Classroom Management Tips

At the end of the last school year, I felt it was time to move on to another school within our county. I had to interview for the position, and it brought forth a lot of exciting feelings and reminders about why I love being a classroom teacher! My last interview was 8 years ago, so during this recent interview, I found myself much more prepared and able to share so many things I have learned. One of those things was about a strength of mine - classroom management.

Time and time again, people have commented positively about my classroom management skills; however, I never realized this was a strength of mine, as they are things I do without really thinking about them - I guess they are automatic and just come naturally. To me, when someone mentions something I do, I just tell them that it just "makes sense." Since classroom management can make or break a teacher, I wanted to share some of the little things I do that make a BIG difference. Below, I will speak MOSTLY from an upper grades teacher perspective, but know that these same principals I have established were also used during my time as a Kindergarten teacher ;)

Building Regular Routines:

• Homeroom Arrival - model and show students what is expected as soon as they walk into your classroom; have visuals listed or a chart listed with step-by-step what should be done; once you teach and show students the routine, do not allow them to disrupt it - meaning, if they come and ask you what to do or if they forgot, simply point to the chart. If you stop to show them and not let them think and figure it out (remember you modeled it for them) then they will depend on your to do this any time. My arrival procedures are as follows: 

1. Place all notes to teacher or $ to teacher in the designated basket.
2. Sharpen pencils and prepare all items for the day.
3. Use the restroom.
4. Begin morning work.

• Final Dismissal - model and show students what is expected as soon as they walk into your classroom; have visuals listed or a chart listed with step-by-step what should be done; once you teach and show students the routine, do not allow them to disrupt it - meaning, if they come and ask you what to do or if they forgot, simply point to the chart. If you stop to show them and not let them think and figure it out (remember you modeled it for them) then they will depend on your to do this any time. My arrival procedures are as follows: 

1. Upon teacher's direction, pack your items in book bag.
2. Clean up any trash in and around your desk.
3. Stack your chair and any chairs in your pod.
4. Car riders line up (tell designated spot); Bus riders line up (tell designated spot).

• Class Changes Arrival - If you are departmentalized, you will have students coming and going from your class. In order to keep you sane, and to maximize time, you will want to list the TOOLS needed for class. That way, you can train them to look as they enter the room and have those items ready as they are getting seated. This saved TONS of time!! For example, under TOOLS, I might list one day: Reading Notebook, Pencil, Sticky Notes. OR another day I might list: Check out Chromebook, Reading Notebook (all depends on that day's lesson). 

• Class Changes Dismissal - Same is true for dismissal... if you want to save time, have a PLAN! I always have my phone set for 5 minutes before switching classes. Once this song begins playing, students will wait for my "go" and they know to do the following: pick up trash in their area, collected their materials and return my materials, stand behind chair for table dismissal. 

• Supplies - I have supplies for the class, rather than making students carry their own or having any in pods. MOST students will carry crayons or colored pencils with them, so this is the only thing I do not have. This has worked for me, and has worked well. Why change it if it works!! Due to having a class set of materials, students have the freedom to come and go to get what they need. I provide: scissors, stick glue, tape, sticky notes, highlighters, hole punch, pens, etc. The only thing they MUST sign out and back in is if they borrow a pen ;) This holds them accountable. Once I teach them this, they do it quickly and quietly, if needed. I may have 1-2 students needing to do this each class.

• Writing Utensils: I DO NOT allow students to sharpen pencils during precious class time; therefore, I do have pens in my supply area for students IF their pencil breaks and they do not have another pencil or if they misplaced theirs, they KNOW (as I model this) not to ask me for one... but they simply sign one of my pens out and back in upon dismissal. 

