End Of School Balancing Act For Educators

These final weeks of school are a balancing act, making the most of valuable instruction time, fun activities and planning for next year.

White County Director of Schools Kurt Dronebarger said school does not end, it just shifts, even after the last day. He said teachers are focused on hitting standards for next year and providing activities that allow students to loosen up and connect with each other.

“We’re also teaching lessons that may not be standards, but they’re really excellent learning opportunities that, maybe, the standards don’t allow us to teach,” Dronebarger said. “So they’re fun opportunities for our students to learn. Lots of learning going on, but they’re certainly sprinkled in with lots of activities, lots of field trips, lots of fun things that testing keeps away, keeps at bay throughout the school year.”

Dronebarger said teachers add lesson plans that get students a head start on key concepts that they will be required to learn next year.

“What we do, especially in the younger grades or for those students that are coming back, we’re working on next year,” Dronerbarger said. “So we’re already hitting standards that are key standards.

He said students get to release a little bit of attention, enjoy themselves, and remember the fun of what school was like when they were young. Dronebarger said it a fun time to be in schools right now.

Dronebarger said teachers are also getting their ducks in a row for summer school. He said the summer is a busy time for educators, so preparation for summer programming has already begun.