Survival…

Tips & Tricks for a Successful Year!

Presented by Vann M. Lassiter

2011 Northeast NC Regional Teacher of the Year

What are your goals?

On a post-it-note, write what you hope to gain

from today’s presentation.

Objective: By the conclusion of this presentation we will share tips and tricks to help organize ourselves, our classrooms, and our students.

WHY?   Teachers and students spend more time on-task

  Behavior issues & discipline problems are reduced

  Organized classrooms produce organized minds (i.e. less stress)

  If you don’t plan…THEY will

(i.e. I would rather manage than discipline!)

What’s my name? Create a nameplate for your desk. It should include your

name written in any style and a small picture which represents

your mood, hobbies, or personality. Be creative!

Daily Procedures “Ideal hands are the devil’s tools.”

Post everything…

 Objectives  Homework  Key dates  Activities  Schedules  Rules  Student Work /

Pictures  A clock

Daily Procedures Students Love Consistency!

  Begin each class with a “bell ringer” or “warm-up.”

  Don’t take class time to take attendance…be creative!

  Layout materials in a specific spot (i.e. on the bookcase).

  Set HIGH expectations and don’t back down!

  Reward when necessary.

Model…Model…Model!

What should I model?

Daily Procedures Everyone say, “OOOOOOOOO.”

Assign each student a “lucky number.” Use them for…

 Books  Alphabetizing tests & materials  Lining up (in elementary school)  Dividing students into groups  Asking questions orally  Helps with gradebook entry  Clickers and other equipment

Daily Procedures

Create a “student section” in your room.

 Pens/Pencils  Sharpener  Hole punch  “Turn In” Station  Stapler

Don’t sweat the small stuff!

Daily Procedures Establish entrance and exit procedures (i.e. bathroom, office, water, tardies, telephone).

 Passbooks  Sign-Out Sheets  Hall Badges  Practice telephone etiquette

Setting the Tone Get to know your students immediately…more than

just their names!

 Have students create personal nameplates.  Create seating charts…label assigned seats

before students arrive.  Take roll later…begin class with an activity!

Incorporate roll taking into the lesson.  Know what makes them tick and celebrate the

small stuff (birthdays, winnings, positions, etc.).

“Right or wrong,

accurate or not, your

reputation will precede you.”

Forming Groups  Establish “group rules.”  Introduce the “appointment clock.”  Pull a Card (each card has similar picture and

groups are formed evenly)  Group by birthday month  Use UNO cards (similar numbers work together)  Famous Pairs (EX: Fred and Wilma or Rudy and Bill

Cosby)  Puzzle Pieces

Calling On Students…   “Who’s on deck?”  Pull the Popsicle Stick (i.e. the Lucky Number Concept)  Clothes Pins  Students Select Students (i.e. the one who answers picks

the next person)  Think-Pair-Share  Use dry erase boards / laminated paper (i.e. raise your

answer in the air)  Thumbs Up / Thumbs Down (i.e. “Seven Up”)  Popcorn

Transition Signals  Create a saying such as “Hey – Ho”

 5-4-3-2-1

 Use music

 Use a buzzer/bell

 “When the hand goes up…the mouth goes shut.”

 No Lights = Silence

 Create “thumb’s up” and “thumb’s down” cards

 Green Light, Yellow Light, Red Light…STOP!

“Early in my career I felt that organization would destroy my creativity. Whereas now, I feel the opposite. Discipline is the concrete that allows you to be

creative.” ~Verna Gibson

Handling Papers Teachers Go Through Mounds of Paper…Handle It Once!

Establish a place for students to turn in/pick up assignments...

  File drawers

  Crates with folders

  Large baskets

  Mailboxes

  Magazine racks

  Hanging clips on the side of student desks

  Clipboards (good for class outside)

Color Code Files…

 Use different folders for each assignment.  Use folders or notebooks for originals and parent

documentation.  Select a different color for each subject or

period.  Color code by rows.  Create an “end of year” folder using a “special

folder.”  Establish folders for each day of the week. Great

for substitutes!

Example of Parent Contact Log

Handling Papers Work smarter…Not harder!

 Have students highlight their names on assignments.

  Try a rolodex file folder when traveling with papers.

 Use hanging folders for student portfolios.

  Establish a “new student” file. There is always one late arrival.

 Use magnets to place missing work on the side of student desks or to the board.

Handling Papers Work smarter…Not harder!

 Assign students as “The Catcher” to help students who were absent.

 Designate 1 day a week as “feedback day” to return papers.

 Designate a student as the “super filer.”

  If you haven’t looked at a paper in more than a year, throw it away.

Handling Papers “It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.” ~ Roosevelt

  Laminate a copy of your class roster. Use and reuse it.

  Save copies electronically. Create a computer filing system. Have a back-up copy.

  Label everything.

Grade books & Plan books

  Establish a grading/recording system that works for you.

  Use eSIS and print copies.   Use a physical gradebook.   Organize by students first name   Use online help (mygradebook, quia, etc.)   You don’t have to grade everything!

  Plan your way – use planbooks, a spiral notebook, PowerPoint, or MS Word.

  Leave with a clean desk.

“Don't agonize. Organize.”

~Florence Kennedy

Let’s Share… In a group of three or four, share

organizational strategies you currently use

in your classroom and their effectiveness

AND/OR strategies you learned today you

wish to incorporate in your class.

The Top 10 Things You Didn’t Learn In College

“The Bottom Line”  Be flexible…do what works for you!

 Steal…Borrow…Reinvent from the best!

 Have a sense of humor!

  It’s okay to make mistakes! It’s never too late to start over!

“The Bottom Line”  Make the custodians and secretarial staff

your friends!

 Buy a large scrapbook…cherish the memories!

 Take some time for yourself…as much as you want to please your students, parents, administrators, you must please yourself!

QUESTIONS?