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…
Which type of student seating is better—traditional or flexible? The way I see it, there’s nothing wrong with traditional seating. For years students have learned well when sitting in desks and chairs. On the flip side, there are certainly plenty of children who could learn better if they were in more comfortable seating. You want…
All teachers know that having a smooth day involves planning the transitions between activities. Transition time is when everything can fall apart and then your job begins to resemble that of a professional cat herder. Check out these quick and easy activities to keep students focused while waiting for a special, an assembly, or another…
Spring is here–and my house is a mess. For some reason, opening up the windows and allowing that fresh spring breeze into the house highlights the clutter, dust, and cat hair. (See the photo above for one of my hair producers.) So it’s time to clean! You might be feeling this way about your classroom…
Today is National Clean Off Your Desk Day! Don’t worry–I’m not going to ask whether you have a messy desk, nor encourage you to clean it. That would be hypocritical because my desk is incredibly messy. And besides, you’re a teacher. In my opinion, you get to have a messy desk because you need somewhere…
All teachers know that managing transitions between classroom activities is the key to a smooth day. Without a plan, things can quickly devolve into a chaos only slightly more civilized than Lord of the Flies. So not only do you plan transitions, but you have to switch them up every once in awhile to keep…
Have you ever considered using a wireless doorbell to assist you with classroom transitions? I recently discovered that several teachers do. “How clever!” I thought. I was searching online to find out if these wireless ringers were expensive when my tech savvy colleague, Karen, says, “I bet there’s an app for that…” And there is!…
Okay, okay–I know we’re just barely into August so it isn’t time for school to start yet. Don’t slash my tires and send me death threats for putting up a back-to-school type of blog post. But I know that August is the perfect time to start thinking about classroom management. Maybe you’re a new teacher…