Gaining Attention/Sustaining Engagement:

• Eyes on Teacher - This is a biggie in any classroom. You MUST have a way to get the students' attention, especially if you have a bunch of talkers! I have used many different chants, but my favorite has to be one that I allowed the students to help me come up with... "Hold up wait a minute, let us put some Fulbright in it!" I say: Hold up wait a minute; They say: Let us put some Fulbright in it. It is fun, and they LOVE it. The alternative (very quick one) I sometimes still use is 1, 2, 3, eyes on me! Find a chant you like, and stick with it. Again, train the kids or it will NOT work ;)

• Group Work - TEACH the kids how to work in a group by setting criteria for group work - meaning, ask them what it should look like and sound like if they are working in a group. Based on their responses, create a chart. Using the words GROUP can also be a great way to set criteria. Each letter can represent something for group work. Practice and refer back to chart often. 

• Partner Work - Practice how to work in partners. Assign partners OR have random partners... either way, set criteria to ensure that BOTH people participate equally. 

• Model/Enthusiasm - To keep students engaged, model, model, model HOW and HOW NOT to do things. Show some enthusiasm and they will want to stay with you and participate. Find out about your students so you can also incorporate their interests to sustain their attention:) 

• Use Visuals - Another thing that keeps them engaged is the use of visuals, plus it will assist your ELL and Special Needs students. 

• Change it up - Change up lessons... have individual tasks, group task, tasks that involve movement from time to time, tasks that involve music, use technology, etc. SPICE IT UP ;) That way, they will always want to see what's going to happen in your class each day! 

Behaviors:

• Relationships - I consider this a management skill. Building positive relationships with students is KEY to success in the classroom. If you go out of your way to know them beyond teaching them - like knowing what their interests are, then you have MORE chances of ensuring success with each child.

• The Good - Point out when students are showing positive characteristics in the classroom: "Bobby is ready to start class, as he used the TOOLS chart as soon as he entered today!" "Sarah really shows she is following the GROUP work criteria by giving others a chance to talk." etc. These little reminders will encourage all students. REALLY try to point out a struggling child... this can go a long way.

• The Bad - You will have times where a student does not want to get started on their work, are stalling, are bothering others, perhaps. What do you do? First, DO NOT SWEAT THE LITTLE THINGS... meaning, if it is something that is not hindering their learning or the learning of others, ignoring it is always a great idea. Sometimes they just want attention - and it is good not to make it a habit of giving them that negative attention. If it is interfering with learning, send them on a short errand to refocus their thinking. These usually help me! Then, there are some times that are unavoidable... The Ugly!

• The Ugly - You may come across a stinker who may just be defiant or have some emotional issues, etc. If this is the case and you have exhausted all efforts OR if students are in danger, you need to contact the office and have the student removed. I have had to do little of this, as I believe ALL my other routines, structure, and building of relationships helps to prevent this from happening. 

Transitions:

• Proximity - ANY time you have a transition, it is MOST important to BE in the hallway during the transition. Staying in your room and thinking they will get to the next location without difficulties (or because you have something last minute you need to do) IS a HUGE mistake. They need your body in view - this is a BIG deal. Any time I have visible during a transition, there are no issues. The only time I have seen a transition issue is when an adult was still in their room when sending the kids on to their next location... so BE there!! BE visible! 

• Time Matters - Another important part of transitions is for ALL team members to synchronize their clocks (phones are great for this) to ensure all classes are ready and switching at the same time. If one is early and another is late, students waiting will get into trouble (leads back to the proximity tip;) and that will lead to one teacher having to watch over two classes (the one leaving and the one coming - NOT GOOD)! Avoid this as much as possible. 

Practice Makes Perfect (Close to Perfect):

One of my GOLDEN RULES is that nothing will work unless you are willing to invest time at the BEGINNING of the school year to practice ALL procedures and routines until they are done correctly!!!! DO NOT SKIP THIS! For lower grades (when I taught Kindergarten) it took me at least a week to establish smooth routines. For upper grades, a couple of days. DO NOT assume the teacher previous to you taught this. DO NOT assume students already know these things. THESE are BIG mistakes. If for some reason they 'get it' and do it right and later begin to slack off - be willing to STOP immediately and practice that routine. This does not happen often IF you ensure it is automatic the first few days of school ;) TRUST ME... the time you spend doing this WILL pay off in the long run and save valuable instructional time throughout the year!

