The Final Countdown

For some reason as I think about our last three days coming up, titles and lyrics from a couple of songs released in the late 70's are coming to mind.  For example, the opening bars of Gloria Gaynor's "I will Survive:" "at first I was afraid, I was petrified..." and Barry Manilow's "Looks Like We Made It..." have been on replay in this brain...not to mention the 1986 release, "It's the Final Countdown..." To just about have this first year under my belt makes me very happy.  I feel relieved and satisfied that I did the very best that I could.  Even though I made mistakes, I laid it all out there, brought my best, and left it all on the field every day. It really has been a great one for me.  I've never had a more challenging, yet rewarding position. I've learned so much and am looking forward to some down time this summer when I can reflect and make plans for the upcoming year.

As I have been reading the tweets, blogs, emails and advice given by other school leaders about the ending of the year,  I've been noticing how they characterize this time of year in fresh ways.  I love Chuck Poole's take on it in his post on his teachonomy page.  He gives two ways to "countdown to the positive," encouraging his fellow teachers to use this countdown mentality as an opportunity for reflection and as a launch pad for growth.

I've noticed Scott Bolin has been encouraging his staff to remember that while we may exude excitement about the end of the year, it actually can be a source of anxiety for many of our students.  I noticed a handful of kiddos on field day were struggling with inappropriate behaviors.  We know that for many kids the unstructured days are tough, but until I saw Scott's email, I hadn't given a whole lot of thought to how many of our students don't want the school year to end, and how our excitement can make it worse on them, even if they can't verbalize it.  It's not just the unstructured days that trigger students to act out, but also sadness about the end of school.   He shared this article with his staff that gives ways to help students cope with end of the year anxiety and sadness.

I hope as you are ending this year you are feeling satisfied with how you showed up for your kids.  I have been thrilled to get to know such a professional and compassionate staff.  If this year has been hard for you for professional or personal reasons, I hope you will take some time off to reflect and grow and be ready to start fresh again in August.  I'm excited to see what's to come for both summer fun and learning and for a new year.