Enough about me, you're looking for strategies to make your classroom work.
1. Make it YOUR classroom (decorate)
If you want to feel excited coming to work (which is near impossible your first year teaching), then your classroom has to be an extension of your home. This was a mistake I made my first year because I was on a tight budget, but I really wish I had splurged.
First Year Classroom
Honestly looking back at this room it's depressing. I added more decorations throughout the year, but it stayed pretty boring. My first year of teaching was so difficult, and coming to this classroom didn't help. If only I had dedicated more time to making it mine! Please don't make the same mistake!
Second Year Classroom
My 1st year classroom was HUGE, but my 2nd one was pretty small. At first this was disappointing, but then I realized how cozy I could make it. Honestly the smallest classroom that can fit you and your students is the best! So be thankful for that tiny room because that's a lot less space to decorate.The best change I made was adding chairs and couches that were great as rewards or flexible seating! Also, going with a colorful theme, rather than something really specific means that every year you can just keep adding more decorations!
2. Ask For Help
The second year I realized I didn't have to do it alone! I posted on Facebook to ask all my friends and family for help! I highly suggest doing this. My uncle's company ended up donating $100 and some school supplies. Other friends offered school supplies and decorations. Little things add up, and make you realize how much your loved ones want you to succeed.
3. Rules and Rewards
When I started teaching I had plenty of rules. Five to be exact because I heard that was the magic number, but none of those rules really helped with classroom management because they had no reason to follow them. Of course you need rules, but more importantly you need REWARDS! No kid wants to follow rules "because I said so", or "it's my classroom and you better listen". That kind of attitude will get you nowhere with classroom management, and kids will just resent being in your room.
A few rewards systems that I have used are tickets and blocks, and I implemented them simultaneously. Tickets were my individual reward system. Students could get multiple tickets everyday just by being on task and answering questions. They would keep up with their tickets, and once they got enough for a prize they could turn them in. Blocks are a class wide incentive that they earned when the entire class was on task. At the end of the six weeks the class with the most blocks would win a pizza party!
4. Relationships
Put an emphasis on creating relationships with your students. If you have a relationship with students they will work hard for you! They will want to be in your classroom because they know you care. You have to earn the right to be heard by your students, and that means showing up! I don't just mean showing up to class... I mean showing up to sports, performances, before school, after school, and just getting to know them.
5. Teachers Pay Teachers
Your first year of teaching will be so time consuming and stressful that Teachers Pay Teachers could be the difference between you having a social life or not! Don't be embarrassed about using Teachers by Teachers, that how some of the best teachers lesson plan. If you can't come up with a lesson, or have no idea how to teach a topic then look no further. I personally love Teachers Pay Teachers, and it gives me so much more time to focus on my students!
By implementing these five things I'm able to focus on my students. That's what teaching is really all about. Giving the students what they need to get where they need to be! Remember it's about the kids, not the tests, not the administration, and definitely not the grades!
xoxo,
kelsey
