LAUGH
Raise your hand if you feel personally victimized by the end of the school year. State testing, finals, crazy kids, and even crazier special schedules make us teachers want to pull our hair out in May. However, here are 15 ways you can make it to the end of the school year.
1. Invest in a Starbucks card for yourself and use it several times a week.
Never underestimate the power of a caffeinated beverage. Those suckers are going to keep you afloat until summer calls your name. Starbucks has added a few extra perks to their program so you get even MORE discounts every time you swipe.
2. Start making a bucket list for summer.
Do you want to go to an amusement park? Stay in your jam-jams all day? Lounge by the pool all day, every day? Fabulous! Make a list of ten things you want to do and post it where you can see it on a daily basis. It’s going to help get you through until the end.
3. Load up your grocery cart with as many frozen meals as possible.
Do your lunches consist of croutons, a Snickers, and a bag of Doritos? Congratulations! You have officially lost the ability to put together a lunch! Pick up some Lean Cuisines and toss those tasteless frozen delights in your cart. Problem solved!
4. Buy a whole case of alcoholic beverages.
Love reds? Are you secretly a Coors Light fanatic? Go to Bevmo or Trader Joe’s and buy your favorite adult liquid. You are going to need it to survive the next couple of weeks. Don’t drink? Skip this one or replace it with whatever beverage works for you.
5. At the end of each day, jot down three things you are grateful for.
It can be really hard to find the positive at the end of the year. Write three things you are grateful for: little Johnny’s hugs, the sunshine, tacos, etc. I promise this works!
6. Treat yourself to some form of self-care.
Do you love gel manicures? Is a
7. Find some semi-educational videos and be okay with showing them.
Look…your class will be okay if you don’t use up every single second of educational time like you planned in September. Be easy on yourself and pat yourself on the back for making it this far.
8. Take your class outside.
The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and we all need some vitamin D. Your class will thank you later.
9. Play games, games, and more games with your kiddos.
For some reason, it never feels like teaching if you do it in a game format. Reviewing key concepts is so easy and ridiculously fun if you make everything a game. Just be prepared for kids to argue until the death about points and how unfair you are.
10. Set the bar low when you pass by a mirror.
I recently made the mistake of walking past a mirror during the end of the school day and looking into it. My hair was a mess, my under-eye bags had bags, and my outfit was more questionable than it was when I put it on at 6 a.m. Forgive yourself. You’ll be back to your old self soon enough.
11. Find a venting buddy.
Whether it is a spouse, a co-teacher, or a friend outside of work, make sure you carve out time to cry, scream, complain, and explain your woes.
12. Start that trashy show you’ve been meaning to binge-watch.
May I suggest anything on Bravo? Or one of the many true-crime docuseries on Netflix? There is nothing better than enjoying low-class television from the comfort of your own couch.
13. Go on a Target run and load up your cart with (un)necessary items.
Every teacher loves some good dollar spot finds. Spend a chunk of time roaming the aisles of your favorite place and indulging in some good old-fashioned retail therapy.
14. Set aside some cash to use on DoorDash or Postmates.
LOL to cooking when you get home, exhausted each day. It’s okay to pay a few dollars more because you can’t make it to the drive-through line for Taco Bell.
15. Eat some damn dessert.
Who cares about gaining five pounds during the final month of school? You have all summer to exercise! Go eat some sweets because you, my friend, absolutely deserve it!
