The Week Before Break

One of the benefits of teaching at a private school is that we sometimes get more time off for holiday breaks.  This is the last week of instruction before our 2 week Spring Break which everyone needs and deserves.  But, there are a few things that need to be considered when we do not see our students for two weeks. 

Here are some of them:

 

 

1.   They will think every day this week is the day before break.  Monday will feel like Friday.  Tuesday will feel like Friday.  Wednesday will feel like Friday.  Thursday will feel like Friday.  And Friday will feel like, well, better than Friday. 

 

2.   Students will be in state of incredulous wonder in every class where a teacher is still instructing and working through the curriculum. 

3.   Teachers will want to get any important tests, projects, etc. done before the break to avoid any gaps in learning the material. 

4.   If you add #2 and #3 together, you get teachers vigorously trying to finalize parts of their curriculum and students who either joining them in the fight or looking like cartoon figures with two question marks instead of eyes. 

5.   There will be countdowns.  Teachers will be doing the counting down more than students. 

6.   Teachers will need to decide what to assign for homework over this long break.  There are two schools of thought on this.  The first is to let break be break and let students spend time with their families without the stress of homework.  The second is to assign something that they can actually get done because they might have some time on their hands.  I do assign homework (reading or an essay) but it is not due the day they get back.  It is usually due 2-3 days after, so students can choose whether they would like a homework free break or to get it done when they have some extra time to do it. 

7.   Not only will the classrooms feel different this week, so will the hallways, the
    cafeteria, and the library.

The week before break is a certainly a special week in the school year.  In order to get to our long break, we will embrace what will be a long and crazy week.   And this year, when we get back to school after break, we will have about 2 months before summer break.  So, there will be more even more counting down.