Every member of your learning community—from students to educators to families—deserves recognition for the effort they put into this school year. Celebrating them (and yourself!) is a powerful way to end the year on a positive note, strengthen community bonds, and help students appreciate their progress while reinforcing their identities as learners.
End your year with some richly deserved celebrations by trying out any of the following activities or ideas.
The articles below are brimming with activities you can use to engage your students in reflecting on and celebrating their growth since the beginning of the year:
Also consider one of these more targeted strategies:
Just like their students, educators are deeply deserving of recognition for their hard work and dedication throughout the year. Here are some ways to celebrate your own achievements and those of the educators with whom you work and collaborate:
Parents and other family members also deserve recognition for the ways they have stepped up to support their child’s learning. “Four Ways to Include Families at the End of the Year” offers helpful suggestions for celebrating families’ hard work, including inviting families to a Morning Meeting or other classroom gathering, having students write a letter or create a video message in which they share highlights of their learning from the school year, and more.
Making time to recognize every member of your classroom for the hard work they put in, the challenges they overcame, and the ways they grew as individuals and as a community is a powerful way to punctuate the school year. How do you plan on celebrating?
Ted Powers is a Responsive Classroom editor.