Let’s be honest: spring in a high school can feel like a rush of meetings (some which could have been an email), but also… a blur of emails, last-minute schedule changes, testing rosters, and seniors in full-on panic—or denial—mode. You’re juggling credit checks, course requests, college questions, and the occasional fire drill (literal or figurative). It’s that time of year when your to-do list starts growing faster than you can check things off.
Welcome to the spring sprint—not a marathon, not a jog, but a full-speed dash to the finish line. And while sprinting can be exhilarating, it can also be exhausting if you’re not intentional about how you’re spending your energy.
Here are some suggestions on how to stay grounded and focused on what really matters.
1. Recenter on Your “Why”
Before you drown in logistics, take a breath and remember: your core role is to support students’ academic, social-emotional, and post-secondary success. When in doubt, ask:
“Is this helping a student move forward?”
It’s a quick gut-check that can help you triage tasks and let go of unnecessary noise. Speaking of which…
2. Triage, Don’t Try to Do It All
Not everything can be done right now. That’s not failure—it’s prioritization.
Group your tasks into three buckets:
- Urgent & Impactful (e.g., seniors not on track to graduate)
- Important but Flexible (e.g., finalizing next year’s advisory curriculum)
- Can Wait or Delegate (e.g., formatting next month’s bulletin board)
Give yourself permission to say no to the non-urgent and ask for help when you can. You are one person, and students need you most when you’re not running on empty.
3. Create Micro-Moments of Connection
Spring can feel transactional:
“Did you turn in that form?”
But your students still need relational counseling. Build in moments of humanity—even if it’s just walking a student back to class while asking how their week’s going.
Those quick check-ins often matter more than the perfectly color-coded spreadsheet.
4. Keep the Finish Line in Sight
Remember, you’re not just trying to survive spring—you’re helping students finish strong and prepare for what’s next. Whether it’s a senior deciding on a gap year or a freshman figuring out study habits, your work now lays the foundation for their next chapter. That’s powerful.
5. Protect Your Energy
Last, but certainly not least: take care of you.
You can’t sprint at full speed if you’re running on fumes. Drink water. Step outside between meetings. Block a “no meetings” hour if you can swing it. Talk to someone who gets it. You may not always need a spa day—you may need ten minutes to breathe.
Final Thought
This season is i n t e n s e —but it’s also impactful. The sprint will end, summer will come, and you’ll look back on how you showed up when it mattered most. And that’s something to be proud of.
