“We spend the first year of a child’s life teaching it to walk and talk and the rest of its life to shut up and sit down. There’s something wrong there.” -Neil deGrasse Tyson
Organization Skills I believe that a lack of organizational skills is one of the biggest hindrances to student performance. I put an emphasis on efficiency and organization in my classroom. Providing students with binders allows me to teach them to organize their course work. I think organization is a lifelong skill that will especially help students succeed academically.
During my first month of teaching I was in disbelief after realizing that almost half of my students come to school everyday without a backpack, pencil, or paper. During my first semester, students used different strategies to organize their course work but most of these probably involved the floor or trashcan. At the same time, I was experimenting with organizational methods to increase my efficiency as a teacher. In the second semester and in my second year I raised the funds to provide my students with binders. Students decorate their cover page, make dividers, and some students even place their personal photos on them. They take pride in their binders and follow my instructions for organizing course work. They can easily refer back to notes from prior lessons, study, and keep track of their completed work. They track their productivity by collecting stamps, stickers, and grades. During binder checks, I write the students personal messages and place them in the binders. This has been an effective way to motivate the students.
After School Tutoring
In my first year of teaching, I tutored students after school for their biology I state test as much as possible. They were somewhat reluctant to attend, so it required a lot of phone calls home. However, this was necessary because the students would miss their bus. Teaching students individually or in small groups reminds me how much I enjoy teaching. It is amazing how much faster students understand the lessons when they are completely focused. In my second year, it was much easier with scheduled tutoring times twice a week and a bus for the students.
Student Recognition
The teachers in our hallway select a student of the week for each of our classes. We reward them with bags full of candy and snacks.
Rewards
Raffle Hot Chips
Students receive tickets for participation. Classes earn raffles by performing well on the unit tests. Candy is also given for outstanding participation.
The motivation for earning tickets.
Attending School Events
I attended every home football game as a member of the chain gang with Mr. Bonds and Mr. Hart. I had the best view as it was my job to hold the marker for the current down at position of the football! We also attended the away games. I also had fun watching many boy's and girl's basketball games.
Teachers at the town parade cheering for the students!