Surviving the End of the School Year

The end of the school year is such a hectic time that it has a viral nickname thanks to the Holderness family: Maycember, when school year commitments and summer plans converge in a period that is just as demanding and stressful as the winter holidays but without the cheery decorations and snacks. As parents and educators, we understand the challenge, and we’ve got some strategies to help families survive the end of the school year. 

Avoid Student Burnout 

No matter how stressful the end of the school year is, the end goal is to help our children end the school year strong. Especially for high school students, whose final semester grades not only carry great weight in terms of college admissions but are also often heavily influenced by end-of-course exams, it’s important to avoid burnout. 

Here are some strategies to keep your kids motivated to achieve their goals: 

• Remind them of their personal goals: If you and your child established goals at the beginning of the school year, keep those goals front and center. 

• Maintain study habits and routines: Tempting as it may be, now is not the time to let established study habits slide. When schedule compromises have to be made, study time should still take priority. 

• Encourage strong study skills: Help your child handle the added stress by helping them to learn good study skills. By studying smarter rather than harder, your child can maximize their learning while experiencing less stress. 

Maintain A Master Calendar 

Parents with kids who are active in extracurricular activities certainly know the power of a family calendar: Juggling rehearsals and practices, performances and games, plus the litany of school-, work-, or social-commitments is never easy. But at the end of the school year, when all of those events combine with end-of-year parties, award ceremonies, and summer break planning, one calendar with every commitment on it is a must. 

Set Summer Goals and Plans 

Summer break should be a time to relax, spend time with family, and enjoy the time away from school—but it should also be productive. High school students should be working towards their college goals by leveraging summer break to build stronger college applications, and younger students benefit from engaging in academic or intellectual pursuits during the summer by retaining learning from the school year and building skills that will help them get and stay ahead in the classroom. With the start of summer around the corner, it’s time to discuss goals with our children and help them create plans to achieve those goals. 

Keep Your Eyes on the Prize 

Stressful though the next few weeks may be, the school year will eventually end! By helping your children maintain good habits and stay focused on their academic goals, you can steer them to a successful end of the school year and a productive summer—but the real reward is the time we get as a family during summer break. We would like to wish every family a happy summer break!

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Ashley Zahn is the Director of Content and Curriculum for C2 Education. In her 17 years at C2, she has been instrumental in helping thousands of students achieve their academic goals and earn admission to their dream colleges.