It’s just a few weeks until my school’s Christmas break. But, if I can help it, my students will never know it!

Back in my first year of teaching, I thought it would be fun to put a holiday countdown on the front board. Each day I would change the number and we edged closer and closer to the break. It was exciting.

But, in the words of Gob Bluth, it was also a huge mistake.

As the countdown got closer to zero, my students got closer and closer to crazy. By the final few days, they stopped paying attention to anything academic happening in my class.

These days, I am a little older and a lot wiser. I never mention holidays and work hard to keep the students focused on relevant and meaningful learning – right up until the last minute of the last day of school. I may seem like a Grinch, but at least we achieve our goals and no one gets sent to the office or the loony bin.

The main challenge with being the school Grinch is you might be the lone one in your school. Then, you have to fight the holiday craziness of not just your own room, but the surrounding classes also. Whenever you can, try to influence your colleagues to keep meaningful lessons and assessment on the schedule.

Happy holidays and, as always, send us your comments and suggestions to make 2017 a successful year.

Ed Ex!