We are SO CLOSE to the end – Let’s Finish Well!

We are almost there.
2 weeks to go!

They will be two crazy busy weeks!
We have a Celebration Day with a disco for every stage.
We have our formal Presentation Assembly.
We have a Talent Showcase that “lucky me” is responsible for organising.
We have an end of year excursion.
We have a Year 6 farewell dinner.
For a bit of added joy – Our whole school is packing up their classrooms and moving everything.

It’s wild!
All in 10 days… while we are still officially “teaching”.

So this is my question.
How do you want to finish the year?
Because…
You are the only person who has control over that.

There is a lot we can’t control.
But there is an awful lot we can.
– our words
– our bedtime
– our responses to the moods of others
– where we invest our time
– how we use our energy
– how we choose to switch off and relax

I’m positive your “to do” list is just as long as mine – maybe even longer.
The final day is marching ever closer.
I have crossed that December finish line with over 30 classes.
Some I finished well, some I am not super proud of.

How do I want to finish this year?
Happy!

How to be a happy teacher? – Only control the things I am responsible for.

Below I have listed some ideas that I am going to try putting in place to help me get there.
Maybe they will help you too.

You’ve got this!
Thanks for reading along.
Jen

How I’m Planning to Finish as Happy as Possible:

* I am going to accept that I have done the best I can. I was given 30 humans to educate in 2025, and I gave it all I had. My main teaching is now over. I am going to take a moment to reflect on how far we came.
Choose to focus on what went well. Let go of everything else.

* My kids won’t only have “free time” in a Christmas booklet for 2 weeks. It doesn’t go well. Bored kids tend to start causing problems. Of course I will have lots of fun. We will play games, go outside, sing songs, get crafty and start winding down. But I am also going to keep some structure to my week. Our kids need routines (and so do we). I try to plan activities that keep them creating and working but are also stress free.
Click the CONTACT ME tab if you want some ideas.

* I am not getting out any glitter.
No-one has time for the clean up!

* I am going to remember that my kids are all exhausted and over stimulated. Every cheer group, karate class and touch footy team is having an end of year event. They have been at their big sister’s Christmas Concert and their little brother’s preschool graduation. They are not in any kind of normal routine at home. I will be ready for all kinds of tired behaviour including grumpy, silly, moody, quiet, loud, emotional.
See it for what it is. Don’t take it personally

* I am also going to remember that my kids are feeling uncertain. Their year is also coming to an end. They are going to miss you. They are going to miss their friends. They are going to have to start all over again. That is hard for us, but it can cause all kinds of reactions in them. Some start pulling away in self-preservation, especially our trauma ones.
Be aware that they might be a bit fragile.

* I am not going to get everything done before the last day. It’s ok to walk away from the year with a few loose ends. Classrooms and storerooms don’t have to be “Pinterest Perfect”. There will be time for all that later, after I’ve recharged.
Guard your energy levels.

* I’m going to look after myself. Go to bed at a regular time. Get as much sleep as I can. Stretch. Drink LOADS of water. Do some breathing exercises. It’s not hippie gibberish. This stuff does actually work. I am a huge believer in practicing gratitude and spending time in prayer. This season I need to prioritise doing both every day.
You are the only one who can truly take care of you.

* I will make every effort to practice self-control. Man… that probably needs a blog post all on its own in 2026! But for now, I’m going to try responding with wisdom not reacting with emotion.
Be a royal queen – Keep calm and carry on.

* I am going to support others. Everyone around us is just as tired and “done” as we are. Let’s find someone else who needs a boost. Then give it to them, with whatever you have left in your tank – a smile, a coffee, a hug, a kind word, a laugh, a joke, a chocolate.
Be an encourager.

I’ll be back with one more post when I cross the line.
May the force be with us all.
Let’s Go!