Back-to-School You will Love End-of-Year You for Completing these 10 Tasks

Because we used AMI during snow days, our last day of school is Friday!

Last week, I compared my end-of-year attitude to a bear coming out of hibernation. That comparison is still true in the last week of school.

However, end-of-year me also knows that in August, when I’m in back-to-school mode, I will feel anxious, overwhelmed, excited, and restless in turn.

While I don’t have a lot of teaching energy left right now, end-of-year me is still going to work through these 10 tasks to make life easier for back-to-school me.

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Easy End-of-Year Tasks

At the end of the school year, some tasks are simple and quick, but they can often be forgotten. Taking care of these tasks now will make my life better in August.

• First, students sanitize their desks on the last day of school, and I clean as many community surfaces as possible. A quick Clorox of desks and tables leaves the classroom feeling fresh. This must-do is kind of like making your bed before going on vacation; doing this now will improve my return.
• Next, I love an end-of-year declutter. I will encourage students to purge their binders, and I will do the same. In addition to miscellaneous papers, I also love a digital purge and will prune my email and Google Drive, too. The end of the year is also a good time to make sure there are no lingering digital updates. I also like to audit my Chrome extensions and remove anything I’m no longer using.
• One summer, I left my classroom without erasing leftover dry erase posters. I use these kinds of posters to list Google Classroom codes, calendars, classroom norms, and any other messages I want to preserve long-term. I use Vis-a-Vis markers, so that writing isn’t coming off without cleanser! To prepare myself for back-to-school, I erase those posters at the end of the year; leaving that writing during the summer makes it tough to update in the fall!
• Another important end-of-year task is defrosting and unplugging my mini-fridge! I also keep a well-stocked snack drawer, so it’s essential to clean that out on the last day. Usually, I set out the remaining snacks for my students, and they can take what they’d like. Rarely do I want to schlep anything home.
• One of the easiest but most important end-of-year tasks is thanking the folks who make my life easier. A quick thank you note to secretaries, janitors, librarians, paras, and other support staff gives me a way to express my gratitude and also makes life easier for back-to-school me.

Pre-Loading Back-to-School

The nerd in my soul also loves some of these end-of-year tasks. These are a little more involved but important.

• First, I schedule an email to myself with a back-to-school to-do list. This does not have to fancy or elaborate, but some of my best ideas come at the end of the year. Scheduling an email is a good way to make sure I can recall these ideas without having to keep track of a paper list. Back-to-school me always appreciates a little help from end-of-year me.
• Next, I pre-load my Google Classroom as much as possible. Right now, I’m teaching sophomores and seniors, and I’m teaching those same courses again. With that in mind, I’ve created 2026-2027 English II and a 2026-2027 English IV Google Classrooms. I’m going through each unit and pre-loading as much as I can. Some activities will repeat next year, and if I can get those set as drafts, that makes a huge difference for me in the future!
• Similarly, I like to reset my classroom library at the end of the year. This is something students can definitely help with! Over the year, series have been separated, some books have lost their genre labels, and others need a little TLC. If you do a seasonal book display, this is the perfect time to collect the titles you will spotlight in August.
• Finally, it’s helpful if I can make some back-to-school decisions now rather than later. I may not hit “print” on my syllabus or back-to-school stations, but if I can have those documents ready to go, then I am leaving myself in a good spot. There may be unexpected changes to these activities, but if I can decide what back-to-school will look like now, then I will be happier later. For one thing, my decision fatigue is so high right now, I’m getting quick with making choices whereas back-to-school me is likely to dither.

My Favorite End-of-Year Task!

Since I’m not teaching summer school, vacation is a time when I can really make an impact on my TBR! This is my favorite end-of-year task! Here are the 5 titles at the top of my summer reading list:

• First, I’m slowly working through The First Law series by Joe Abercrombie. I’ve read the first book The Blade Itself, and I hope to finish the second book Before They Are Hanged. If you enjoy an epic fantasy journey with shifting points of view and a tremendous scope, this is for you!
• Since the World Cup is this summer, I’d like to read Red Card by Ken Bensinger. Even if you don’t follow soccer, you likely have heard about FIFA’s scandals. Bensinger’s book is about the corruption and its discovery.
• Earlier this year, I started Black Klansman by Ron Stallworth, and I’d like to finish it! In this memoir, Stallworth, a Black man, describes his police work within the KKK. I started reading it around the same time I started Abercrombie’s books, and the fantasy novels just won all my attention, but this is still a solid read I’d like to finish.
• In February, I read an excerpt from The Reservation by Rebecca Kauffman. I was struck by the structure of the book, and it seems like there’s a little mystery thrown in, so I’m intrigued.
• Finally, I keep meaning to read The Lost Coast by A.R. Capetta. This is the only YA book on my summer TBR, and it’s also the only book that has a summery feel to me. Maybe it’s the California setting or the rainbow colors on the cover, but I’m hoping this story about a coven of queer witches hits all the right notes for the season.