During my fourth year of teaching, I had a student who I’ll just call Gregory. This little guy proved to be quite a handful. He had recently gone through some tough times in his family and was on a mission to get attention in all the wrong ways. When I would have a talk with…
Classroom Management
Springtime Behavior Solutions
Yippee, skippee—spring is on its way! I’m so ready for the promise of sunny skies and delightfully warm temps. Just thinking about spring makes me want to shed my shoes and do a wild and crazy happy dance! Hmmmm, right now you’re probably thinking “Wow, I’m glad she’s not in my classroom.” :+) The truth…
Terrific Timers!
How many of you use a timer of some sort to manage your classroom? I used mini sand timers. I had one that ran for three minutes and a second option that ran for five minutes. My students loved them so much they actually played with them during free time! I think there’s something incredibly…
My Fault?
Hindsight is 20/20 they say. And that’s never so true as when I look back on my time teaching. It makes me realize how certain discipline issues in my classroom were actually my fault. Yes, indeed! Did I do what I should have to prevent Student A from having a meltdown? Did I give Student B…
Ditch the Chart?
Do you use a behavior chart? I admit that when I taught, I used one. It was the typical chart where my students used green, yellow, and red cards in little pockets. And the system generally worked pretty well. But more and more, I’ve seen random articles and teacher blogs condemning behavior charts. (Although if…
Positive Reinforcement
It’s here! It’s here! The holiday season is upon us. You know the one—when students are more wiggly and giggly and chatty. You just might need to have something special that grabs their attention to reinforce positive behavior. I looked around on our Pinterest boards and found this really fun behavior-reinforcement plan. It’s hot cocoa–themed,…
Do You Understand?
There have been times during my student career—times that really stand out—when I didn’t understand what was going on in the classroom: in third grade, when I was put in a high math group; in a European literature class in high school, when discussing Crime and Punishment; in that 8 AM philosophy class my freshman…
Burnout!
Classroom management is one of the main reasons for job burnout and attrition in first-year teachers. I remember that first year of teaching; as classroom management goes, it wasn’t pretty. There was pulling of hair and gnashing of teeth and wails of frustration—and that was me in the car on the way home from work…
Simple Tips!
Sometimes the best teacher tips use the simplest supplies—or no supplies at all! Check out my current favorite tips that you can implement in a jiffy. Need to get students’ attention? Do it with an invisible remote control (or a real one you don’t use anymore). Simply pantomime holding up a remote and say “click”…
Tips are Terrific!
I love tips that make me say to myself, “Holy cow, I’ve never thought of that before!” That’s why I’m a sucker for those lifehack lists people share on Facebook. Clean your keyboard with a sticky note? Sounds great to me! Transform a pants hanger into two chip clips? I’m on it! Keep your boots…