Students need to end the school day in a calm, structured manner with plenty of time to clean up and organize their materials. A frantic last-second rush to leave can be upsetting and often causes students to forget their homework, personal belongings, and other materials. Students need to be taught how to end the day in a calm, constructive manner.
Allow Enough Time for an Orderly End of the Day Routine
Set a timer to remind you to start the end of the day or end of the period routine. It is easy to become so involved in your lessons that you forget to start the schedule on time. When this happens, the result will likely be chaotic! Do not be distracted from monitoring student behavior while they are getting ready to go. Even with all of the activity that occurs when students get ready to leave, do not allow anything to distract you from monitoring behavior. Move around the room as students prepare to leave and be sure to narrate behavior for each of the procedures you taught.
For students with transitional or organizational challenges, create an end of the day checklist that can be laminated and either attached to their desk of displayed prominently in the room. Encourage individual responsibility by giving these students the task of using a dry-erase marker to check off each item when completed. Use a visual-aid reminder as a checklist for students during the end of the period or daily routine. Include reminders for homework, backpacks, clothing, special notes or forms, orderly desks and chairs, and so forth.
Say Goodbye to Students
Make the effort to stand at the door at the end of the day and say goodbye to students as they depart. A handshake, a high five, or pats on the backpack are good ways to express warmth. Just as you would walk a friend to the door when he or she exits your home, the same behavior in your class enhances your personal connection with students. This is also a good time for last-minute reminders and helpful hints, such as "Check each math problem two times tonight, okay?"
Launch
In the EXCEL teaching model, launching has to do with the way we end and send. It is the way teachers end a classroom experience and the way they send their charges forth to face the future. The teacher prepares the class for "lift-off" by summarizing what has occurred in class that day and by getting commitments from students to follow the "flight plan."