My husband and I are cleaning out his family home with a plan to move there this summer. His mother passed away two years ago, and she was a wonderful woman and a bit of a pack rat. She saved everything from dishware to wrapping paper to t-shirts from her boys’ scouting days. Amidst the…
How many times have you had your students lined up and ready to go when all of a sudden your schedule changes? Perhaps the music teacher isn’t ready for your class, there’s another class in the hallway, or the assembly you’re supposed to be going to is slightly delayed—and you know that your classroom management…
Today is the day after Halloween. That means your students are either stuck to the ceiling on a sugar high or are slumped over in your circle time area after the inevitable crash. (Hey, at least this isn’t combined with the effects of a full moon.) You might be wishing you had a bottle of…
When I was a classroom teacher, one of my favorite phrases was, “no prep.” That meant an activity could be put into my lesson plan without going to a copy machine, or cutting out a bunch of stuff, or even making a quick run to a store. Prepping lesson plans is one of the many…
All teachers know that time filler activities are important forms of classroom management—and the key is to have these ideas ready to go when needed. Who knows when you’ll have to fill those empty minutes before lunch, or before a special, or when a lesson plan you thought was fabulous suddenly becomes distinctly non-fabulous. Hey,…
Today is National Clean Off Your Desk Day! And it’s a day I should probably observe. (If you’ll note the photo above, I don’t have the cleanest desk.) I suspect many of you don’t even have desks in your classroom. When I taught I didn’t bother with one because I never had time to sit…
December is here! And that means your life is about to be busy and crazy. So when thinking about blog topics for this Monday, I decided you could probably use some super easy ideas that would make your December glide by a bit smoother. Check them out! Do you need some easy and festive art…
What’s a well-known hallway transition that has been around since the beginning of time? Have students pretend there are bubbles in their mouths as they walk quietly down the hall. Has this idea been around forever? Yes. Are there more unique and creative ways to encourage quiet behavior when walking in the hallway? Yes. Is…
Do you have a bag of tricks? You know what I’m talking about, right? It’s a mental list of quick activities you can use to get students on track, transition them to a new activity, get their attention, or fill up unexpected time. A bag of tricks is a helpful and necessary classroom management tool–and…
Well, 2019 is here! Whenever a new year rolls around, I think it’s nice to explore some new transitions to use in the classroom. It’s a fun way to hold your students’ interest and keep your classroom fresh and lively! Check out these fun classroom management options: Eenie Meenie Miney Moe This fun chant is…