December may be the last month on the calendar, but ask any student or teacher which month is the end of their year and you’ll most likely hear the same answer – June! But while students are celebrating the start of summer, teachers know there is a lot to do before they can put on their flip flops and head for the beach, too.
Most schools allow teachers to have end of year parties. Administration may provide checklists with tasks that teachers must follow before they hand in their keys on the last day of school. These tasks usually include:
- Taking down posters and bulletin board paper
- Inventorying textbooks and class libraries
- Handing in lesson plans and gradebooks from the year
- Handing in computers and other technological equipment
- Labeling furniture in the classroom
- Packing up personal items to take home
All of these steps are very important for several reasons. First, these end of year procedures normally don’t begin until a couple of days before school ends. This way, students will still feel as if their days at school are meaningful and engaging. In this way, a teacher can avoid behavior problems and classroom management issues
Also, each summer, the maintenance staff is probably the busiest. The workers have to clean and wax floors. Walls also need to be repainted. In addition, many teachers are re-assigned to other rooms and therefore certain furniture, equipment, and supplies have to be moved from room to room. Without having decorations, books, equipment and furniture out of the way, it would make the job of the maintenance staff much more difficult.
Furthermore, administrators need to start preparing for the upcoming school year right after the current school year ends. Teachers may be resigning, and new ones will be hired. Others may take other positions in the school due to the implementation of new academic or instructional programs. Purchase orders for new equipment and books need to be completed. Administrators must be sure that the current year is closed out so they can focus on what needs to be done to be ready for the first day of the new school year.
On average, schools have 10 weeks of summer. This may seem like a lot, unless you are already thinking about next year. In addition, some schools hold summer programs for students to improve their grades or test scores before moving onto the next grade level. Just when you thought things could wind down in June, it’s actually the start of one of the busiest times of the year!
