Wrapping up Loose Ends
It’s finally here! Summer, the end of school, the beginning of the next great adventure. In past blogs, we’ve explored the importance of balancing work and play during the summer months. But there’s one more critical step left to take before leaving the school year behind – wrapping up loose ends.
No, we’re not talking about finally getting to those late assignments that might garner a few extra points before the grades are closed out. (Because we all know that should have been done already, right?) We’re talking about a few final tasks while school might still be in session to help clarify what went well, what didn’t, and how to prepare for success next year. Here are three easy steps you can take to evaluate this past school year and move forward to the next:
1. Schedule a final check-in with teachers. Is there a class where your child struggled? Is there a subject they feel they still don’t completely understand? See if you (or your child, if they are older) can touch base one last time with the teacher for a post-mortem. If schedules are hectic, an email discussion is perfectly fine. It also has the added bonus of putting ideas down in writing. Remember that the time to take action regarding grades or missed assignments was earlier. This is simply an opportunity for an honest look at what might not have gone according to plan and why, and how to remedy that either over the summer or next school year.
2. Take time for a check-in with your child. It can be hard to have non-judgmental, evaluative conversations while in the midst of a school crisis. Now that the chips have fallen whichever way, both you and your child can take a breath and take an honest look at what worked and what didn’t over the past academic year. Discuss any feedback you may have gotten from your child’s teacher, but be prepared to listen to your child as well. Do they feel the feedback is warranted? Fair? How might they plan for a similar situation in the future? Regardless of how this year’s grades went, an opportunity for your child to feel heard and validated can go a long way towards helping you both feel like you’re on the same team when it comes to setting a plan for next year.
3. Formulate a plan. Using feedback from school and feedback from your child, work together to proactively address areas of concern. A little planning now means that when problems arise next year (and they will), or when your child begins to fall back into old, unproductive habits, you can both be ready with an action plan for change. If you have an outside tutor or other academic support specialist helping you, this is where their input can also be very helpful.
Wrapping up these loose ends now means they won’t be left hanging over your child’s head throughout the summer. And less stress plus more recreation equals a restorative summer break.