Classroom Management

Every year classroom management looks different to me. Sometimes I find amazing ideas from other colleagues and other times it’s from Pinterest or trying things that have worked in the past. This year is not any different. I needed a way to communicate with parents about positive behavior and negative behavior in a consistent and fair way. In no way is this the perfect way, but if you are an educator, you know that every class/teacher is different. If you can find at least one way to improve your classroom behavior, then it’s a WIN!

Whole Class Rewards

I got this super cute jar from My Rewards Jars. It was expensive and took a LONG time to arrive. I absolutely love it though. This investment is worth it to me, because I don’t think I would never not do a rewards jar. There are also seen the print-out jars with magnets to fill them up, popcorn/marble jars, anything will work!

When they get stars

• compliment from someone else I put a star in their jar
• everyone is on task without reminders
• anytime we are working hard on something together
• when they are doing something that is above and beyond.
• if other adults come in to watch and they are on their best behavior LOL

When they fill it up, we make a list of acceptable rewards, and then they vote on it. Their favorite thing is the big kid’s playground!

Individual Behavior

I have used Class Dojo for YEARS!!!! I love it and love that they can instantly see positive or negative behaviors. The grade level I am in this year does everything on slides, so my board isn’t available for them to see. I had to come up with something visual for them.

My daughter’s teacher last year would put a small stop sign on their desk for a warning. After 2 stop signs, they got consequences. LOVE IT! I thought it might be a lot to keep up with, but I liked being able to keep track of how many warnings you are giving them. Sometimes I forget or am harder/easier on certain students. I needed a fair way to keep up with it so that we both could see and communicate to parents.

Consequences

I made a table in PowerPoint with 10 squares. 2 squares a day and a 3^rd strike you are out mentality. I taped it to their desk and used Velcro to stick on lemon pictures. I used lemon because that is my theme, but you could do anything you wanted. Each day represents a row so once 2 are taken off that row I know it is time for their consequence. They can also see it through the day. None of the kids know that I do it in rows, so it’s harder for them to be nosey. LOL! Here it is, please make a copy if you edit it.

If they are not following our rules, I just tell them that’s a lemon or talk to them privately about what is going on. I take it off their desk and put it in a cup up front on my desk. They also get a minus point on Dojo for tracking purposes. At recess, I fill out a THINK SHEET with them. I made 50 copies and have them on a clipboard by the door. We talk about what the behaviors were and what we could do to fix them. This is not a punishment, but a solution for them to take ownership and have a conversation about what will help them follow the rules. It takes about 3 minutes then they go play.

This goes home and I take a picture of it. At the end of the day, I call the parents and have a conversation about it. This is the same thing as a minus point! Don’t think of it as a referral or something bad, but a chance to build a relationship with the parents, and most of the time they have some great ideas of what can help them in class. I have also found that they are very happy that you are keeping them in the loop and being proactive about it. Does anyone like calling parents, NO!!! I get nervous every time, but I find if I approach it as a team, they don’t get defensive.

Celebrations

If the students have at least 5 lemons from their desk chart at the end of the week they get to spin the wheel! I bought this at Walmart on sale. It is Ryan’s Wheel. I have seen digital free ones and ones from Amazon you can buy like this ONE. Inside there are things like pick the diffuser smell, brain break, erasers, stickers, Teacher vs. Student challenge, tattoos, and sitting in the teacher’s chair. On Monday, students come up to the container and refill their chart. Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy!

Also, if an adult comes in for the first time, they get to spin the wheel, and then pick a stick. If their number is on it that kid gets the prize. It is a fun way to welcome guests into the classroom!

I try to give out tons of dojo points each day! The kids love it and I like to reward them for following the rules, being kind, trying their best, and working together. At the end of the month, they get to “CASH OUT” for prizes with their points.

PBIS Pals

On Instagram, I have seen the respectful rhino a million times, this year I decided to purchase her pack and make it fit my theme. Can I just tell you that students and parents are OBSESSED with this and it is soooooo easy!!!

I decided on 4 animals for our classroom and my student teacher and I brainstormed what behaviors we wanted to celebrate and typed them up. We knew we wanted to make it special so we covered the posters with locks and put the date that we would unlock it on. The kids went NUTS! It was so fun and exciting!!!

So, each character has qualities that they look for. For example, Respectful Racoon looks for listeners and friends who are being kind to one another. All day I point out people and say, “Oooohhhh I like how _____ is listening, I bet Respectful Raccoon does too!“ At the end of the day, we hand out the stuffed animals to those who we thought represented the qualities best. We cheer for them, and I take their picture with the stuffy. After school, I send a picture of them with the animal and one of the posters to their parents to celebrate them!

The student who gets the stuffy gets to keep it on their desk the next day and sit with it on the carpet. It has worked wonders, and this is the sweetest, most caring class I have ever had. I am pretty sure it has to do with these PBIS pals! Our school also is starting a Student of the Month, which is fun too!

These have been a lifesaver for me so far. Here are some more fun tips HERE. What are some of your go-to management tips? Drop them down in the comments to share!