Whether it’s transferring to a new school, going on maternity/paternity leave, or moving to a different state, it’s fairly easy for adults to understand the reasons involved. However, the same cannot be said about elementary students, who may experience some difficulty coming to terms with their teacher’s departure. If you’ve established a strong bond with your students, it’s best to plan how you’re going to tell them you’re leaving.
Here are 9 steps you can follow to soften the blow when breaking the news to your students that you will be leaving.
- Inform their parents ahead of time.
- Wait until the last class of the day.
- Have a fun class activity that they love.
- Segue Into the important news you have to share.
- Try to answer as many of their questions as you can.
- Reassure them that things will be fine after you leave.
- Give them gifts to remember you by.
- Speak to them individually if you can.
- See them off.
Children have a more difficult time understanding change and dealing with it. This article will break down the helpful steps you can take to share the news of your departure and make it easier for your students and yourself.
1. Inform Their Parents Ahead of Time
All elementary schools generally have some level of parental involvement, though it may be more for some than others.
Whatever the case at the school you’ll soon be putting in your rearview mirror, it would be best to first inform the parents of the students of your impending departure.
As the children’s teacher, you are the person they spend the most time with. You are likely second only to their parents in terms of being the most influential figure in their lives.
Perhaps, you even surpass some parents in that respect. But the bottom line is that the children under your tutelage have placed you high upon a pedestal, and your departure will not be taken lightly.
Why Involving the Parents Matters
A major factor behind an unfavorable parent-teacher relationship is down to miscommunication.
If parents are briefed on this forthcoming change, they can anticipate its emotional impact on their kids.
Because they will be informed, the parents will be ready to help their children come to terms with the news you reveal to them. You can take this as an opportunity to lean on parents for some support with this difficult situation.
When your students arrive home at the end of the school day bearing the burden of the knowledge that their beloved teacher will soon be leaving, they will need their parents to be there for them.
Granted, parents who did not know of this development beforehand would doubtless still offer their support to their children.
However, a heads-up would allow them to prepare for the gloom and be ready to disperse it, so speaking with them should be the first thing on your news-breaking agenda.
2. Wait Until the Last Class of the Day
Timing is everything. And when you are set to deliver unpleasant news to an entire classroom of kids, you had better do so at the right time.
That said, the day’s last class would present the opportune moment for this, and here’s why.
The children will have tackled another school day. By this time, they will feel fulfilled, and their energy will be tempered. They will be more receptive to the announcement you will be making.
In contrast, telling them earlier in the day when their energy levels are still through the roof would not be ideal as they won’t yet be in a state where they can digest this information.
Additionally, although they might not receive it as well at this time of the day, your news will still sink to some degree, leaving them troubled.
They would then have to go through their lessons and perform their activities with a cloud looming above them.
Taking that into consideration, your best course of action would be to tell them that you will be leaving during the last period of the day.
Moreover, if you follow the first step and inform their parents beforehand, the children can better transition from your watchcare to the comfort of their sympathetic parents.
3. Have a Fun Class Activity That They Love
It may seem very much like you are buttering them up before breaking their hearts, but it is recommended that you first enjoy a fun class activity with your students before sharing your news with them.
If at all possible, the activity should be something that can tee up your announcement and allude to what is to come.
The idea is to prep their minds so they are not caught off guard and left feeling like they have just taken a sledgehammer to their heads.
For instance, you could plan a wildlife-related activity that has to do with the animal young and mother parting ways. Or perhaps you could perform exciting science experiments and highlight scientists who revered the different professors they had through the years of their education.
For example, check out the following video for some examples of some fun science experiments to try with your students:
Whatever you choose to go with, personalizing the activity and tailoring it to your students will make it more meaningful and more memorable for them.
On top of that, it will put them in high spirits. Otherwise, they will feel spent by this hour, and your announcement would further compound this and leave them deflated.
Of course, whatever the case, they will be going home with heavy hearts. However, your efforts can do more than you would imagine softening the blow of your announcement, and their parents will also appreciate this.
4. Segue Into the Important News You Have To Share
If you plan it right, you can seamlessly transition from overseeing an exciting class activity to announcing to your students that you will be leaving.
When the moment comes, please do not make a ceremony of it as this will have them in a state of great anticipation. Instead, segue from the related class activity into sharing your news. You will be letting them down gently in this way.
Once you have apprised them that you will be departing, you can expect some kids to get emotional and varying levels of this will be displayed.
What To Expect
Naturally, this news will be upsetting, and your students will feel like their worlds are suddenly falling apart. Some may handle it better than others. But you will want to consider a child’s individual situation.
For instance, one may have experienced having their parents separate, resulting in either of the parents leaving home.
News of your departure could set off a flurry of emotions and make them feel as though they are somewhat living through that homelife nightmare once more.
On the other hand, students who have had no such experience will be brought up close and personal with it for the first time and will be unsure of how to react or what to expect.
In any case, you should be well prepared to meet with the different possible reactions your news could trigger.
5. Try to Answer as Many of Their Questions as You Can
An influx of questions is sure to follow your announcement. But as you have mentally prepared for this moment, you can steel yourself and patiently answer their queries with a smile.
After overcoming the initial shock, the students will want to make sense of the situation, and they can only do so by getting answers.
The most obvious first question they will ask is “Why?”
