Saying goodbye to tutored pupils
Abstract
Saying goodbye at the end of a service term can be difficult for tutors and pupils who have developed close bonds. Use the end of the year to reflect on accomplishments and time spent together. Nancy Henry of the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory shares ideas for easing the transition.Issue
Instead of focusing on endings, farewells can be a time to celebrate successes!
Action
Activities to achieve closure- Bring in books that were used at the beginning of the term for students to re-read. Students may be amazed at how easy they are now, and you can celebrate their growth.
- Give students any reading games you created together to keep, so they can use them on their own.
- Create a scrapbook together of any artifacts you've collected from the experience (edit some of your own journal reflections to share with your student; include drawings and photos; records of books read, or sample student writings).
- Buy a special book that is on a topic of interest to your student.
- Another great gift for readers is a personal bookplate, using art that the student created. These can be photocopied and made into sticky labels at most copy shops.
- A bit more expensive, but also wonderful, is the gift of a book stamp that reads: Property of ___ (or similar text).
- Bring self-addressed, stamped postcards for students to write to you over the summer. Make sure you have their address and make the commitment to write.
- In a closing session, write a short letter that will be mailed to your pupil in six months with well wishes. Invite the student to also write a letter to him/herself, asking "What would you like to say to yourself in the fourth grade? What advice do you want to give the future you?" Take both sealed letters and make a note of when to send them to the student.
- If your program can accommodate it, host an after-school reader's tea and invite parents. Just supply tea and cookies (a nice touch is using china cups and a teapot--have juice for the kids) and have students practice some favorite selections to read aloud to their parents/teachers.
- Make sure children know in advance when their last tutoring session is. They'll need a chance to absorb and prepare for the transition.
- Begin to review with them all they've learned. Return any of their work that has been collected.
- Set aside a bit of time during sessions to reflect on various events from time spent together and acknowledge students' accomplishments.
- Don't feel distressed if students withdraw, or act out. It is a normal response to separation. Acknowledge that endings are sometimes sad, and try to talk about it together. This will model positive ways to deal with loss.