By: Shametria L. Routt, The Routty Math Teacher
It’s April!! For me this month means a time for celebration—it’s my birth month. For many Americans though, it’s a most dreaded time of the year because it means that they have to send a very large check to the government for the amount of tax debt they did not pay during the 12 months of 2016. For teachers, it means we are entering the home stretch and the last weeks of the school year. Now, any parents who have happened upon this blog post are saying—why is this a problem. But, as teachers, we all know that:
Last weeks of the school year = Crazy time!
Managing student engagement and behaviors at the end of the school year can be a challenge for even our most experienced teachers. Trust me when I say that keeping them engaged is how to win the battle. The more engaged they are in tasks that are both developmentally appropriate and challenging, the less off-task behavior they will display.
Having been an educator for the past 14 years and experiencing 14 end-of-year crazy times, I would like to share some of my favorite problem solving and critical thinking strategies I used to keep my students engaged during the last weeks of the school year.
