Each year comes with new challenges. We open our classroom doors and invite a new group of children and pray for a good year. If only every child would follow all of our directions the first time, turn in their work in a timely manner, stay actively engaged in all of our lessons, and never, ever cheat, sulk, refuse, procrastinate, talk back, name call, lose supplies, stay home when they should be at school, talk out, and the list goes on.
Once in awhile we do get the "perfect class" (okay, almost perfect). Every few years a group comes through that loves to learn, loves you, and loves the class. This is the group that makes your heart sing, the group that you cry over at the end of the year, the group you wish you could follow to the next grade level. They are like a precious jewel -rare.
Every child is a gift. They gift us with personal and professional challenges, they gift us with new understanding, they gift us with teachable moments, and they gift us with "ahas". Some gifts are wrapped in fine paper. We must open them delicately. Others are wrapped in bright colors. We must value their differences. And some are wrapped in duct tape. We must unwrap them one layer at time to discover their worth. Some of the worthiest gifts are the hardest to unwrap.
So how do we set up our classroom in such a way that we can spend our time teaching, learning, and unwrapping our gifts?
Set Procedures and Routines
We need our classrooms to run like clockwork. Introduce one expectation, one procedure, one routine at time as you come to it by need. Teach it, model it, practice it, review it. Your expectations for behavior need to be high, but remember to practice patience when a child doesn't follow directions. Redirect their behavior by reteaching. Yelling, threatening, and sarcasm serve one purpose: to tense you up to the point that you can't unwind. Keep your cool and redirect, redirect, redirect. If a procedure or routine doesn't work (you are spending too much time redirecting too many kids), then change it.
Get to Know Your Students
The most important thing you can do is to take the time to get to know each student as an individual. This takes time of course, but the more you know about your students the more you can spark their interests for learning, keep them engaged, and develop a relationship of understanding and trust. What activities do your students do after school? What is their family situation? What interests them? How do they feel about school and the subjects you teach? What is important to them?
Dealing with Difficult Behaviors
The duct tape kids are not going to make it easy on you. They are going to push you to prove they can trust you. They will act out because they are hiding. Something is going on with this child. Don't assume they are just "bad". There is always something beneath the behavior. They act out for a reason. They seek attention for a reason. Often they are trying to cope with something bigger than themselves, or crying out for help. Children with serious behavior issues require more time and patience. Sometimes you need to change your thinking, change your strategy, and ask for help.
Most likely you will get a variety of packages this year. They will be quite different from last year. Each package is special; unique. It's the combination of the packages that makes each year a new one. Some will make you smile, some will make you cry, some will make you laugh with joy, and some will break your heart. Accept your packages. Sign your name on the dotted line. Take them in. Unwrap them, because all of your packages will help you grow as a person and as a teacher. Expect to learn something new from your packages this year. Expect the best, and give back nothing less.
Classroom Management Tips & Forms
Back to School Packet
Reading Survey
Saturday, 28 August 2010
Tuesday, 3 August 2010
Tips for Switching Classes in Elementary School
Curriculum requirements are causing more and more elementary teachers to hang up their multi-subject hats to embrace team teaching. Over the years I have seen teachers try two-way, three-way, and even four-way switching arrangements. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. It depends a lot on the team players. Are you a good fit? Do your ideals and philosophies match up? Do you work well together? Do you each have a subject area strength? Have you taught and do you understand the other subjects well enough to have a healthy respect for your team members? These are questions you should consider when planning to switch classes.
Tip 1: Rules, Procedures, & Routines
Life is easier when you are on the same page. Plan together and decide on rules, procedures, and routines. Talk about what is bothersome to you versus your team members. Expect a little give and take. If teacher A has major issues with kids bringing mechanical pencils, but it doesn't bother you, then consider giving in to this rule. You might be bothered by something else. If you are consistent across classrooms your students will fair better. This doesn't mean that you have to be exactly alike. Kids do need to learn how live within each classroom. Middle school is coming.
Tip 2: Switch on Time
Be respectful to your team members time and switch on time. If you are scheduled to switch at 10:00, then have your kids out the door and on their way to the next room at two minutes till. There is nothing worse than one class standing in the hall waiting for 10 minutes for the other class to get out. Not only does it waste instructional time, but it opens up opportunities for kids to misbehave while waiting.
Tip 3: Hold Parent Conferences Together
Never, ever meet with a parent without your team members. You can solve a lot of problems by meeting with parents together. Work out a system for scheduling conferences. If parents see that you are on the same page and are seeing the same behaviors in a student they will usually back down from an emotional argument. Stand together as a team and meet with parents as a team.
