The last few weeks of the school year are often challenging for students and the adults who care about them. It’s a season filled with standardized testing, final exams, and the pressures of the final report card, and kids and their families frequently feel overwhelmed and tapped out.
There’s an opportunity here to infuse this stressful time with a different kind of energy: reflection, joy, and celebration! After all, no matter what challenges your child may have faced this year, they have grown and learned so much. This type of positive conversation is crucial for all kids but is especially so for neurodivergent kids who tend to hear more negative, deficit-focused messages at school than positive, strengths-focused ones.
Not sure where to start? Here’s a peek into the reflection questions we use in our end-of-year coaching sessions that we hold with our students! We love ending the year with these celebratory conversations knowing full well the impact they have on building confidence and a growth mindset in our students.
What is one way you grew as a learner this year? (If this question is tough, ask them to describe the kind of student they were in August and to describe how they are different now.)
What is one favorite thing you learned about this year - at school or outside of school?
What is something brave you did this year?
How did you use your strengths and gifts this year?
Which class was the most fun? Why?
What was the biggest challenge you faced this year and how did you deal with it?
What is something that surprised you this year?
What are you most proud of from this year?
What are you most looking forward to about summer? About next school year?
After hearing your child’s successes, it is now a great chance for you to share with them all the ways that you are proud of them! What growth have you noticed? How did they shine this year? Try to provide specific examples to share with your child. They will absolutely treasure your words, especially at this time of the year.