Classroom Management Tips and Ideas

There are SO many great classroom management tips and ideas out there these days which can easily be found on Pinterest, Instagram, from fellow teachers, and even TikTok. I wanted to share some of the classroom management tips & tricks that I have come across and use in my classroom. Again, I teach Grades 1/2 and what might work for me may not work for you. Feel free to take these tips/ideas and tailor them to fit your needs.

Originally, I had planned to go in-depth into my classroom management document, and mention all the things I do like how I organize my classroom, run my classroom library, etc. but I received feedback from my mom, saying my posts were too long (she obviously isn't a teacher and doesn't relate to my need to be overly thorough, LOL). Anyways, I put out a poll on whether you would want it short & sweet, or have all of the details. It was 62% short and sweet, and 48% wanting the "deets" and I gotta give you what you want! If you find that you would like more tips, ideas, or more details, I have plenty more where this came from. If there is enough interest, I may post a more detailed post later. Below are some things to think about when planning and thinking about your classroom management:

1.Routine

Routine is so important for good classroom management. If your students know what is expected of them, behaviour concerns lower and transitions become seamless and smooth (for the most part). I spend the first couple of weeks to a month practicing routines, procedures, and expectations over and over again. The extra work you put in with your kiddos at the beginning of the year will pay off for the remaining 9 months. A couple things that help my students and I with routine is a visual schedule, and starting each day the same way. Every morning we write in our day planners, complete calendar, exchange reading books, etc. Some other routines you may want to think about to help your classroom management is how you want your classroom library, hand in bin, and washroom breaks to be ran.

(I got my cute little visual schedule cards on TPT. They are created by Amanda Ross of First Grade Garden. I love that they are customizable! I get them printed at Staples and stick magnets to the back of them so they stick onto my whiteboard.)

2. Relationships

I think it is so important to build authentic, positive, and meaningful relationships with your students and their families. At the beginning of the year, take time to be genuine and get to know your kids, their likes and dislikes, who their siblings are, what their parents do, etc. I like to send home a student survey where families share information that they want with me about their child. I also try to contact all families within the first month of school with a positive note about their child. It can be as simple as "I love having Johnny in class. He is so helpful and has great manners!" or "Sally shared such a funny story about her little brother with me today! It made my day!" Having the first contact be a positive one is so beneficial for your relationship with your students and their families.

3. Positive Reinforcement

I LOVE positive reinforcement! I love giving kids praise when they are doing their jobs, being kind, and working hard. I use a number of different positive reinforcement tools like Dojo points on Class Dojo that go towards our classroom "Dojo Store," Doing it Right tickets that go towards using the "VIP bucket," and Warm Fuzzies that go towards a class goal they are working towards such as a movie. I have been seeing "desk pets" a lot lately and they are adorable! I may have to give them a try next year. My important rule I use in my classroom is, if they earned it at some point, I never take it away. For example, if a student earned a Warm Fuzzy because a supervisor said they sat so well at lunch, I will never take it away if they are being loud the next day. Once it is earned, it stays.

4. Attention Getter

Come up with a few attention grabbers for your students when you want them to freeze and listen. My go to is "Give Me Five." My first school was a Pre-K-4 school and every teacher in the school used this attention getter, which I thought was great because we could use that when we had whole school activities like assemblies, and each student knew what was expected of them. I also have a doorbell I got from Amazon that the kids seem to love, and it gets their attention if you are looking for something non-verbal.

(I received this visual from a coworker, and I am not sure who created this but I believe she did get this off of TPT. Jackie, if you see this- who created this visual!? LOL)

5. Classroom Jobs

Give students classroom jobs to help around the classroom, and take some tasks off of you. Some classroom jobs I have this year include a teacher helper, line leader, caboose, table wiper, plant waterer, light technician, and prayer leader. Other years I have things like librarian, but they are not needed this year due to COVID and the health guidelines.

6. Make a Sub Tub

Yes, it is time consuming to make but once you are done, you will have a peace of mind. Making sub plans are time consuming and stressing over a sub plan is the last thing you want to do if you are sick. I usually have a day or two of emergency sub plans in the Sub Tub but this year because of the pandemic, we were required to have 2 weeks of sub plans. In the Sub Tub I have class lists, medical information, special schedules and pullouts, time tables, staff lists, emergency plans (ex: fire and lockdown), my classroom management plan, etc. I also like to leave a paper for guest teachers to share about the day. In the Sub Tub I also like to include things like bandaids, hand sanitizer, and in "normal" years I have also included things like lotion and gum.

7. Communication Tool

As you begin to plan how you will run your classroom, think of how you will be communicating with your students and their families and how you will be sharing information between school and home. For example, I use Class Dojo to share photos, videos, and messaging with parents. There are many digital communication tools to choose from. My students also have day planners that they write messages and reminders like, "Pajama day tomorrow." This is helpful for families who don't want to use or have access to Class Dojo, and also gives students printing practice and encourages responsibility by ensuring that they bring their day planners to school each day. I also send a weekly review each Friday that shares with families what we learned/did that week and provides reminders for the upcoming week.

There we go! I guess it wasn't super "short and sweet" but that is as short as it is going to get with me! Thank you for reading, and as always, I look forward to your feedback! :)

XOXO,

Elle