Tip 4: Community Supplies
Lighten the load your students need to carry around by taking up basic supplies (colors, glue, markers, etc.) and putting them together as community supplies. Help students organize a binder (every binder is the same) to keep their things together. An example: planner, conduct card, reading log, homework folder, subject sections.
Tip 5: Conduct & Behavior
Discuss conduct & behavior at length to determine how you will proceed. Come up with a mutually agreed upon plan. Keep your expectations on the same page and consistent.
Tip 6: Weekly Meetings
Plan to meet together to plan, discuss students, and solve problems. A team that plans together will get along better and things will go smoother. Emails and last minute changes can be frustrating for busy teachers. Try to work schedule issues out ahead of time. Talk about behavior plans for students with issues. Discuss how you will work together to motivate the reluctant student. Think of ways to challenge the gifted students. Consider where you curriculum meets. How can you work together to integrate your subjects? Planning is the key to success.
Tip 7: They Are All Your Kids
One thing that tends to happen is that homeroom teachers think of their class as just "their kids". Remember that all of the kids you teach are your kids. They are also all your team members kids. Don't think of them as the other teacher's class, but as one big class of students. You are sharing all of the kids with team members and they are sharing with you.
Tip 8: Professional Talk
Talk to each other. Don't let things simmer. If you are having issues with a team member, schedule a time to sit down and talk. Stay professional. Be very careful to keep your tone objective and explain your issues without offending the other teacher. For example: Your team member never lets class out on time. You feel as if you are wasting precious instructional time. Sit down and say, "I've noticed that we are switching later and later. This is making it hard for me to get everything in. Can we come up with a plan to make sure we switch on time?"
Tip 9: Give and Take
You cannot win every battle, or have everything your way. You must learn to give and take. This is the hard part of switching. You will have to compromise at times. Consider how important something is to you. Can you give it up? Can you see it through? Be honest in your discussions. Perhaps your team member comes up with something you think you could start, but honestly can't see yourself following through. Tell your teammate, "I'm not sure I can follow through on this and stay consistent. When things kick up later in the year and get busy I am afraid I will fall behind. How do you manage it? Will you get upset with me if I can't do it anymore? I'm willing to try, but I can't make promises." Let your teammate know what you can handle and what you don't think will work for you. Never start something you know you won't continue. On the other side of the coin, be open and willing to try new things. If they are not working for you, tell your teammates. Perhaps they have ideas that will help you, and possibly, they are ready to give it up as well.
Tip 10: The Kids Come First
As you work together to make decisions, always keep the kids at the front of your mind. They are first and last. We don't have to do things that are overwhelming for us, but we shouldn't do things that are overwhelming for the kids. Discuss everything from classwork to homework. Consider what they can do and what will motivate them to do more. Always ask yourself, "Is this best practice? Is this the best thing for kids?"
Tip 1: Rules, Procedures, & Routines
Life is easier when you are on the same page. Plan together and decide on rules, procedures, and routines. Talk about what is bothersome to you versus your team members. Expect a little give and take. If teacher A has major issues with kids bringing mechanical pencils, but it doesn't bother you, then consider giving in to this rule. You might be bothered by something else. If you are consistent across classrooms your students will fair better. This doesn't mean that you have to be exactly alike. Kids do need to learn how live within each classroom. Middle school is coming.
Tip 2: Switch on Time
Be respectful to your team members time and switch on time. If you are scheduled to switch at 10:00, then have your kids out the door and on their way to the next room at two minutes till. There is nothing worse than one class standing in the hall waiting for 10 minutes for the other class to get out. Not only does it waste instructional time, but it opens up opportunities for kids to misbehave while waiting.
Tip 3: Hold Parent Conferences Together
Never, ever meet with a parent without your team members. You can solve a lot of problems by meeting with parents together. Work out a system for scheduling conferences. If parents see that you are on the same page and are seeing the same behaviors in a student they will usually back down from an emotional argument. Stand together as a team and meet with parents as a team.
Tip 4: Community Supplies
Lighten the load your students need to carry around by taking up basic supplies (colors, glue, markers, etc.) and putting them together as community supplies. Help students organize a binder (every binder is the same) to keep their things together. An example: planner, conduct card, reading log, homework folder, subject sections.
