I’ve been talking about, and living through, the end of the semester.
It is a harrowing time. No matter the grade you have, there is always the concern that it is not good enough and you will fail. Your student may be fractious and snappy and not sleeping. The best thing you can do is support the student.
But if the end of the semester classes have all finished, the last papers are in, and the last tests have been done, don’t forget to take time to celebrate the ending of another semester.
Take a walk and see that thing called sun that everyone is always going about.
Take a nap, goodness knows the student hasn’t been getting enough sleep. Go to bed early and sleep in, if you can.
Take yourself out to eat, ditto on the spotty nutrition that the student may have been enjoying or not enjoying the last couple of weeks.
Take a moment and just be.
Don’t forget to thank those who have made the end of the semester, which is always an icky time, a little easier.
Take the day off from doing anything. The real world will be waiting soon enough. But this is the time to relax. Whether the journey is ending with this semester (congratulations, BTW), or there are just a few weeks before the start of summer school, or another semester, it will all still be waiting for you and today you should be about you.
The life admin that has not been happening, dirty bathrooms and dirty clothes will be here waiting when you get back. This is doubly true if you are an adult learner and back in school again and are in the workforce.
Take a break. You need it.
Dispatches from the Evening Shift 