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4 End of Semester Lumps of Coal to Avoid


Why does the end of the school year feel like the slowest 5-hour car ride and the fastest roller coaster all at the same time? 

As we dive into the end of the semester, here are 4 lumps of coal to avoid to finish on a merry note! 


1. Instead of 1 Cheap Comment, Build More Throughout the Term

As the commenting season approaches, it can be tempting to rush through the process and provide low-quality comments. However, a better approach is to build upon comments throughout the semester, so that by the end of the term, all pertinent information has been communicated to both students and parents. Clear and connected communication is key to getting on parents' Nice List and also helps to reduce the end-of-semester commenting load. 


2. The Test to Defeat All Tests

I remember in 10th grade, my English final was referred to as the “test to end all tests”.  A 250-question fruit cake concoction of multiple choice and God knows what else to “assess” the semester content.  What my past self did not know was that mathematically speaking, that final did not have any impact on my grade plus/minus 3% because of weighting and grading policy.  The massive final is a baffling abominable that can sometimes confuse and create unwanted stress in our students.  Tradition states that we need to have the big scary finals, but when thinking through the learning process, if students are showing mastery throughout the semester, can they show evidence in other ways?  Thinking about cutting down that final exam, being more about quality than quantity. 


3. Falling to the Christmas Crawl

Post-Thanksgiving, pre-finals, or end of the semester we have he Christmas Crawl.  A time when content is being “finished up”, finals are being prepared for, and holiday activities, concerts, sporting events, and other community activities are canned together like a good jam.  Considering the Christmas Crawl and all it brings, how could you in your classroom embrace the season and make your learning active around the season? 

  • Could your math class calculate the amount of money that Target makes on a Black Friday vs. Dec 1-25? 

  • Could your humanities classes develop an ad campaign for supporting local charities that could be shared locally on campus and through online LMS systems and websites? 

  • How could the skills and knowledge of the semester come to life during the Christmas Crawl to help build up students’ leadership and application abilities while investing back into the school and local community? 

Let the season be a reason to explore the application of the different elements of your curriculum to make the learning come to life!


4. Sugar Rush

Maybe this isn’t a “lump of coal”. But it is the season of the sugar rush.  The blizzard of confectionary sugars floats down the hallways, into the backpacks, and all over the teacher lounges.  Grading and comments are difficult at the end of the season, but doing it through a Sugar-Induced-I Don’t Know Where I Am-Coma makes the end of the semester that much more difficult! 


Eat some carrots.  

Learn from Rudolph. 




From all of us at To Chase Innovation, Happy End of the Semester Holdays!  We will keep posting and sharing ideas in preparation for the new year! 

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