Middle school classrooms need different bathroom procedures than those that work in elementary schools. Middle schoolers are more independent, and transitions happen faster than in younger grades. Students are also more likely to complain if their hand was raised “forever” but the teacher never called on them before the class period ended. In this blog […]
The Best Bathroom Procedure for Grades 6-8 Read More »
When a student raises their hand, it can be difficult to know whether they have an answer to your question…or if they’re about to ask to go to the bathroom. A clear bathroom hand signal in the classroom helps you immediately know whether a student has a question or needs to leave the room. The
The Best Bathroom Hand Signal for the Classroom (Grades 4-5) Read More »
If you’ve found yourself shouting at your class (either out loud or in your head) to quiet down and get to work, you’re not alone. One of the most common struggles in upper elementary and middle school classrooms is managing a noisy class…especially when students just won’t stop talking. After all, there’s only one of
Whole-Class Rewards for Noisy Classes (That Don’t Make Things Worse) Read More »
If rewards really worked the way we’re told they do, classroom behavior would get easier every year. Instead, many teachers find themselves stuck in a cycle of bribing, begging, and burnout, especially in upper elementary and middle school classrooms. That’s not because rewards are useless. It’s because most reward systems are built to enforce compliance,
Do Rewards Facilitate Learning…or Just Temporary Compliance? Read More »
When faced with the burnout that creeps in with whole-class reward systems, many teachers shift to using individual behavior charts. These could be clip charts, behavior cards, color systems, names on the board, etc. I’ve used some of these systems myself. I’ve seen many teachers use others. Here’s what I’ve noticed over time: Whole-class systems
Why Individual Behavior Charts Don’t Teach Students What We Think They Do Read More »
During my 16 years in the classroom, I saw and used a lot of whole-class reward systems. The issue isn’t the reward itself – it’s the way accountability is handled. Here’s what I mean: One of the more common ones was a “fill the jar” system. I’ve seen these with pompom balls, marbles, cute little
Whole-Class Rewards Break Down When Accountability Is Only Collective Read More »
The purpose of whole-class reward systems is often framed as motivation. The thinking goes: If students want the reward badly enough, they’ll behave. But that assumption is exactly where many systems start to fall apart. Last week we talked about why many whole-class reward systems fail: Most whole-class reward systems fail because they put all
The Real Purpose of Whole-Class Reward Systems (It’s Not Motivation) Read More »
Whole-class reward systems are often recommended as the ultimate classroom management solution, but they often solve the wrong problem. If your whole-class reward system works one week and falls apart the next, you’re not imagining things. Most teachers love the idea of whole-class reward systems. After all, they’re fairly simple to set up. (And they
Why Most Whole-Class Reward Systems Fail (And What Successful Teachers Do Differently) Read More »
The trouble with setting up a class reward system like Fun Friday is the pressure of constantly coming up with whole class reward ideas every. single. week. It can be exhausting, especially after a week of teaching, to find new reward activities that will actually motivate your students. Time-fillers and free rewards can only take
15 Whole Class Reward Ideas That Don’t Cost a Dime (Perfect for Fun Friday!) Read More »
When a class won’t stop talking or kids won’t stay in their seats, a class meeting is one of the best ways to get behavior back on track. Class meetings reset behavior with a quick, targeted discussion. When done well, they take less than five minutes and lead to a noticeable improvement in behavior. Depending
Class Meeting Reset Scripts That Work: Real Examples for Classroom Management Read More »
