I’m not a huge country music fan. But recently, a song popped into my head that I just couldn’t shake: Live Like You Were Dying by Tim McGraw. In the song, the narrator reflects on a life-changing realization—the idea that we should embrace every moment, appreciate what we have, and live fully, even when we think our time is limited. And during this time of the year, as I watch my students wrap up another school year, that message suddenly feels personal. Teachers often treat the end of the year like a marathon—exhausted, scrambling to check every last box, enforcing rules, making sure everything gets done. But what if we flipped the script? What if we treated these final weeks as if they were our last time teaching? Think about it—if you knew this was your final year in the classroom, how would you teach differently? What moments would you cherish more? Would you ease up on the pressure and let laughter take over? The truth is, we don’t know how many school years we have left....

  As the school year winds down, many elementary teachers face a common challenge—students are eager for summer, testing is over, and curriculum pacing guides have wrapped up. This often leaves teachers scrambling to keep students engaged and focused during their math blocks . One common temptation is introducing next year’s math concepts in an effort to keep students learning. While previewing future content might seem helpful, I’m not a huge fan of this approach . Elementary students already tackle a wide range of math concepts each year, and introducing next year’s material early can feel overwhelming for them and unfair to next year’s teacher. I personally love using inquiry and discovery-based learning to introduce new concepts, and it's difficult to do when students have already been exposed to those skills prematurely. Instead, the final weeks of school present the perfect opportunity to deepen students' understanding of the math concepts they’ve been working on all ...