Battling Spring Fever in the Classroom

Ahhhhh the joys of spring. Warm days, sunshine, afternoon showers, flowers are preparing to bloom and children are bouncing off the classroom walls. Spring fever is right on top of us and the scramble to cool that fever is on.

This is the time of year...toward the end of the school year...where students start sliding academically and behaviorally. They pretty much already know if they are going to make it to the next grade level and know what they can and can't get away with if they are going to pass. Once they give up on their academics their behavior begins to slide. There are some ways to combat this in the classroom making your life as a teacher easier and the kids much happier.

During this last stretch I tend to hold classes outside occasionally. Give the students some fresh air and let them move a little -- it will relieve stress on everyone. You can plan a theme around an outside activity. Hold review games outdoors having teams challenge one another in several different ways or just hold a regular class session outdoors. This is a very relaxing change and I have yet to have a single behavior problem during outdoor activities.

Some schools do not have a place that a classroom can meet outdoors, if this is the case, or if going outdoors with a group of kids is not your thing, try just changing your room a bit for spring. Grab some seeds and some planters and have a tiny indoor garden on a shelf or window sill. Get a couple cheap fish to put in a fish tank. One year I had my students take one class period and decorate the room for spring. They had ownership in the room, they loved it.

Change is tough, but the same old same old does get boring and during that spring fever period when the kids (and teachers) would rather be outside enjoying the day, the same old is a bit much to take. Springtime is a time of rebirth, a time of renewal, it doesn't have to be the tired slump in the school year.