Tip 5: Conduct & Behavior
Discuss conduct & behavior at length to determine how you will proceed. Come up with a mutually agreed upon plan. Keep your expectations on the same page and consistent.
Tip 6: Weekly Meetings
Plan to meet together to plan, discuss students, and solve problems. A team that plans together will get along better and things will go smoother. Emails and last minute changes can be frustrating for busy teachers. Try to work schedule issues out ahead of time. Talk about behavior plans for students with issues. Discuss how you will work together to motivate the reluctant student. Think of ways to challenge the gifted students. Consider where you curriculum meets. How can you work together to integrate your subjects? Planning is the key to success.
Tip 7: They Are All Your Kids
One thing that tends to happen is that homeroom teachers think of their class as just "their kids". Remember that all of the kids you teach are your kids. They are also all your team members kids. Don't think of them as the other teacher's class, but as one big class of students. You are sharing all of the kids with team members and they are sharing with you.
Tip 8: Professional Talk
Talk to each other. Don't let things simmer. If you are having issues with a team member, schedule a time to sit down and talk. Stay professional. Be very careful to keep your tone objective and explain your issues without offending the other teacher. For example: Your team member never lets class out on time. You feel as if you are wasting precious instructional time. Sit down and say, "I've noticed that we are switching later and later. This is making it hard for me to get everything in. Can we come up with a plan to make sure we switch on time?"
Tip 9: Give and Take
You cannot win every battle, or have everything your way. You must learn to give and take. This is the hard part of switching. You will have to compromise at times. Consider how important something is to you. Can you give it up? Can you see it through? Be honest in your discussions. Perhaps your team member comes up with something you think you could start, but honestly can't see yourself following through. Tell your teammate, "I'm not sure I can follow through on this and stay consistent. When things kick up later in the year and get busy I am afraid I will fall behind. How do you manage it? Will you get upset with me if I can't do it anymore? I'm willing to try, but I can't make promises." Let your teammate know what you can handle and what you don't think will work for you. Never start something you know you won't continue. On the other side of the coin, be open and willing to try new things. If they are not working for you, tell your teammates. Perhaps they have ideas that will help you, and possibly, they are ready to give it up as well.
Tip 10: The Kids Come First
As you work together to make decisions, always keep the kids at the front of your mind. They are first and last. We don't have to do things that are overwhelming for us, but we shouldn't do things that are overwhelming for the kids. Discuss everything from classwork to homework. Consider what they can do and what will motivate them to do more. Always ask yourself, "Is this best practice? Is this the best thing for kids?"
Monday, 2 August 2010
Extend Your Reading Center
My classroom reading center is packed with baskets full to the brim with fiction books. I'm out of baskets and out of shelf space. It bothers me that I don't have a way to make nonfiction, poetry, and magazines accessible to my students. Today I had a brainstorm.
I have four tables in my classroom. I am heading to Lakeshore Learning to purchase four colored plastic boxes (red, blue, green, and yellow). I will place one box on each table (now my tables have color names for easy classroom management). Inside each box I will place nonfiction books, poetry books, and magazines.
In order to keep my table boxes fresh, I will rotate the boxes each week. At the end of the month I will refresh the box with new titles. I have an elaborate check out system for my reading center (library cards, pockets, card box). The books and magazines on the tables will not be available for check out (to go home), but always there for reading during class. I'm a big believer in free choice, independent reading (just right books of course). This simply adds a new layer of what students can choose to read during class. I will include magazines like Highlights, Cobblestone, and Stone Soup. I plan to print my name on address labels to quickly attach to my books and magazines that go in the boxes. My hope is that students will explore different genres on their own, and my idea is to make more books and magazines available to them.
I have four tables in my classroom. I am heading to Lakeshore Learning to purchase four colored plastic boxes (red, blue, green, and yellow). I will place one box on each table (now my tables have color names for easy classroom management). Inside each box I will place nonfiction books, poetry books, and magazines.
In order to keep my table boxes fresh, I will rotate the boxes each week. At the end of the month I will refresh the box with new titles. I have an elaborate check out system for my reading center (library cards, pockets, card box). The books and magazines on the tables will not be available for check out (to go home), but always there for reading during class. I'm a big believer in free choice, independent reading (just right books of course). This simply adds a new layer of what students can choose to read during class. I will include magazines like Highlights, Cobblestone, and Stone Soup. I plan to print my name on address labels to quickly attach to my books and magazines that go in the boxes. My hope is that students will explore different genres on their own, and my idea is to make more books and magazines available to them.
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