Helpful or harmful? Toy or tool? Are these ball-bearing devices truly an antidote for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, and autism? Or are they low-cost toys designed to drive teachers insane? Promotions for fidget spinners tout increased concentration for individuals with anxiety, autism, and ADHD. One marketing campaign suggests that a spinner may also “bring…
Classroom Management
End on Z
Are you already wondering how you’ll wrap up this school year? Ouch! Did one of you just reach out and thump me? Okay, it is still April—which means you may not think you’re ready to read about an awesome end-of-the-year wrap-up that’s easy for the teacher and keeps kiddos focused and behaving until the very…
Mood Duster
I’d heard of mood rings and mood bands. In fact, I even owned a mood ring at some point in my life. However, I’d never had the pleasure of seeing a mood duster! Check this out. It’s the perfect classroom management tool. Simply display a duster in your classroom—any type will do. Use the duster…
Managing the Classroom
One of the main reasons teachers leave the profession is due to challenges managing a classroom. In my totally subjective opinion, far too few colleges and universities do a good job of teaching education students how to deal with students who act out, how to manage classroom transitions, and how to handle disciplinary issues….
It’s Random!
Have you ever used the random number generator at Random.org? I use it every month to determine the winner of our once-a-month First Friday Giveaway. It’s a great tool, and it’s easy to use. All you do is type in a minimum number, which for our giveaway is 1. And then type in a maximum…
Blue Shirt Day
Let me begin by saying if you’re not wearing a blue shirt today, that’s okay. Maybe wear one tomorrow. Or better yet, wear a blue shirt one day each week during the month of October! You see, today is Blue Shirt Day World Day of Bullying Prevention; however, the entire month of October is National…
Behavior Expectations
I was recently reminded, in a rather unusual way, of the many benefits that clear classroom behavior expectations provide. I’ll explain. This past summer, I moved into a home with a partially fenced backyard. As you know, I have a playful pup,…
Tattling or Telling
“Leah is sucking her thumb.” “Aiden laughed at Sid’s drawing.” “Jorge is bugging me!” Sound familiar? I recently asked a few teachers how they handle tattling. A teacher of kinders keeps a “tattle bear” in her classroom. When a child approaches her with a tattle, she asks him to tell the bear instead. Another teacher…
Would You Like S’more?
I am a serious fan of s’mores! To be honest, I’m not a huge marshmallow fan. But there’s just something about a charred marshmallow combined with chocolate and graham crackers. (It has to be completely charred for me. I purposely light that marshmallow on fire.) Did you know that today is National S’mores Day? If…
May I Have Your Attention, Please!
Have you read about the high school teacher who, in an effort to gain the attention of his rowdy students, clutched his chest and dropped to his knees as if having a heart attack? After the fact (or act!), the teacher realized this wasn’t such a great idea even though it was quite effective. What…