The Home Stretch  

Most of your students have completed the standardized testing we wrote about last month and most schools in the area will be having spring break in March or early April.  Sometimes it is easy for students to lose focus this time of year.  After the stress associated with testing it feels nice to relax.  Combine that with a whole week off of school, hopefully doing something fun, and it may be difficult to get their heads back in the game.

Spring sports and activities also may be starting up and interfering with the school routine.  What can you do to help your students stay focused?

It might be beneficial to put a bit more emphasis on the routine for a while.  Make sure your students are getting a good night’s sleep, are continuing to use their regular homework time and use it effectively, and are eating regular meals.  We all can get caught up in spring fever and slack off on a few things. This is especially important as we move our clocks forward on March 11th.

If you are going somewhere for spring break, you might think of throwing in a brief educational activity such as a visit to a museum or live cultural event.  These can be fun for the family but also promote the value of learning even in the midst of fun.

As always, the best thing you can do is set a good example.  Keeping your routines and productivity going will set a good example for your students to do the same thing.