MORE... 
There are SO many classroom management skills that I am sure I have not mentioned, so IF there is a specific routine that I did not cover (these were the first to come to mind), then please post a comment below and I will be happy to add any other routines!! I hope the information above will assist someone in some way! Thanks :)

Five for Friday!

Been a L..O..N..G while since I have posted a 5 for Friday post. I have been super busy this past fall getting into the 'groove' of teaching a new grade level - 5th grade. I am feeling pretty good about how it has progressed, but there is still so much to learn. #1 to me in any classroom is building positive relationships with students - this is of utmost importance and I feel confident that I have accomplished this with my students. It was pretty easy in Kindergarten, as they LOVE their teacher!!! With 5th grade, it took a little more work in that you have to really build an environment of trust. There are more years of disappointment that they may have gone through that you have to wound in order to gain that trust. We have 77 days left to fill their brains with knowledge that will assist them in becoming College and Career ready ... so here goes!!

Let me share 5 things from this week:

It has been an awfully busy week - even though it has been a 3 day week for me - Tuesday was a planning day and it took my colleague and I almost the entire day to write our 3rd quarter Reading and Writing units... but we feel really good about them!! We are reading Out of the Dust, working with figurative language. During writing, we are working on our last type of writing (Informational) and preparing ourselves for the GA Writing Assessment (beginning of March - yikes)!

My colleague and I are piloting the BYOT at our school and we begin implementation on the 21st!! We are SO very excited. Our students will have the same opportunities as other districts to explore learning in various ways! 

This may sound silly, but I absolutely LOVE solving picture puzzles, word problem, etc. (not math - math isn't my thing). Well, I found this free app and I cannot stop playing it. It is peaceful to come home and wind down by playing this game (okay, I am a total NERD):

Flow Free

My sweet girl was super excited this week when she FINALLY got her ears pierced! She had been begging for a while, but we wanted her to be a little older to make the decision. Santa gave her a certificate if she was ready... she was a trooper!

We are preparing for BYOT, so we worked on a team-building activity yesterday. Students had to work together to put together a 100 piece puzzle WITHOUT talking. They could not take pieces from others, but could offer a piece. They began with a few pieces each. By the end (when we discussed what we learned from the activity) students realized that the more they gave to another, the quicker their puzzle came together. It was an eye-opening experience for my students. They enjoyed it very much and learned a good deal about themselves, others, and how important it is to work as a team!

Sticky Love - A Dollar Tree Treasure

After spending several hours over the summer painting my classroom, I have been uneasy about sticking anything on my walls. Well, I get tired of the same ol' boring letters from stores, die-cuts, etc. Thankfully, I found these wonderful letters (which also were cute colors) from the Dollar Tree. I kinda stumbled across them when I was looking to decorate my daughter's bedroom door... (Wall clings) They look really good on my paint colors and remove so easily. In addition, I have used them to label on bulletin boards and the white board!! Take a look at how I used them - possibilities are endless!

(some are already pilled off...)

(Labeled where reading notebooks are located + reading logs)

(Labeled on bulletin board)

(Labeled our daily schedule - removes without taking paint off)

(can even be used and removed easily from white board - these are AM procedures)

Tech Signs for Managing BYOT

I am SUPER excited that myself, along with one other 5th grade colleague, are about to embark on the BYOT journey! Our HS and MS just began this year, and we are using a county-wide user agreement (so all of that tough paperwork is mostly taken care of - phew)! In the past few years, I have slowly integrated tech more and more... Now that we are the 'pilots' at our school, I am hoping that others will jump on board. A little team (5 folks) from our school visited a wonderful school system that has been implementing BYOT for a little while. If you have not looked through the resources at Forsyth County's website, you are missing out - take a look:

In preparation for the upcoming adventure, I have been thinking a lot about how to manage SO many devices. I will of course model, model, model procedures, as I do at the beginning of the year. One way I will manage the devices are by using signs/posters. The posters I created below immediately show students whether or not they will need their devices for instruction/etc. on any given day. They simply look for the sign and comply. The turtle sign is something that I tweaked a little from a response on the Cornerstone site. When I taught Kindergarten, I had students come in and have "Turtle Time" (invented by Bobbie Starcher - my wonderful mentor teacher), which they put their heads down for a bit while everyone had a turn for water. Well, it made me think of turning the devices over where I can only see their 'shells.' When the turtle time sign is presented with a "Turtle Time" from the teacher, students must turn devices over and give attention to the teacher (kind of like an attention getter saying - 1, 2, 3, eyes on me... ). Hope these work out for YOU!! 

