Congratulations! Today is THE day. You’re off to grading places. You’re off and away!

But maybe the end of fall classes doesn’t feel much like a celebration when you have a million things to worry about. That’s why we’ve collected these old guides to help you cope:

• Way back when, in an article entitled “It’s Crunch Time!”, Kerry Ann Rockquemore wrote her top 10 tips for new instructors. Tip # 7 could just as easily apply to every day:
  

  Tip #7: Only check e-mail one time per day (max)
  E-mail begets more e-mail. When you have little time, the least effective way to spend it is writing e-mails. I’m only able to restrict my e-mail to once a day during crunch times. But for one week, it’s unlikely to cause a crisis and typically works out just fine.

• Lynn Rossy compiled her own guide on how to avoid end of semester stress for the University of Missouri. And while you may not want to hear it, Rossy argues that it’s extra important to eat healthy when you’re stressed:
  

  Eat healthy. Stay away from sugary snacks that give you a quick high and then have you running on empty for the next few hours.

• Maryellen Weimer is a little more blunt in her end of semester grading advice, but she makes some good points. For instance, it’s important to remember the difference between grading work and grading people:
  

  …grades are assessments of a performance not of a person. Students (and some of their parents) have a really hard time understanding that, but teachers (even tired ones) need to point out the difference.