Classroom Management

Welcome to my Class!

Every year before school starts we have a Parent's Night. This is when the parents come in and meet the teachers, see the classroom, and ask questions. This is the time when I give the parents their Welcome Packets. In these packets they get the school handbook, any forms the director may still need, and my class welcome handbook. In this handbook I cover class rules, methods I use to teach things like handwriting, cutting, etc. This handbook is meant to be a guide for the parents to refer back to as they get use to our class procedures.

For a copy of the handbook- CLICK HERE

Behavior Management 

In my classroom we tend to have a lot of behavior issues with the boys. My first year of teaching I had a few boys who could not get along and would push the boundries of what they were allowed and not allowed to do. I decided to take control by using a behavior management program that I call 'Lily Pads.'

Because my students range in late 4 to early 5 year olds, I kept it a little more simple. There are 3 colored lily pads that hang in our classroom. One is GREEN, one is YELLOW, and the other is RED.  Each morning every student starts on the green lilly pad. They each have a clothes pin with their name on it. If they are caught breaking one of the classroom rules they are sent to yellow. The student has to physically go and move their name to yellow. This is just meant to be a good warning device and remind the student of their right and wrong behavior. 

If the student contiunes the bad behavior, they are moved to red. This is not good and often the students who move there are sent home with a letter explaining why they had a bad day.  No matter what the reason behind moving off the green pad, every student always has to chances of moving back. This is mean to stimulate them to correct their behavior and be more aware of good choices vs. bad ones. It has been an incredible tool and has broken even the most stubborn child in our school. 

Now you may ask what motivates the child to stay on green.. well it's the treasure box of course! If they stay on green the entire week the student is given the chance to choose something from our treasure box. Though at the begining I usually am a bit lienient to get the kids motivated and understand how the program works. It usually only takes once for a student to see their friends go in and get a treat and they can't.