Surviving the Chaos - Pick Your Battles!

It's almost June, and here in Ontario, that means we're in the LAST MONTH OF SCHOOL!  Like I said in a previous post, it has been a brutally long winter and we're all very happy to finally see the warm, sunny weather!

Which brings me to the one tip I have to survive the chaos that is this time of the year.  A few of my colleagues have given me this advice before, and I find myself having to remind myself a lot lately to PICK MY BATTLES.  It's some of the best advice I've received as an educator.  Really!  It is!  

Let me explain.  I'm getting stir crazy.  I've been cooped up inside all winter and now that the nice weather is here, I long to feel the sun on my skin during the day.  I stay out later in the evening.  I'm slacking in my school work.  I just don't want to be at school right now.

If that rings true for me, then it definitely rings true for my students.  I notice their gaze turning towards the window instead of focusing on the white board.  I  talk about the Canadian government and they ask me if I can take them out to play at the end of the day.  

I can't focus, they can't focus.  Why repeat the same things until I'm blue in the face?  After a while, I'm even bored with my lesson and can't concentrate!  Why not take a break, go play and come back to the lesson refreshed? 

 Give it a try and let me know how it goes!  Go play!  Summer will be here before we know it!

Thanks for joining our end of the school year blog hop today. We had a great turn out of hoppers. The prize pack part of the hop is now closed. Stay tuned for blog excitement in mid July.