You can get these here!

Formative Assessment - Before you go, "tweet" what you know...

I am loving 5th grade, the curriculum and the conversations I have with the students about learning! Although I have been extremely busy teaching and learning the new curriculum, I wanted to share what my professional development goal is this year: use more of Marazano's Nine in my classroom. I have found a ton of resources online (mostly digital tools) that can enhance and engage student learning. Of course one way to assesses the knowledge of my students it to conduct frequent, on-going formative assessments, which drives my instruction. Differentiating for our students is critical, so I must know what they know and do not know and adjust accordingly.


Although I always formatively assess, I would like something tangible from time to time to show parents. There are a ton of formative assessment techniques out there, but this week I want to focus on Exit Tickets. I have asked higher-order questions at the end of lessons to check for understanding or have given a sample skill for students to perform, but I want to know what they are thinking as well - to see if they know whether or not they get it! Here is a little exit ticket I will be using this week: I tried to incorporate hash tags and twitter.

You can get these here!

Pointing in the right directions -->

Have you seen these?

They are one of my new 'gotta have' items in my room. The kiddos love them, they are bright colors, and they focus my students' attention on important announcements! I wish I had more photos to show, but for now it is important to just know what I use them for:

• Highlighting important announcements
• Due dates
• Learning Targets/Objectives/Standards
• Pointing out important Parts of Speech in sentences
• Pointing out specific vocabulary
• the list goes on...

Where can you get them? Here: 

Remind 101 - Student/Parent/Teacher Communication

Need to send a quick message about a homework assignment? or maybe need to remind about an upcoming event...? Remind 101 is a wonderful app/online tool that teachers can use to text their students/parents (without the hassle of giving out your personal contact information). It is also very easy to use.

@Remind101 #R101LOVE 

Back in the Spring, I conducted a Professional Learning session trying to introduce Remind 101 and Class Dojo to our staff. Here is a link to the presentation - PLEASE view the PowerPoint. 

You can use this resource online: https://www.remind101.com/

or through their app: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/remind101/id522826277?mt=8

I set my account up online, but truly love using the app to send the quick texts to parents/students. 

What is the BEST feature??? I love how you can set the date/time for the message to send out. I always forget unless I type it right away and set the date/time for it to send out!!!

Please consider trying this teacher tool! 

SMART Goals for Data Folders

I want to post a lot more about this during the school year, but I wanted students to have something to place in their Data Folder (click here for the Data Folder sheets) about how to set SMART Goals.

 S
You can get these here!

6 + 1 Traits of Writing Posters

I am trying to get my themed items ready so I can begin designing once my room is ready!! Here are some 6 Traits posters I made to match my theme. Click the image for a free copy:

You can get these here!

Writing Process & Management Cards

I have been brainstorming about how to best manage my writing time... to show where students are at in the writing process & to know when they are ready to meet with me. In addition, I wanted a way for students to self-assess and show me how confident they are feeling about a skill we are working on AND a way for me to see if they need help, if I need to slow down and reteach, or if students are good to go... Thus, came these cards. I plan on printing a set for each child, laminating them, and placing them on a key ring. This way, it is easily accessible for each child. Maybe someone out there can use them. The Star Wars idea came from the following site: http://chartchums.wordpress.com/2013/05/06/whats-play-got-to-do-got-to-do-with-it-answer-everything/

You can get these here!

Writing Process Sheets

Okay, I promised these after my vacation, but I had a little time before packing...


