Management Monday {Classroom Management}

For our very first day of Management Mondays, I thought I would share one of the most important things to keep your classroom running smoothly ~ a good classroom management system.  During my last three years of teaching before I had Noah, I used a behavior system that focused on rewards for good choices rather than consequences for bad choices.


I was skeptical at first, but it REALLY WORKS!!!  It gives the kids that are showing good behavior more attention than the kids who are acting up.  We all know that a big part of why kids misbehave is to get (say it with me)...attention!!!  So, if you're taking time out of your lessons to stop, put a child in time-out or tell him/her to get back on task, that child is getting the attention of the whole room.  On the other hand, if you say for example, "Thank you, Suzie, for following my directions," the attention is on the child doing the right thing.  And, what does that do?...makes all the other kids want to do that too so they can get your attention!


Sounds simple, but it takes some time to train yourself to point out the good and not the bad.  Everyone's first reaction to a child pushing someone in line is to say, "No, Bobbie, stop pushing!"  However, you would have to say, "Oh, Rachel, I'm so glad you are standing in line no nicely & keeping your hands to yourself!"  You get the point!  :)


So, to go along with my new way of thinking, I had to come up with a behavior system that mimicked that positive reinforcement.  So, I made a leveled system with rewards at each level.  Right before I had to go on bed rest, I made a brand new behavior system called "Bright Forecast."  The theme is weather & has 5 levels (one for each day).  The levels are: (1) Sunny Skies  (2) Partly Cloudy Skies   (3) Uh-Oh Overcast  (4) Chance of Rain   (5) Crying Clouds.

The allure for this system for the kiddos is, of course, the rewards!  You have to decide on rewards that will work for you as well as be exciting for the kids.

Here are the rewards I chose.  At my school, the kids had the option of buying a "Breeze Freeze" (slushy) in the afternoon.  So, I added that to my rewards.  They had to be on a certain level in order to buy a Breeze Freeze.  The reward that the kids worked the hardest to get was lunch with me on Fridays. In the late fall and winter, I would bring them back to the classroom and they could eat lunch while watching a movie.  In the early fall & spring, I would take them outside to eat picnic-style.  The others had to eat in the cafeteria (boring)! :)

So, here's how it works.  You post your wall signs showing the levels vertically on a classroom wall or bulletin board.  When you attach them, leave room around the edges to attach your student name cards.  I used mini clothespins (from craft stores) to attach my names.  All the kids start out on Sunny on Monday.  Then, each day, if a child makes a bad choice, they are given a warning (Cautiously Cloudy).  That child would move his Cloud Name to a basket (this helps you remember who you've given a warning to).  If that child makes another bad choice, s/he will have to write his/her name in the "Dark & Gloomy Day" Notebook (a 2" notebook works well).  At the end of each day, the kids who have written their name in the notebook will be moved down a level.  Behavior charts are kept in the kids' notebooks or folders & they have to color in the level they are on each day.  Parents are asked to initial behavior charts each night, so they are kept well aware of their child's behavior in school.


So, you may be saying, this behavior system would take FOREVER to make!  Well, I have made it easy for you!  I put all of this together for you in one 16-page Bright Forecast PDF booklet in my etsy shop.  Everything you need to implement this behavior system in your classroom is included.  Here's a little preview!

So, just for you, I want to offer a 20% discount for ONE WEEK ONLY.  Regular price is $3.50, but from now until Monday, April 4, you can have it for $2.80.  All you have to do is enter the coupon code SUN20 at checkout.

Click HERE to purchase.