School of Practice

14 Excellent Ways to End the School Year

School of Practice

Show Notes

The end of the school year can feel like the best––and worst––of times.

On the one hand, it’s a great stretch because “the routines and procedures are set,” and the kids have their sights set on summer vacation, says Kansas City-based middle school ELA teacher Jeremiah Kim. But the workload for teachers closing out the year can be intense. “We all just want to be done, but we still have these boxes to check,” he says.

In this episode of School of Practice, Kim joins host Kristin Leong to explore a toolkit of low-lift, delightful, teacher-tested activities that inject celebration, meaningful reflection, and even some review into the last few weeks of class.

Hang in there, teachers, summer break is just around the corner!

Related resources:

Learn more about this episode

19 Highly Engaging End-of-Year Activities

Wrapping Up the School Year in English Language Arts

Meaningful Learning to End the Year Strong

Finishing Strong in Elementary School

4 Meaningful Activities to Mark the End of School

How to Celebrate the End of the Year in Elementary School

8 Epic Ideas for Ending the School Year

Research: Reappraising Academic and Social Adversity Improves Middle School Students’ Academic Achievement, Behavior, and Well-Being

More from School of Practice

Oct 20, 2026

It started with a student writing a joke on a sticky note: “I hope we have no tests this year.”

Oct 6, 2026

Have you ever had a lesson get derailed by a power struggle with a student? Or is there a student in your class who you got off on the wrong foot with, and you’re not sure of the best way to repair the relationship?

Sep 22, 2026

Did you know that drawing can be a learning superpower—even for students who claim they’re not good at it?

Sep 8, 2026

Everyone makes mistakes—including teachers.

Aug 25, 2026

Like a lot of other educators, Nicholas Ferroni is trying to find his way back to a time before technology was the default classroom mode. He thinks he was a better teacher back then—and kids acted more like kids.

See all episodes →