You might want to use some of these in a writer's notebook and some as needed. There are 10 sheets:

• 2 Brainstorming sheets (one for boys, one for girls)
• 1 Graphic Organizer for writing ideas for a topic
• 1 Planning sheet for ideas
• 1 Revising Checklist
• 1 Self-Editing Checklist
• 1 Peer-Editing Checklist
• 1 Teacher Conference sheet (can use Post-Its with it)
• 1 Writing Reflections sheet
• 1 Publishing Plan sheet

You can get these here!

Writing Process Posters Colorful Chevron

My new rug inspired the design of these Writing Process Sheets. Will be making some checklists and graphic organizers to accompany this after my vacation... For now, enjoy these colorful chevron-inspired writing process posters.

You can get these here!

Behavior Management - Handling Stinkers...

Each year that I have taught, there has been at least one (sometimes more) little stinkers that have helped shape my perspective and behavior management style. How do I survive it all and WANT those students in my room?

Yes, I really, truly want these children in my classroom.


Okay, okay... I am NOT insane, but I do know it takes a special person to truly take care of these tough behavior-type students. Have I gone practically insane at times - well, it has felt that way. After it is all said and done, I learn more about myself from the experiences and grow more from these experiences than anything. Is it tough along the way - MOST definitely.

How do I manage students with misbehaviors when they are all so very different?

Most times, you will not encounter any two children that have exactly the same behavioral needs. For this reason, you MUST be willing to learn new strategies every year. If you are unable or unwilling to try something new, you already gave up (in my opinion). In that situation, you will struggle and never see light at the end of the tunnel. Be open to suggestions from others, even if you think it will not work or that you have tried that before in the past and it didn't work - it might be different this time.

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Next, you must have great classroom management skills. How do you know if you have great classroom management skills? Have someone (who will be honest with you) observe you and give you feedback - that is always the best way. Some of us THINK we have great classroom management skills, when in fact, we do not. Having a procedure and plan in place for everything is extremely important, as students need to know what to expect from the moment they enter your classroom. Try to keep it simple and be consistent with routines and procedures. If children do not know, they tend to act out.

I am a HUGE fan of visual schedules - no matter what classroom it is. Children need and want to know what is going to happen next. This will assist all students, especially those with disabilities. I wish I still had a photo of my visual schedule (pooey), but here is a lovely example (note: it is always best to use real photos, when possible):

(Source Unknown from Pinterest

please let me know if you know the source)

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Once you have the first two down, it is time to get your mind in check. What!? You have to KNOW your students... really know them! What is causing the misbehaviors - is it to gain attention, is it due to something happening at home, is someone bullying them at school, etc. There is always a cause and once you find it, you will know how to accommodate the child.

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Another thing to keep in mind that MANY teacher struggle with - PICK YOUR BATTLES!! This is huge, as there are so many thing we tend to harp on that are really not worth it. When something is going on (misbehaviors), ask yourself this: Is it harming the child, other children, or getting in the way of anyone learning? If the answer is truly NO, then do not worry about it. If the answer is YES, then, of course, take care of it. When I learned to pick my battles, things were so much easier. This past year, a child of mine was going through some emotional things at home (a lot of issues). More than anything, he just had to be near me or just touch my hand... something. Once he got this, without interrupting the environment, he began to make a turn around. This same child also pitched a fit when he did not get his way. Once he saw that it no longer bothered me and that I didn't make a big deal of it, it stopped!

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When all else fails, have many strategies at hand to help you and to help your student. Do not be afraid to try something new. Also remember to incorporate their interests into any behavior plan you help to create. One more IMPORTANT tip - whenever possible, involve the parent as much as you are able to. They have a tougher time misbehaving when the two are connected and communicating at all times.

