Students and teachers are both tired at this point, and many students have checked out - even though there is a lot of learning left to go! How do we combat that?

1. Re-engage
2. Re-connect

Re-Engage:

Sometimes, at this time of the year, we find we need to engage the students cognitively.  We need to get their brains going again!  When we start to see them disconnect, it’s even more important that put in the work to re-engage them (not get mad at them for getting off task).  Unfortunately, I often see (and did) just the opposite.  This tends to be a time when we get very focused on the state assessments, and can get very “worksheet” and “independent practice” heavy.

I would ask you this (again – pointing the finger at myself):

You are needing them to refocus, but are you putting as much effort into planning engaging activities? When we get tired, and when we feel stressed, we may back off on our planning as well.

I will give you two things to consider in trying to re-engage:

1. Transfer the ownership back to the students. Give them choice. Give them responsibility. Let them hold each other accountable. You are in charge of your classroom, but give them ownership in their learning.
2. Set learning goals.  Scores on state assessments or district curriculum tests are not learning goals.  And scoring higher may seem unattainable to many students, leading to unwanted behavior. Remember that the scores only reflect learning – so learning should still be the goal.  This gives students something attainable to master, and will eventually raise their scores as well.

Re-connect:

By now you know your students.  You know their names.  You probably know a lot of their families.  You know their academic struggles.  You may know some about their lives. What I want to encourage you to think about is how you’re viewing each student. Because along with knowing your students at this time, you also have feelings towards each of your students – like, dislike, frustration, annoyance, enjoyment, sympathy, etc.  They know exactly how you feel about them.  If you are patient and kind, or frustrated and short-tempered. If you still light up when they come in the room, or if you ignore or immediately start nagging.

 I would encourage you to do a mental check, and if there are any students that you need to reconnect with, now is the time! Get them one-on-one.  Send encouraging notes home. Make positive phone calls with authentically positive statements (even if there are negative things happening as well).  Speak support and encouragement into your students. Give them value by giving them ownership (remember re-engage?).

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