Connecting the First Day of School to the Last

Think about the last day of classes last year—the last regular day before exams. We often struggle with how to fill these awkward days that are too late for lessons but too early for summative assessments. The students are tired of exam reviews in all of their academic classes. Other culminating activities like watching movies or having free time are becoming repetitive. What to do?

I’ve developed a fun and reflective tradition that really works, a surprise change of pace that marks the end of school by bringing students back to their younger selves—as they were 10 months ago on the first day of school. And it takes almost no prep.

First Day of School Survey

Like many teachers, on the first day of school I have students complete a short survey so I can start getting to know them. They complete it with paper and pen—and this is important when the last day of school comes.

These are typical “getting to know you” questions, like:

• Where do you see yourself at age 30?
• What is your favorite movie?
• What are you looking forward to this school year?

As my own homework during the first week of school, I read the students’ responses to start to get to know them a bit better. The information helps me build relationships and customize instruction. For example, if a student is an avid tennis player, I try to slip in a tennis-related word problem in our math practice. Or if a student mentions they can’t wait to move back to Japan, I know a bit more about how to connect with them.

Additionally, I ask, “What would you like to know about me as your teacher?” in the survey. I try to answer any questions students have over the first few days of class. For example, a student may ask, “Are you a tough grader?” and I’ll discuss my grading philosophy.

After the first few days of school, I rarely mention the first-day-of-school surveys again. Until… the very last day.

Closing Out the Year With the Surveys

On the last day of classes, I bring out the stack of surveys. I haven’t mentioned them after the first week or so, and my students have usually all long forgotten that they ever completed the survey.

I introduce this activity by emphasizing this point: “Before we begin, I want to reassure you that I will not be reading anything embarrassing or private aloud. Your contagious foot fungus is safe with me.” (Pause for chuckling.) My point is to make it clear to them that I won’t read anything personal or private aloud, only innocuous responses like their favorite movie or future career choice.

As I read the responses, the students erupt into laughter and try to guess whose survey I’m reading. I’ll read a response like, “If I were a fruit, I would be a strawberry because sometimes I am sweet and sometimes sour,” and students look around, wondering which of their classmates might say this about themselves. One student will guess aloud, “I think that’s Reese!” Reese smiles and nods, and everyone giggles together about her funny strawberry comment. Next survey: “This person wrote their favorite restaurant is Tacos A Go Go.” A handful of students exclaim simultaneously in excitement, “That’s James! He loves Tacos A Go Go!” Again laughter all around as they reminisce about all the times James has mentioned this throughout the year.

The students experience a shared nostalgia about how young they were back then—all those 10 months ago. “I can’t believe I liked that movie back then!” “Gross, I lowkey don’t eat sour gummy worms anymore.” Or I might ask for clarification after reading a response. “What does ‘butter squishie’ mean?” I get a unified reaction of disbelief from the class. “You don’t know about butter squishies?! Oh my gosh!” (Maybe I do know what butter squishies are, but it’s worth seeming to be out of touch if my students can laugh together.)

Because I read one or two responses from every student’s survey in random order, this activity not only allows each student to be in the limelight for a few minutes, but also builds community. Students realize how much they have learned about each other over the year. They listen intently to each response and scan the room, taking note of who might have been a Sabrina Carpenter fan last August or who has family in Puerto Rico. I often hear comments about their connections with classmates, such as, “Yes, Mulan was my favorite movie too!” or “I didn’t know Erin wants to be a surgeon—so do I!” Mostly the students tell me that the responses are “so cringe,” but I can tell by their joyous comments and happy faces that they love hearing each other’s and their own responses.

This is a tradition I’ve done every year for 25 years with my middle and high school students. I love how it ends the year with a reflective, light, and connecting celebration—it’s far more rewarding than a messy and expensive end-of-year party.

An Alternative Approach

A quieter version of this idea is to ask your students to write a letter to their future “June selves” on the first day of school. You can provide prompts such as:

• In what areas do you want to grow this year?
• Describe how you will approach this school year differently than last year.

As with the surveys, read the letters yourself—and make sure students know you will read them—and then store them away for the rest of the school year, never mentioning them again. On the last day of classes, surprise students with their letters. Give them time to read in silence and reflect on the words their past selves wrote.

Give students the opportunity to share their reflections in a group discussion. You can ask, “What surprised you about your letter? How would you reply to your past self in another letter?”

In my previous school, we had all of the eighth graders write letters to themselves and handed them out just before their Moving Up ceremony. It was a sentimental moment for them on the cusp of a big transition.

The Importance of Reflection and Closure

As adults, we know the value of reflection in our personal and professional lives. Looking back helps us successfully navigate our choices going forward. Preteens and teens need experience practicing the skill of self-reflection, and both of these approaches provide that. Reflection on their identity, their work, and their feedback encourages their growth as learners and as community members.

If you enjoy watching comedy shows or sitcoms, you might appreciate ones that end in a “callback,” a joke or situation from the beginning that comes back around at the end. The audience laughs more because of the sense of a shared inside joke. There’s a satisfying feeling of closure by looping the end back to the beginning.

Looping the end of the school year back to the beginning gives students that same satisfying feeling of closure. They might recall how nervous they felt on the first day of school answering questions about their favorite song. The act of recalling may emphasize to them how much they have grown over the year—not just in song choice but in their confidence.

This activity requires very little prep—the only key is to start on the first day of school, and then to remember to bring the surveys back out on the last day of classes. Because of the hectic schedule at the end of the school year, it’s easy to forget this, so it may help to put this activity on your calendar. It’s something students will remember fondly as they prepare to move on to the next grade level.