To be clear, you are not obligated to share this information in detail with your students. Just tell them enough for them to understand why this has to happen.
Make no mistake, some students may take it personally and even think they are to blame for this development. It will be up to you to clear things up, even for the unvoiced guilt.
What You Should Say
How much or how little you share is your prerogative. If you feel comfortable, you can choose to tell your students more about it.
For instance, if you are moving to a different state, you can even show them some photographs of the new school you will be working at or the new apartment you will be moving into. This might even cause them to feel happy and excited for you.
On the other hand, the reasons for your departure may be of a personal nature that you cannot divulge to your students.
In this case, it would be best not to get into the specifics but be sure to leave them with a sufficient explanation.
For example, you can focus on the things you can speak about, such as your new workplace, what your expectations are for your new adventure, and how much you’ll miss your students.
6. Reassure Them That Things Will Be Fine After You Leave
“What’s next?”
Anyone at any age confronted by change wonders the same thing. This question will certainly pop into the heads of your students.
You will have to reassure them that this change does not herald the end of the world as they know it, and you can focus on the positive and the unchanged.
For instance, you can tell them that the principal, librarian, school nurse, and other teachers they have come to trust will still be around.
These words may not offer them much comfort at that moment. However, it’s vital that they get any at all.
Reminding them of the constant elements in their school life will give them a measure of reassurance despite the blow of your departure.
What To Look Forward To
Direct your students’ attention to the positives that can result from this change. Remind them that it is an opportunity to meet someone new, someone they will also come to love.
Assure them that they will go on learning and growing after you have gone. Those subjects they love will still be taught. The activities they enjoy will still be part of the curriculum.
Moreover, the teacher set to take your place can shake things up and put their own interesting spin on these, and they can look forward to that.
Naturally, this may be received with protests that they want you to stay and couldn’t care less about how great a new teacher would be. If it ain’t broke, right?
However, while this part may be particularly challenging, it can be done with much patience and understanding.
7. Give Them Gifts to Remember You By
The early elementary years are a vital part of a person’s individual history. Your influence in this formative period cannot be overstated, and it may be difficult for your students to cope with your departure.
As a result, preparing some parting gifts for them will let them know how much they mean to you and when some time has passed, this can help them remember you.
Moreover, gifts have a way of easing the sadness of a farewell. That one last present can be clung to for some measure of comfort.
How to Choose a Departure Gift for Your Students
Choosing what gifts to get your students can be challenging. There are some things you have to consider first:
- How many students you have. Some classes have a large number of students, and on top of that, you might have more than one class. This calculation is essential when picking out a gift, especially if you are getting uniform items because of the available stock.
- Your financial budget. Additionally, you will need to work with a budget. If you have a manageable number of students, you can opt for items at higher prices, but on the other hand, you’ll have to go with lower-priced items if you need a higher quantity.
- Your students’ interests and inclinations. If you know them well enough, you can pick out gifts they can appreciate and put to use. You can base this on their interests and the subjects they enjoy most.
Having said that, many teachers go for a uniform item they can personalize for each student with an engraving. It can be easier to pick out and typically costs less.
Most importantly, that personal touch will raise the item’s sentimental value. It’s also more likely to survive through the years.
8. Speak to Them Individually if You Can
Individually bidding each student farewell is a tall order, more so if you have two or three classes. It will take up a lot of your time.
However, if it is at all possible, you should do it. Even just a few minutes can have an immense impact on the lives of the students you’re leaving behind.
Here are some of the things they can take away from it:
- They get to say goodbye in private. Most kids have that fear of crying in front of people and getting teased for it. A moment alone with you will allow each student to express their sentiments to you without fear.
- They get closure and reassurance. This will mean even more to those students who feel the irrational guilt that your departure is somehow their fault. Taking the time to say goodbye to them will reinforce your reassuring words that they are innocent.
- They get confidence to go forward. Knowing they matter enough for you to personally say goodbye will be that final confidence boost that will propel them to move forward with purpose. They will choose not to wallow in their sadness and instead do their very best to honor your memories together and make you proud.
9. See Them Off
Some teachers give their students a few days or weeks’ notice, but other situations are not as generous with time, and the day a teacher makes their announcement is, in fact, their last day.
In both cases, you should make your final farewell on your actual last day at the school by seeing the kids off at pick-up time.
Ideally, you would have already said your individual goodbyes before then, so you won’t hold them up when their parents pull up for them. But your presence at the lot will mean more than you can imagine. The image of you waving farewell as they pull away could be imprinted on your students’ memories forever.
Final Thoughts
The bond with your elementary students can be one of the most rewarding things in life, and when your paths eventually diverge, it will break their hearts just as much as it will yours. For your part, you are mentally and emotionally better equipped to handle this farewell.
However, your students will have greater difficulty coming to terms with the change being imposed in their lives. It’s down to you to ease their distress.
Fortunately, if you follow the steps I outlined, you and your students will be able to get through this situation in the best way possible.
Sources
- Bright Horizons: Helping Children Cope When a Teacher Leaves
- Jackrabbit Care: How to Help Children When Teachers Leave Your Center
- Indeed: How To Write a Teacher Resignation Letter to Parents in 5 Steps
- University Compare: Saying Goodbye to Your Students
- Lakeside: For Children, the Default is “My Fault” When Something Happens
