As the school year comes to an end, my library becomes a bustling hub of books in motion, final pushes on curricular units, and preparation for closing out the year. And yet, we’re still teaching 23 classes each week on top of it all–so here’s what I’m doing over the next month to end the school library year strong, and creatively.
Read more: Ending the School Library Year Strong (And Creatively)Making the Scholastic Book Fair Fun and Equitable
The first big “push” of my last month of school is our Scholastic Book Fair, which is hosted and run by our school library. It’s a fun time, but it’s stressful, and I’m always a bit more relaxed when it is over! In order to make it more fun and equitable this year, students who are waiting to shop during their class time will do some fun book-ish activities. In order to make sure everyone leaves with something, I utilize Share the Fair donations and my Scholastic Dollars from last year. I also have a ton of book donations and little items like erasers and bookmarks that I give away as well. It helps stretch the Share the Fair dollars a bit further, and helps clear out the space for a fresh start next year.
Using up my extra printables for creative spurts
Despite what I tell myself, I always end up printing more activities than I use in a school year. Due to missed days, split classes, or changes of plans, I end the school year with stacks of extra crafts, coloring sheets, etc. This year, I’m adding the creative moments my students (especially the younger grades) want and saving myself a lot of energy. As my kindergarteners do their Oge Mora unit, they are also coloring some otters (our school mascot) to use for their end of year graduation ceremony. 5th graders can get creative with the leftover quilt pieces from the 1st grade project, or do some passive programming. No one’s mad about coloring after a good read-aloud. I’m also coming to peace with it not mattering that the craft isn’t directly tied to the book we read.
Setting quiet shelving/scanning/inventory time
By the end of the year, I am a few days behind on shelving. Then my annual book order arrives, and I have hundreds of more books to handle on top of the end of year rush of returns. I’ve found the best way for me to handle this is by setting quiet time to scan/inventory/shelve, picking a good audiobook, and shutting out the world. Unfortunately, that means sometimes I can’t do it during my lunch or planning period. With enough forethought, I can pick a few days a week to stay an extra half hour–then I’ll make a check list. On Tuesday I’ll shelve picture books after school, or I’ll come early on Wednesday to do graphic novels. Breaking it up helps it feel more manageable in the weeks leading up to the end, and then I can do the chaotic last two days rush whenever the time arises.
Making a “take home” list and checking it twice
The end of the year is exciting, but it’s also chaotic. I always end up taking home stuff I didn’t need to take home because I wasn’t paying attention, or the time just shrank before me. This year, I’m making a list of what I need to take home this summer, and I’m checking it twice. Maybe thrice. My kitchen items come home–my Keurig, tea kettle, etc–and of course any leftover food, but do I need to bring my desk calendar home? Probably not–so it can go into the decor or office box, and not just get swept into my backpack on the last day. It’s also time to be honest about what work I’ll get done over the summer—and it probably won’t be cutting out all those pigeon heads for future crafts, will it?
Repeating the favorites
At the end of the year, you do not have to do your shiniest song and dance, especially in specials classes. This year, I’m repeating the classics and the favorites—read alouds we’ve loved like I Want My Hat Back and Don’t Trust Fish, and beloved dance videos and repeat ASL signs we’ve already learned. We’re reinforcing and celebrating the fun, and not trying to bend the world to fit in something new when we’re already at our wits ends.
What are you doing to end your school library year on the right foot?
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Aryssa Damron is a school librarian in Washington, D.C. She’s the co-chair of the Children and Libraries Editorial Advisory Committee and looks forward to a summer of reading only to herself, and not aloud.