Where do you find strategies? My assistant principal was GREAT at quickly finding me resources, so I could focus on the students. Perhaps you have a Behavior Specialist or some other resource person. If not, I will share what I have done and some online resources. Here is a good start:

What has worked for me?:

• Consistent procedures and routines - we worked on them until they became automatic - remember to be consistent (read Rules, Routines, and Standards In Elementary and Secondary Grades or Harry Wong's First Days of School)
• Visual Schedule - using real photos of my classroom when I was able
• Set Criteria with students to create a positive environment - rules for our classroom (criteria was set for how we line up, how it should look during carpet time, and our classroom rules)
• Movement activities - some kiddos just need to move more. Let them stand to learn (if they aren't bothering anyone). Move them to the back of the room to pace if need be or every so often send them to walk up the hall (designate a stop place - they must practice this until it is routine also)
• Visual (silent) timers - Used these for alone time or to monitor that students get their movement time - also, have to practice this for it to be effective.
• iPad goal reward - I had a student who had a tough time with transition to and from lunch - if he met his goal, he had time to play a tractor game - he LOVED tractors!! Another loved wrestling, so there was an app for that, too!
• Rewards -------- I am NOT a huge fan of rewards (candy, treats, toys, etc.) as it is my belief that at some time students must realize that we must behave even if we are not rewarded for it. Trying to make the other students understand why some had extra time on the iPad was not easy at first. Then, I incorporated a time for them to earn extra time... (next bullet)
• Mystery Student (in line) I used this to allow all students the opportunity to have extra iPad free-play time. My assistant would pick a random name and no one would know who the mystery person was; she would watch them during lunch transition. If this one person followed all criteria, they had 5 min. on the iPad upon returning. This cut out the discussion of the others getting time for meeting their behavior goals.
• The POWER of ignoring is HUGE, and it worked for me most times. Use it when you can.
• Movement Again - if you have students who have trouble moving about in line or on the carpet - give them a head start... just before the transition to their trouble spot, have them get up and move about. Of course, model and practice appropriate area and how to move about without distracting others. They lose the privilege if they cannot do it appropriately (after they have had time to master it).
• Colorful tape - Some students need boundaries, as they love to move freely throughout the classroom (disrupting the environment). Place tape down in an area, appropriate for them, giving enough space for them to still move about (which is what they need in the first place).
• Walking Time Out - I have a tough time standing students out at recess, when I know they need some movement time (which most times is perhaps why they may be in trouble). For this reason, we have a track they can walk at recess, instead of just standing there.
• No Desk/No Chair - If they have a tough time sitting still, have them work without a chair - they can earn it back, of course. Same with the desk. I had one want to ride on the desk...LOL. He lost the desk and had to use a clipboard for a while, until he earned it back. If they lose their chair and want to sit, have a throw blanket if you do not have carpet.
• Nap - If a child is sleepy - let them sleep for a bit. If not, they will be ill anyway, which can make the misbehaviors escalate.
• Pencils - If students 'play' with their pencils, given them a tee-tiny one to use. After a while, they will stop, because they get tired of using the tee-tiny one!
• Angry Bird Management - Have a child that gets angry? I used the Angry Bird System, which worked wonders for a student who needed help calming down!

Other Ideas:
The Bead Reinforcement System
PBS Interventions (by Tier)
Intervention Central
The Teacher's Guide
School Behavior

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I suggest your school having a Behavior Management Notebook with all ideas listed by category that you can go to and find what you need :)

Important tip: Whatever you do - DO NOT TAKE IT PERSONALLY. Not every time, but many times, the person who goes out of their way most for a child, that is the very person they misbehave with the most. I have witnessed this a couple of times with myself and with some of my colleagues. Just do not take it personally. Sometimes, they do not know how to act when people show them this type of care and love for them, as a lot of children have lacked this at home.

One more tip: BEWARE of praise... What!? Yes, I love to praise my students, but some children CANNOT handle it. Use it wisely. If you see a child intentionally misbehave after praise is given, do not give praise until they get on the bus or in the car to go home - or NONE at all. I have seen more than one child who just could not handle praise.. just a heads up!

I am sure there are many things I am leaving out, but this is a start - especially for beginning teachers & for some veterans. I pray that I learn something new each year that will help me become a better manager of my students' behaviors - that way, we can FOCUS on learning!! :)