transitioning from break

While most teachers count down the days until break, many students find breaks from school to be difficult. Many students live in challenging homes and neighborhoods, and the uncertainty and lack of structure for some students makes breaks from school hard.

Spending time with students transitioning after a break (or even a weekend) can help students refocus and center the class on the relationships built and community of the classroom. Some questions to use as openers for transition are found in the book When Teaching Gets Tough: Smart Ways to Reclaim Your Game by Allen Mendler (2012).  Here are a few to get started:

• What is one thing you did, saw, or heard this weekend that was interesting?
• Who would like to share something important that happened to them?
• Is there anything that happened that made you feel happy? sad? mad? disappointed? scared?
• What is something that made you feel proud? What would make you feel even more proud?

Giving students a chance to share their experiences, fears, or hopes can help them before beginning back to work.

What are some ways you help your students transition back to school after a weekend or a break?