Teacher Voices
As a rule, I’m not one to dwell on regrets (professional or otherwise). I try to do my best and give myself plenty of grace. Still, at the end of the school year, it’s not uncommon for me to reflect on the year behind me. While there are always a lot of good memories and meaningful successes to be happy about, without fail there are always things I wish I had done differently. At the end of the school year, these are the things I’m most likely to regret.
1. Not spending more time playing
Once testing is over and we are in the final few days of school, the kids and I spend most of our remaining time doing fun stuff–organized games, extra recesses, crafts. It’s exhausting but so much fun and truly rewarding. It always makes me wonder why I don’t make a little more time for these kinds of things during the school year.
The obvious answer is that there are too many standards to cover to make room for fun and games. It’s true. There is a lot of pressure to get it all done. But if I’m being honest, one reason I don’t do more crafts or fit in more game time is because it’s a lot of work, and it requires a relaxed attitude that I don’t always possess. Still, sometimes I wish November me was a little more like May me, and I regret waiting until the end of the year to bond with students this way.
2. Not being more strict
Someone once told me that, when it comes to classroom management, you can always loosen up, but you can rarely reign bad behaviors in. Ain’t that the truth? The problem is that I am, by nature, pretty laid back. I have a lot of patience and a long fuse. It’s not in my nature to be strict.
This is a mistake. Often by March, what was once a laid-back classroom is practically a zoo. Why don’t I ever learn?
3. Not teaching the little things
We hit the ground running in the fall and dive right into the curriculum. When will I learn to slow down and take time reinforce some basic courtesy and housekeeping practices? In January, when I look up to see half of my chairs not tucked in and the scissors and markers I loaned to a student still sitting on the table, I want to kick myself for not teaching them from day one to keep a tidier space and to be more respectful of my belongings –and theirs.
4. Not teaching the fun stuff
Oh I have grand plans, but at the end of the year, I always regret the things I didn’t get around to doing– that fun slam poetry unit, my favorite just-for-fun read aloud, the cool art projects. Yes, yes, again there are not enough days in the year as it is. But I doubt any of my students will suffer serious academic setbacks if I take a few days now and then for some outside the box activities.
5. Not being more organized
I usually start out strong, with a place for everything, a solid filing system, and a fully stocked supply drawer. But somewhere along February, I start thinking, “I will deal with that in May.” Well, it’s May now. The kids will be gone soon, and it will be just me and my choices. So much for following the busses out of the parking lot on the last day.
6. Not keeping a “greatest hacks” list for next year
I hate it when I am in the middle of a lesson or activity and I suddenly remember the thing we did last year that made it so successful. And it’s so frustrating to finish a unit and then recall that great discussion it sparked with my last group of kids. It’s not that I reinvent the wheeI every year. I refer to my old lesson plans, but it’s the little unplanned hacks and detours that I need to be better about keeping track of if I want to re-create the magic of some of my best lessons.
7. Not connecting with every kid
In reality, I know that’s not possible. Not every teacher is going to click with every student. But I do form a good rapport, if not a strong bond, with most of my kids. When a whole school year goes by and that doesn’t happen with one of my students, I find myself questioning what I could have done differently.
8. Not spending more time with my teacher friends
How many times did we say, “We need to all go out for drinks on Friday”? Or “Let’s plan a night out soon”? While we did socialize outside of school occasionally, we never managed to make getting together a regular event. That’s too bad. We could all use a bit more fun.
9. Getting stressed about standardized tests
Every year. Every. Single. Year. I tell myself that I’m not going to let it get to me, that I will not let all the pressure, the fear mongering about security breaches, and the warnings about scores get to me.
But every year I end up spending the days before the test cramming my students with last-minute information and testing tips. I always find myself feeling low-key panicked on the first day of testing, and I wake up in the night at least once during test week wondering whether or not I really counted all the tests accurately before or took up all the scratch paper before returning everything to “the vault.” It’s easy to regret all that unnecessary panic in the final days at the end of the year.
Do I wish I had done some things differently this year (and every year)? Yes. Will I learn my lesson and do better next school year? Maybe. Am I going to let any of my shortcomings, missteps, or failures of the last nine months ruin my summer? ABSOLUTELY NOT! The kids will be moving on to the next grade soon, and despite my imperfections, I think they are ready. So, here’s to the end of another successful school year, a relaxing summer, and a whole lot of grace.
