5 Tips to Manage Test Anxiety in a Classroom - For Teachers and Students!

Happy Spring! Trees are budding, flowers are blooming and days are getting longer. It’s a time for new beginning and growth. After two years, this year’s spring has more special meaning and purpose.

Along with that, we are also in the final stretch of this school year. With less than a quarter of school year left, many educators are focusing on finishing up the curriculum and preparing their students for the next grade level.

Schools across the nation are also gearing up for state testing. That can bring some stress and anxiety for both students and school staff. Here are some of our tips to decrease anxiety during testing season.

Tips to Help your Students: 👩‍🎓 👨‍🎓

• Students are more than a test score: Remind students that testing is important, but it does not define who they are. Every student is more than any test score. It’s everything they do, inside and outside school that polishes them and also defines them.

• Acknowledge their stress: Validate that testing time is anxiety producing. Tell them that a little bit of stress is actually a healthy emotion that propels them to perform better. Encourage them to do their best.

• Offer your support: By acknowledging their stress, you convey to them that they are not alone. Tell them that you are there to help them. They have a support structure and this is all part of growing up.

• Give tips to manage anxiety: Teach students coping mechanisms for anxiety such as breathing or mediating exercises. Tell them to take a short walk around the building. If allowed, give them a stress ball to squeeze.

• Student accommodations: Remind students of their accommodations. If they are allowed to take a break or have testing broken up over several days, remind them of what this means and how they can best use their accommodations.

Tips for Educators 🍎 

• Set the right expectations: You may feel overwhelmed with everything you are trying to finish up this school year. Be gentle to yourself and set your expectations from yourself right and manageable.

• Prioritize: There will always be a TBD list. Prioritize things that will make bigger difference in your classroom. Create a priority order task list and do what is possible.

• Talk to a friend: We are social creatures and there is nothing like sharing about your day or week with a friend or two. Create a support structure. It can be one person or a group. Talk about your day, share challenges and your wins. You will be surprised to see how YOU may make someone else feel better.

• Selfcare: This goes without saying anything. Take care of yourself and avoid burn out. Take short walks during lunch or after school. Even a 10-15 minute walk in the sun can do magic. Get good night sleep and keep small healthy snacks around.

• Appreciate yourself: Remind yourself that YOU are molding the future by preparing your students for their lives. They will carry this planet sometime soon and you are contributing to that. There is no job more important than that. So celebrate yourself.

Have other tips to share with us? We would love to hear from you.

Have a great spring and a strong finish to the school year!