June brings change!

Photographs: Pexels

Text: Monika Pedersen

The sixth month of the year brings the end of the academic year and the start of the summer season. Both students and teachers are excited about the prospect of having some free time to relax, enjoy some peace, and spend quality time with their families.

Change

However, it is also a time of transition and change, and this can bring anxiety for young people.

Mobile populations often leave in June to start a new assignment in a different country. With this comes change, a loss of the familiar, and many questions about the future.

It is essential to endeavour and deal with this at home and in the classroom. There is a need to discuss the move and what it entails, so children have a roadmap to help them process the changes.

Dialogues in class, the sharing of stories, and the expression of emotions can help develop coping strategies. Providing closure through making cards that wish each other well on the path forward, sharing photographs of the past year, promoting the excitement of the journey ahead, playdates, and goodbye parties go some way to help students. And it is not just those who are leaving who need support, but all the children, as those staying also can be sad at the prospect of losing a friend. They, too, are experiencing change with a new academic year on the horizon. It is not long before they need to return to school and start a new year with different educators, more expectations, and higher standards. This dialogue does not start in June, but rather much earlier, as part of the preparation to move up classes. It becomes a reality in June, so teachers need to be cognizant of this and plan transition activities to ensure a smooth passage.

The holidays

Holidays are important as recharging one’s batteries is essential.

Students need time to recharge, as they have worked hard throughout the year. They need space and freedom to process all they have learnt. They need the pause to grow!

"Dialogues in class, the sharing of stories, and the expression of emotions can help develop coping strategies."

Teachers

For teachers, it is critical to recharge and reflect on the past year to prepare and adjust the programme for the new intake of students.

Typically, a teacher does not shut the classroom door and head off on the last day! Quite the opposite, as there is still work to be completed.

Each class is different, so time is needed to consider the requirements of the new students, as the same approach cannot be taken. The programme and approach must be adjusted and tailored.

A review of materials, clearing out items no longer needed or of use, contemplation of new resources, a possible reorganisation of the classroom layout, preparation of new displays, and more must take place. It often takes a teacher a week you finish before the vacation arrives.

The end

The end of the academic year is a bittersweet time for students, their parents, and teachers alike. A summer vacation is much needed to close one chapter and begin the next. This is why teaching is such a unique profession!