End of the Year: A Walk in the Park

A Walk in the Park or A Walk in the Park

From Chaos to Calm: End-Of-Year Teacher Reflection and Development!

As the school year winds down, so does my energy. BUT it’s when I have to muster up the last of it for some serious reflection and development. It’s that bittersweet moment when anchor charts come down, walls go bare, and you realize you’ve spent 10 months with this wild crew of kids—building trust, respect, and sometimes just trying to survive the chaos.

Sometimes it feels like a peaceful walk in a tranquil park… other times, it’s more like a stroll through Jurassic Park.

I used to be mean to my future self. I’d scribble notes about lessons that bombed and say, ‘I’ll fix it later.’ Spoiler alert: I never did. Basically, I sentenced myself to repeat those mistakes—like the entire Jurassic Park franchise, doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

Now, I’m kinder to future me. I don’t wait until August or when my energy magically returns. I dive in. Using my pacing guide doc, I take my notes from the year and make real changes—tweaking lessons or even whole units. The velociraptors I’ve been slowly training all year test those lessons, and yeah, sometimes the fences need fixing. You never know when the electricity or Wi-Fi will go out.

Students at the end of the year are either zombies or newly freed T-Rexes caught in a storm. So I designed activities—like my Reconstruction card sort—to corral both types into structured, meaningful talk. The best part? Sometimes their conversations reveal gems, like how state laws rolled back rights while federal laws pushed protections. That moment feels like the park is suddenly peaceful again—a quiet babbling brook with ducklings, no screaming or crying (well, except maybe me).

Here’s the big truth: trying new things at the end of the year isn’t as disastrous as you might think. It’s not like the power goes out and students eat the teachers. Think of it as driving a jeep through Jurassic Park—messy, a little wild, but totally manageable.

I tell my students, “Hang on to your butts!” (Just kidding. But it does feel that way.) I let them know I’m trying something new, it’s scary for me, but I believe they can handle it. That honesty builds trust and buy-in. They respect that I’m taking risks—even when I’m nervous.

And I always ask for feedback—the good, the bad, and the “Oops, I just grabbed the electric fence” moments. That’s how I found out some students wanted more group work or something less intense than the big-stakes Socratic Seminar, which led me to create routines like the Triad Talk Protocol. Their input shapes how I plan, teach, and connect.

So yeah, my end-of-year R&D isn’t just reflection; it’s prepping the park for next year—safer, smarter, and with fewer dinosaur escapes or bite-related injuries. Nervous about trying something new now? Go for it. What’s the worst—getting a little fence shock? You’ll be ready when the gates open again.

It’s a walk in the park.

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