At this point, many of us are fairly settled into living under the restrictions of coronavirus (COVID-19) protection. The everyday practice of remote teaching might even feel somewhat normal now, but that doesn’t lessen the loss you feel when you find yourself missing your students. 

Emotional closure won’t be easy to come by as the school year wraps up, and you aren’t able to say goodbye in person. Surely, your students are feeling the same, which is why we’re listing ways you can connect with them and make the end of the year feel special under the circumstances.  

1. Host an end of year Zoom party

Zoom (or your video conferencing app of choice) has probably become synonymous with work and lessons in your household, but it’s time to flip the switch and allow everyone to connect on a social level before going your separate ways. 

Whether you want to take a page from John Krasinski and Some Good News by giving your students the school dance or graduation they are missing, or you simply want to provide a half hour for younger students and their parents to celebrate the accomplishments of the year, taking some time together to recognize the end can go a long way. 

Bonus points for using a fun background!

2. Help students vote on class superlatives

Brainstorm creative superlatives and email your students to vote on which classmate they think best embodies each. Of course, keep everything positive and make sure there are enough titles to go around so that no one feels left out!  

Examples:
Most likely to travel the world
Most likely to cheer you up
Most likely to be on the cover of a magazine
Most likely to win an Olympic medal
Most likely to be the first to finish an assignment
Most likely to do a Fortnight dance

You can announce the winners during an end of year Zoom session and/or create fun certificates with a platform like Certificate Magic to send out digitally. Helping students recognize their peers will hopefully bring out some great memories and cement the bond you all have shared. 

3. Schedule a digital spirit week

Break up the monotony by providing a chance for students to share their creativity with a week of themed outfits. Have them dress for virtual lessons or send in photos to share with the class! The end of the year is often for loosening up and having some fun, so this will help finish things off on a positive note. 

4. Create and share a virtual yearbook

Since the tradition of passing around yearbooks would come with plenty of germ risk this year, put together a digital version and allow students to share and comment on their memories.

You can collaborate with your class to collect photos and use a program like Canva to easily upload and design. Just select a template and get to work! Don’t forget to include a few pages where students can use the text function to write a personalized message to the class.

5. Drop off congratulatory care packages

If you want to go the extra mile (literally), take a drive and deliver some goodies! It’s been a long year, and your students deserve a little something for making it through. 

You can fill bags with printable versions of the activities mentioned earlier on this list like superlative certificates and class photos, plus things like: 
Books for summer reading
Graduation memorabilia
Stationery for keeping in touch
Sidewalk chalk or bubbles to celebrate summer

The smallest gesture can mean so much in these times, and this is another way to help students feel proud of their hard work and dedication. 

6. Treat yo self!

You’ve taken amazing care of your students for months, so it’s past time to make sure you take care of yourself. Relax, take a bubble bath, eat some chocolate, binge that show you’ve been wanting to start, finally buy that new outfit—whatever makes you feel good! You’ve earned it. 

Is your school planning something special for the end of the year? We want to hear about it! Tell us in the comments below.