Finish Strong: What Will They Notice?
Last week, I shared an idea about using 3 x 5 cards to help teachers picture how they want to finish the school year strong. I loved hearing from so many of you who were ready to try it right away—thank you for that!
This week, let’s turn our attention to students, and invite them into the same kind of thinking.
But with a twist.
Instead of asking students what they plan to do, we’ll ask them to imagine what others might notice about them.
Try this...
Give each student a 3 x 5 card (or a small piece of paper).
Ask them to complete this sentence:
“If your teacher and classmates saw you finishing the school year well, what would they see you doing?”Let students choose where to place their cards… on a wall, their desk, the classroom door… anywhere that feels right to them.
There’s something powerful about this.
Students begin to see themselves as capable of finishing strong, sometimes before they’ve even taken the first step.
A few gentle ideas for teachers to get through these final weeks...
When it’s time to complete an assignment or project, try asking:
“What do you think would help you get this done?”
You may be surprised by how often they already know.
If a student is missing work, start with what has worked:
“I noticed you did really well on that last project—how did you pull that off?”
Then build from there.
And keep an eye on the quieter ones, the students who seem a step behind or slightly out of the mix.
A small moment of connection, a quick check-in, an invitation to walk with you, even sharing lunch, can remind them they matter.
Because they do.
And in these last few weeks, belonging may be the most important lesson of all.
This is our last Monday Ideas for the school year. I hope they have helped you get through several Mondays this school year. Please send me suggestions for Monday Ideas next year! Email to: [email protected]
May the 4th be with you all this week! (I just had to write that today!)
