Well, it's the first day of the second week of school. I still have 26 little darlings in my class and when I tell you we are packed in like sardines I am not kidding! I do really like the seating arrangement I created, with my stools in the center for materials tables. I still need two stools though! *pouts* I'm still holding out for some friendly donations from friends who clean out their garages! The kids seem to be a really good group, they are learning the routines quickly and trying to follow procedures in class. I tell you two things that I think they love so much, the hallway song and Molly. For those of you who don't know the hallway song, I found it on someone else's blog, through Pinterest. I will find it and give the person credit for it so you can see it too. But... it's a short, catchy song that gets them ready for the hall. It goes "My hands are right beside me, I'm standing straight and tall, my hands are right beside me, I'm ready for the hall!" Then, they "catch a bubble" by closing their mouths like they have filled it with air. They love it; it keeps me from preaching, and it really does remind them about appropriate hallway behavior. This year, I am really trying to model hallway behavior by following the same rules myself. Of course, it is important for students to understand that adults earn more privileges then children, but since the reason for quiet hallway behavior is to keep from disturbing other classes, it seems appropriate that I should follow the same rules as the children when it comes to the hallway. It's harder than you think, as adults, teachers, walking down the hallway and not speaking. Firstly, you want to fuss at a child who is out of place. Or, another teacher comes by and you suddenly remember you need to speak to him or her, or want to say hi. It's a true test in self control. I have handled this with two simple strategies. First I have my hallway sign. I made it with a ruler, cardboard, card stock pictures and key rings. (I will post the picture later) It has four different signs I can flip as needed. One is a reminder to stay quiet, one is a reminder to stay in line, and then I have a sign for "stop" and "go." 1st graders can't read yet! You say... no problem! I have pictures and words on the signs, which, after using it with my kids, has proven TOTALLY worth it. The kids figured out instantly what each sign was for, and through the context of the pictures, even knew what the words were. The second problem was handling my own urge to speak to other adults and not appearing rude to them for not speaking. So, I wave, and if the need to speak arises, I simply hand them a slip of paper instead, which I store in a small pocket on the back of my hallway sign. The note is short, sweet, and to the point. It says:
Forgive me for not speaking, I'm not being rude. I'm simply modeling appropriate hallway behavior for my class.. I'd love to speak with you later!
It's great. I'm really excited about my hallway plan, and so far it is working wonderfully.
The other favorite of the class is Molly. Remember her? I showed you her picture and the voki I made for her. The kids can't get enough of her. And get this, they tell her about what they are learning! Without me prompting them! The other day, we made a graph, and when Molly came out, the kids were like, "hey Molly, guess what? We made a graph!" And so Molly looked at it, and got so excited about it for them. When we reviewed the months of the year, they asked Molly if she could do, so of course, she did, by cheering them of course! I am so thrilled I got Molly and look forward to using her more. I'm improving my ventriloquist skills while I'm at it too! *laughs*
I will tell you what, 26 kids is definitely testing my management skills, which was always the hardest thing for me. I am too nice and too fun! *laughs* I've been working on it for years and I'm getting much better at it. Thanks to the things I've learned on Pinterest, through experience, and planning, I think I'm in a good place. We have our baseball management board, my token system, and my smart beads for academics. So far, so good. As anyone knows, and we always tell each other, consistency is the key. And of course, as easy as it sounds, it is more difficult to do. But, practice makes perfect, and with sardines, it is essential!! So I'm trying to be consistent, reviewing rules daily, rewarding good behavior and offering consequences and corrections for improper behavior. We'll keep on trucking, constantly pray, and see how it goes! Let's make this post interactive, comment on this post by telling your most successful behavior management strategy or your class's favorite activity or "thing!"
No comments:
Post a Comment