the little things make all the difference

Sometimes the best ideas come from other people...there are millions of good teachers, you really don't have to make it all up.  So here's a few things I learned from others that have changed my classroom for the better. :)

1. "The Mystery Walker" - Instead of nagging your children down the hall every day all day (you'll be annoyed more than them come March), make a "Mystery Walker" cup with a popsicle stick for each student inside (either numbers or names...the great thing about assigning numbers is you never have
to change it every year).  Then, at the start of the day or on your way out the door as you line up...pick a "mystery walker."  Last year, I put the stick in my pocket...but then I had a quite a few end up in the library. This year, I'm just putting the stick in an envelope hanging by the door.   If the "mystery walker" does a great job in line and follows hallway procedures, at the end of the day their name is announced and they can win a prize (mine pick from the treasure box).

   *shout out to my co-worker, Anna, for this one!  #nomorenagging  
      #thelittlethings

2. "The Star Student" - This one is great for culture building, helping kids feel special, and gives you time to not have everything together right away!  On day 1, the teacher is the Start Student so that he/she can model what that means.  The Star Student gets to of course wear a star all day that says "star student." But they also get to share pictures, toys, or whatever they want with the class during morning meeting, and then the class gets to ask him/her questions to get to know the student.  The Start Student also gets to be the line leader for the day and help with special jobs.  At the end of the day he/she picks someone that followed directions and did their best to be the star student the next day.  The point of this is to give yourself a good 4 weeks to decide on class jobs...you've got the line leader covered and the catch-all helper.  It just gives you time to set up structures and figure out who would be good at what.  Some teachers switch jobs each week, I like to have them apply and then keep their job for 9 weeks.  It just makes life easier because they can become experts and actually do their jobs well.  The only 2 I rotate each week are line leader (almost all want this one) and calendar helper (so they all practice). Even in you don't use this for jobs...KIDS LOVE IT, and it makes them feel special....and it helps them connect with each other.

   *shout out to my co-worker, Sonya, for this one!

3. The "me too" hand signal/ connections hand signal - "Me too" is a sign language sign (stick out your thumb and pinky, then move your hand back and forth -pointing to yourself and the other person).  This is great to start day 1.  The first week of school, students do a lot of sharing about themselves. To help build classroom culture, you want them to realize that they have similarities to each other...it helps build joy and team!  So my kids do the "me too" hand signal...this way they will be heard, with out taking time to talk over and over.  So for example, the Star Student may share that they like soccer, and another student may show "me too."

      *Thanks Jody! :)

The connection signal goes a little deeper/has wiggle room for interpretation.  For this signal, just link your 2 pointer fingers together. Students do this when they have a connection with a character in a story (this could be a feeling, experience, etc.) or with each other.  The difference between the "me too" signal and the "connection" signal is that a connection doesn't have to be the exact same, it can just be a similar experience or feeling.  For younger kids, I would just start off with "me too." But the older kids can definitely use both right away.  In my class, we use the connection signal all year long during reading, and it's a great way to keep kids involved!