The Best of Everything

“Most of us end up with no more than five or six people who remember us. Teachers have thousands of people who remember them for the rest of their lives.”

--Andrew A. Rooney

Classroom Climate

“I am teaching…it’s kind of like having a love affair with a rhinoceros.”

- Anne Sexton

• Personal Greeting – High 5, knuckles, shake hands, pat on back, etc.

• “I’m Ready for my Close-up” – full size mirror in room

• “Where Everybody Knows Your Name” – add students’ names to worksheets, PowerPoints, story problems, etc.

Team Mascot

“Our team mascot can beat up your team mascot!”

Classroom/ Team Spirit and UnityTeam names

Team pointsTeam rewards

Team rolesClass meetings

• “It’s Still Rock-n-Roll to Me” – Play music on breaks

• Stress Corner – bubbles, comics, paper, headphones with nature sounds or classical music

• Birthdays

• Seating – couch, medicine ball, beanbags

• Art Work – hang up their art, notes, doodles

• Decorate

Motivating the Unmotivated

“A professor is one who talks in someone else’s sleep.” - W. H. Auden

Magical Moments“Good teaching is one-fourth preparation and

three-fourths theater.” – Gail Godwin

• Food

• “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” - Toss blow up cubes, Koosh Balls

• “I’m Melting” – Add drama – use silly voices, make jokes, sing pneumonics, silly stories to explain concepts

• Graphic Organizers on walls, floor, ceiling – create with colored tape, yarn, chalk

• Suspense – Put a strange, seemingly unrelated object in the middle of the room for a day or two before it’s use

“RISE and Shine”R – RemediateI – Improve S – Stretch E – Extend

• Kids get remediation and individual attention

• Extension activities encourage students to master content and complete work

• Movie day in pod with beanbags and popcorn poppers making fresh popcorn

• A game show where kids earn money to throw pies at their teachers

• Homecoming games with attire made from crepe paper and tablecloths

Homecoming RISE Day

Homecoming RISE Day

Rock-N-Opoly

Celebrate Every Day•End Yr – Letters•Daily holidays •Laugh together every day

Costumes

Beginning of the Year•Survival Kit

•Theme

•Multiple Intelligences Introductions

•Costumes

ContestsChallenge students to beat you at different things throughout the year. It motivates you to step out of your comfort zone and kids see you in a new way.

Higher Level Thinking Skills• Give a body shape and tell kids they can’t choose

inappropriate locations. Talk as a group and choose 4 body parts that tie in with what you are learning about. For example, an elbow can show flexibility, fingers show parts working together, etc.

Assigning Group Jobs

• Alphabetical – Identify jobs and assign them in alphabetical order by first name

• Birthdays – Chronological order by birthday

• Color – Teacher picks a color, person wearing most of that color

• Phone Number – add last 4 digits of phone number. It will be less than 36. Call a number between 1-36. Whoever is closest to that number gets the job.

• Most/ Least…buttons, pockets, pets, siblings, etc.

• Door Prize – Whoever had color, candy, sticker, etc. you call gets to choose their job.

• Name – Most or least letters in name

• Shoes – Smallest/ biggest shoe size

• Select and switch – kids in group point to the person they want to do it. The person with the most fingers pointing at him/her gets to choose who does the job.

Assessment

Responder Cards• Create a set of responder cards for each student. Kids

can make them to save time.

• They can have the letters A, B, C, D for multiple choice questions, T or F for true/false questions, or numerical ratings.

• Read statement – kids hold up cards.

• Assess results and repeat.

Variations of Responder Cards• Stand when your choice announced

• Raise one hand when agree, two hands for strongly agree

• Thumbs up/thumbs down

• Fist in five

DisciplineWith Humor

The Tardy Bunch

It’s a storyOf being tardy

And we didn’t think that it would really count

Now we’re stuck here, during lunchCleaning desks and scraping gum off of the

chairs 

If we don’t comeThey will find us

They grab our hands and skip with us to class

It’s embarrassing and we hate itSo be glad that you were on time to your

class 

The Tardy BunchThe Tardy Bunch

That’s the way, we became the Tardy Bunch

DisciplineWith Respect

3 Rs•Rights

•Responsibility•Respect

Lessons I’ve Learned

Students want, and need, one adult, with an emotional attachment, who thinks they are wonderful and terrific no matter what.

Human beings will perform for the person they love. Teachers often think that kids should do it because they want to. If a person loves himself, he will do it for himself. If he does not have that high of self-esteem or belief in self, he will have to do it for someone else until the time comes that he does love himself.

Actively listen to kids’ complaints, demands, and compliments.

•“I see”•“I understand”

•“I’m sorry”

Instead of focusing on what’s wrong, start with acknowledging what the student accomplished. Then point out what still needs to be done.

We all benefit from having an outsider with an objective point-of-view tell us how we can do better.

But before we can even consider making changes, we need to believe there is more right with us than wrong and that we have the power to fix whatever is wrong.

And, Finally, Frog Kissing