newer teachers.  Continue with content as long as possible. However, try to keep the learning somewhat light and fun. Activities such as lecture notes and extended silent activities often create management headaches as you work to stay on top of students.  

Lean on group activities, assignments that connect the content to real life, and activities that students can present to the class.  If you opt for student presentations, give the audience members something to do: provide written feedback, complete a rubric, or ask a question. By giving the audience a task, you’ll help them engage and, more importantly, be respectful listeners.

What about showing movies the last week?

Movies are a popular choice this time of year.  A few tips can prevent “movie days”  from turning into a classroom management issue.  

• Be sure the movie is appropriate for the audience.  Your school or district handbook can provide guidance.  It’s advisable to avoid any movie that requires parental permission. Trust us, students aren’t as motivated as you might think to get that signature.

• It’s generally best practice to have students complete an assignment about the film. We know there are a ton of teachers who don’t give a movie assignment. It depends on the movie and the reason you’re showing it, but we always had some type of academic task to go with a movie. A movie assignment helps maintain some semblance of a “business as usual” vibe.  If the movie connects to your content, a simple assignment can help students understand the significance of what they’re watching.  The assignment should be easy.  Tell students it will be graded.  One year, Brad added the grade before the movie started and said he’d have to go back and deduct points if students didn’t do the assignment.  Everyone did it.

• Depending on your bell schedule, a full period of movie-watching might be too long for some students.  Break it up with the assignment or a brief discussion of the movie. Watch a portion of the film, then have students work together on the assignment, and repeat.

What are teachers doing with their classes during the last few days of school?

Here are some ideas that can be adapted based on your course or last unit of study.  Games are a great option.

• Create a Shark Tank challenge and have students present to you, the class, and a few other teachers (if possible)

• Have a trivia challenge about the content of your course

• Play a Kahoot game 

• Tease next year’s content with a carousel KWL activity

• Focus on ethical questions about your course or subject and have students debate or discuss

• Write an end-of-the-year reflection or letter to next year’s students 

• Compile a portfolio of work that demonstrates certain qualities or characteristics (students need to have their work to do this)

• Research “person of influence” and create a three-slide presentation of background information, accomplishments, influence on the genre/industry/field

Do I have to throw a party on the last day of school?

“Are we having a party?”  Middle school students ask this more often than high school kids.  It’s best to avoid parties.  Students may try to tell you that all the other classes are throwing parties.  Don’t believe it!  

Class parties pose several problems.  First, you usually wind up planning the entire thing.  Second, the food that students say they are going to bring doesn’t materialize. You’ll end up with a bag of Oreos or chips for the entire class.  Most importantly, a party is unstructured time.  Students think they want “free” time, but they don’t.  You don’t either. 

If you want to do something festive, work it around your curriculum.  Have students engage in a “party” as a character, historical figure, or scientist. They can interact with one another by asking questions they have already written and answering those questions in character.

Isn’t the last day or two just for signing yearbooks?

In many schools, not every student buys a yearbook.  We’ve seen classes in which fewer than 30% of the students have a yearbook.  It’s nice to provide a bit of time for yearbook signing, maybe while students are engaged in another activity.  But, it might be a mistake to “plan” for an entire period to sign yearbooks.  Too much unstructured time can lead to problems.

Should I accept late work from earlier in the year?

If your school has an end-of-the-year policy, follow that.  If not, it’s up to you.  You likely already have a late work policy in place.

Late work submissions can get out of hand at the end of the year.  Some teachers place parameters on what can be submitted.  Options include accepting work from the second half of the marking period, only accepting work considered a “major” assignment, or limiting the number of late assignments you’ll accept.  

With late work, think about what’s most reasonable for you (as the grader) and what would create the most meaningful learning experience for the student.

When should I stop collecting late work?

Most teachers determine a final due date for all late work at least a couple of days before the end of the marking period.  Any deadline for teachers to submit grades should be considered as well.  Don’t feel like you need to accept late work right to the bitter end.  Make sure the date is prominently posted well in advance.  

I’m drowning in grading.  How do I get it done by the grade submission deadline?

Here are a few options for streamlining your grading:

• Grade smaller assignments on a 1-4 scale

• Grade smaller assignments for credit/no credit or completion only

• Use a rubric for larger assignments/projects

• On a text-heavy assignment, choose key responses to grade and give credit/no credit for the remainder of the responses

Should I round my grades?

This can be an incredibly contentious issue.  Here are a few things to consider with rounding grades:  

• If a rounding policy is already in your syllabus, you must follow that to the letter.  

• Be consistent with all of your students when it comes to rounding grades.  There can be flexibility with assignments, requirements, etc. based on individual student circumstances, but not with rounding of grades.   

• Some teachers provide extra credit, curve exams, or adjust assignment grades throughout the year.  You can tell students that instead of rounding the final grade, you adjust assignments during the grading period.

• If you want to round grades but don’t have a stated policy, check with your department chair or another colleague in your department.  If any questions arise from parents or students, it’s best to say you followed the department guidelines.  Again, whatever policy you have, apply it to every student.

How do I handle a parent contesting a grade?

Like many challenging parent interactions, remember that the parent often approaches the situation from a place of fear.  Parents worry their child won’t graduate, advance to the next level, or get into a “good” college.  

You can empathize with the fear but you shouldn’t tolerate disrespect, intimidating, or harassing comments or behaviors.  Here are a few tips:

• First, let the parent voice their concerns.  They are frustrated and scared and need a few minutes (if they are respectful) to share their concerns.

• Next, explain the student’s grade: not completing assignments or not passing assessments are the two most common reasons for a low grade.  

• Third, explain what supports and interventions you have in place.  Do you have a test retake policy that the student did not utilize?  Do you have emails to the student about missing assignments?  

• What now?  If there is still time for the student to raise the grade, explain those details now.  Provide the parent with clarity on specific assignments and when they need to be done.   Communicate any reduction due to the lateness.  If there is no way to raise the grade, share a few good things the student has done in your class. Try to focus the parent on the future and how one class will not ruin their child’s life.  

• Finally, you may need to end the meeting.  If you sense an endless loop of arguing, let them know that you cannot continue the conversation at this time.  Invite them to schedule a meeting with their child’s counselor or assistant principal.  If you need to, get up and walk the parent to the office so that they can schedule that meeting before they leave.

• If you believe a meeting may become contentious, consider asking an administrator to sit in.

How should you handle a parent contesting a grade?

What are tips for when a parent shows up to my classroom unannounced?

Your safety is the most important thing.  If you feel that dropping in unannounced was done to intimidate you or that it is threatening, do not engage in a conversation.  Politely tell the parent that you cannot meet now, and escort or point them to the administration to set up a meeting.

Even if the behavior is not threatening, dropping in is often a strategic move to gain the upper hand.  

Take back control by telling them you have X minutes to chat.  After that, the parent can schedule a follow-up meeting with you.  The length of time you give them on the spot will depend on what you want to gain from the time.  You may want to hear what the concern is or what they hope to gain from the conversation.  Based on that information, you can plan for the following meeting and come prepared with information.  

Lastly, never feel like you have to meet with a parent by yourself.  If you have any concerns, reach out to an administrator.  Ask what the district policy is for additional people at the meeting.  

A colleague in the room during a meeting can provide some security. It could be another teacher simply sitting in the room doing their work.  Ask another teacher who teaches that student or a counselor.  Of course, you can invite an administrator to sit in.  

Amanda Melsby has been a professional educator for 20 years.  She taught English before working as an assistant principal and later as a high school principal.  Amanda holds an Ed.D. in Educational Practice and Leadership and is currently a dean of teaching and learning.