My Town Tutors is a great resource for parents & teachers. Check out our Guest Blogs for Education, Parents, Travel, Tutoring, Sports, Music and College.
Thanksgiving week at the high school level can be a bit crazy. It is a break from the norm, which high school students do not handle well. Some schools might go to school on Monday and Tuesday only. Other schools may also go on Wednesday with the shortest day of the year. Ending as early as 10:00 A.M. or 11:00 AM. It is a week that is out of the ordinary. A teacher should be aware of how unique this week is and plan accordingly.
There will be an increase in students being absent. All teachers know that families take vacations when they are convenient for the family. (Guest Blog: Should a Student Miss School for A Disney Trip?) Thanksgiving week is considered by many families, a convenient week to take students out of school. Some families from wealthy communities may vacation in Aruba or Bahamas. Some families will travel a great distance to celebrate the holiday with the family so they may take a child out of school a day or two early. Planning a test or major assessment during this week will result in many students needing to make up that assessment. So be careful.
Thanksgiving is a great week to do some in enrichment activities. A handmade turkey at any age is fun. A teacher can add to the assignment by having students list things they are thankful for. You also can have a student pick a family member and have them list 30 things that they are grateful for about them. A teacher can offer extra credit to any student who presents the list to the person. Students can also write a hank you to someone in the world. Any enrichment activity that will require students to think, that will be beneficial to the personal growth, and is easy to assess is a great way to spend the day before Thanksgiving.
You’re a good man Charlie Brown. (Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Trivia) There is never a bad time to introduce Charlie Brown to students. With each year, there are fewer and fewer students who have watched Charlie Brown. And there may even be some teachers who have no idea who Charlie Brown is or who have never watched A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving special. It is a great activity when factoring in all the variables of Thanksgiving week.
Have a sense of humor. (Thanksgiving Jokes for Teachers) All year we try to share some jokes and puns to brighten a teacher’s day. Our Thanksgiving Day Jokes for teachers has some jokes that are appropriate for all ages. You do not have to share with your students, you can look at them and chuckle on your own.
Mental health days. Personal days and mental health days are a reality in the current teaching situation. Do not be afraid to use them wisely. Some factors that might make this week a good day to take a personal day. Are your own family. Are you hosting the holiday.? Do you have a child coming home from college? Will that child need transportation? Will you need to pick that child up at the train station, airport, or school?
Thanksgiving is yet another milestone in the school year. Congratulations on making it (by the Massachusetts school calendar) eleven weeks and sixty-four days. For all the math teachers out there, that’s about a third of the school year. Perhaps your school system uses a term grading system. In any event you did it.
The next big stretch in the school year is from Thanksgiving until Christmas break. Depending upon where the holiday falls, that’s going to impact the length of the period. For the 2024 2025 school year it will be weeks and days. We hope to have a little post to share with our followers shortly.
Keep working hard. Take care of yourself and your family. And do the best you can in the classroom with the resources available to you. Happy Thanksgiving.