For most of our students and teachers, June brings the end of the school year - a time filled with a variety of emotions that can include excitement and celebration, but can also spur feelings of stress, fear, and anxiety. Many students look forward to summer breaks filled with time with friends and family, fun activities and more flexible schedules because they are fortunate enough to possess a certain degree of “family privilege”. Family privilege is defined as “an invisible package of assets and pathways that provide us with a sense of belonging, safety, unconditional love, and spiritual values” (Desautels, 2016). Young people who possess family privilege feel connected to their caregivers and have an emotionally supportive home environment. Unfortunately, many of the students Acknowledge Alliance therapists work with in our Collaborative Counseling Program do not share this same level of family privilege at home. For these students, the onset of summer vacation also means losing the structured school environment, which may be their sole source of social and emotional support. However, no matter a student’s circumstances, they are all faced with the anxiety and challenging emotions that come with end of the school year transitions.
For teachers, the end of the school year can be an especially stressful time, when educators may feel overwhelmed by increased testing, participation in school projects, meetings with parents and students, needing to keep students engaged, as well as worrying about the needs of their vulnerable students being met during the summer (Desautels, 2016). The resilience consultants in our Resilience Consultation Program work with teachers all year long to create classrooms that nurture students’ social-emotional needs, and they see firsthand how educators’ stress levels surge as they feel the weight of year-end obligations on top of managing shifting classroom dynamics and student behaviors in response to the end-of-year changes.
Acknowledge Alliance was founded on the belief that when a child has a caring adult in their life who believes in them and their abilities, they can succeed despite adversities. With that belief in mind, we encourage everyone to support our community’s students and teachers in coping with the challenges the end of the school year brings. Education Week and Edutopia provided the following strategies for helping students cope with end-of-the-year stress and to ease transitions for everyone. Try some out and share these ideas with the people in your life who they could benefit!
1. Lean into traditions or create new ones.
Change is difficult for all of us, but Megan Bledsoe, Washington’s 2020 school counselor of the year shares that “embracing or creating traditions can help students navigate and feel prepared for transitions. It can also give students something to look forward to.” Annual events like end-of-year celebrations, class picnics, and promotion or graduation ceremonies give students something to look forward to while also allowing them to experience a rite of passage.
A symbolic gift is another way to help students cope with change by helping them connect an object with your enduring relationship. The gift can be any item that holds a special meaning, or a photograph of you together paired with a positive affirmation. Whatever is given to the youth in your life, it will be carried with them as they transition to the next phase of their life. It will also serve as a reminder that the relationship you share is not over, but has simply evolved and continues even if you do not see each other as frequently.
2. Create opportunities for peers to support each other.
Teenagers often feel more comfortable opening up to each other about their concerns and challenges. Setting up dedicated time and space for students to gather and talk can be a great way for young people to build emotionally supportive connections.
3. Encourage taking breaks to help with managing difficult emotions.
It can be tempting to keep pushing oneself to keep up with the hectic pace of the end of the school year, but we are all human and need proper rest in order to stay energized and focused. Students and teachers can take five minutes to stretch or practice deep breathing to rejuvenate themselves and stay grounded.
4. Take care of both physical and emotional well-being.
Drinking enough water, getting plenty of sleep, and eating well are practices fundamental to our health that we can all lose sight of during stressful times. Encourage students and teachers to stick to these important routines, and you can even help by offering healthy snacks and meals. Try this recipe for Date Energy Balls that our Resilience Consultation Program Manager, Poonam Singh, Ed.M, PCC, shared with teachers at a recent Acknowledge Alliance educator art and wellness session.
References:
Peetz, Caitlynn. (2023, May 22).Schools Can Help Students With End-of-the-Year Stress. Here Are 4 Strategies. Retrieved from https://www.edweek.org/leadership/schools-can-help-students-with-end-of-the-year-stress-here-are-4-strategies/2023/05
Desautels, Lori. (2016, June 10). Calming End-of-Year Stress. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/calming-end-of-year-stress-lori-desautels.