10 Easy Things You Can Change in Your Classroom Today

Let's be honest, most teachers at the halfway point in the year are feeling a little overwhelmed with all of the great ideas they want to implement.  Our students are grooving, perhaps even getting a little too rambunctious, the routines are in place and yet it seems like there are so many things on our plate.  So I present to you 10 simple things to change to make your life a little easier....

1. Assign jobs.  I have jobs for everything and they change weekly.  My students take attendance, pass back papers, run messages and help pick up the classroom.  They love to help, they know it is expected, and together we take care of our room.  I don't have to hound people to do their jobs, at most I give them a reminder but it is a lot easier for me to say "Do your job" than remind 23 students to sign in every day.
2. Be on a need to know basis.  My students don't need to ask for permission to go to the bathroom or get a drink, just let me know either through a raised hand, a look or a gesture.  Class keeps going, students take care of themselves, everybody is happy.
3. Have extras.  This year has been the needy year for markers and calculators.  Instead of asking whether they can borrow something students just grab whatever they need, put it back when they are done.  If they accidentally take it home, so be it.  I will have to find more then.
4. If you can, plan right away.  After my morning math class my students leave for recess.  I take that opportunity to finish correcting fact tests and plan the next day's lessons.  This works much better for me since what they are secure in or not is fresh in my mind.  The next morning the lesson is ready to go and we are picking up right where we left off, reveiwing, securing and deepening our knowledge.
5. Keep a Google Calendar.  On our classroom blog we have a Google calendar where I put everything related to the classroom as soon as I know.  If I am gone from the classroom, it's on there, if we have a large project due it is on there.  Parents know I update it faithfully and go there to answer their questions regarding upcoming events.  This has cut back on a lot of confusion and questions from everyone, plus I refer to it in later years.
6. In fact, have a classroom blog.  Our blog is our hub of activity; upcoming events, extra project information, pictures, videos - all have a home on our classroom blog.  The students post there sometimes, I post often, and parents have a place where they can go for the information they need.  I showcase it on orientation and encourage them to add it to an RSS feed or get the email updates, this has cut back paper copies by a huge amount.
7. Ask your students.  This has to be my mantra for our classroom.  Winter is here, colds are all around us and I am pregnant - all reasons that lead to less creativity in lesson planning.  Yet my students are still amzingly creative and have no problem sharing their ideas.  The problem lies in that we forget to ask.  So take 10 minutes at the beginning of a lesson and ask them what they would like to explore, what would they like to create and then actually listen to their ideas.  I promise you, you will not be dissapointed.  (And yes it can fit into your standards and goals no problem - those don't dictate the path you take).
8. Dance a little.  This time of year can be rather depressing, particularly with winter in Wisconsin, so to bring in a little bit of fun and a little bit of sun, we take 4 minutes to dance.  The students pick the song (I usually check the lyrics) and then we crank it up.  We get back to work right after with a smile on our face and tensions gone.
9. Ask your papers where they want to go.  I used to have a very strict organizational system that required me to do a lot of thinking of where I put things.  I cannot tell you how much time I spent trying to remember where I had organized something to.  So one summer I decided to let my papers tell me where they wanted to go.  Those places now have trays in them for said papers and everything is in its place.  By letting your subconscious mind create your organizational system, things seems to stay organized.
10. Follow the one minute rule.  I am a procrastinator when it comes to filing or dropping things off.  It seems like I always have something more urgent to do than to take care of whatever I have in my hand.  So now I live by the 1 minute rule; if it can be done in 1 minute, do it right away!  My room is cleaner, my emails are more quickly answered, and I feel on top of things.  I even do this at home, what a difference it makes in a home with a toddler!

So there you are; 10 easy things you can do right now to, indeed, make your life easier.  Do you have mroe to add, please do share.

5 Steps to Letting Go and Learning More

Yesterday I had the wonderful privilege to give a webinar for SimpleK12 on the topic of student centered learning.  I am not an expert on this topic, far from it, but I am someone who has done it by following her own instincts and now can marvel at the classroom I get to be a part of.  The webinar was very short and we had a lot of questions, the biggest one being, "How do I get started?"  So here are the first 5 steps I took to give my students more control:

1. Search your heart.  Before you let go of certain aspects of the classroom you have to figure out what you can live with.  Can you live with more noise?  More movement?  More conversation?  Someone asked me if it was a lot more work to teach in a student-centered classroom to which I answered no, it is the same amount of work as I put in before but now I do it in school rather than outside of it.  If you cannot handle more noise you may want to dig a little deeper and try to figure out why, it may be that you fear students will goof off or get off task, which yes that still happens but much less frequently.  If they are engaged they will work.
2. Tell the kids why.  Too often we make decisions and never tell students what led us to those decisions.  Every year I start out with a discussion of why our classroom is the way it is and how I envision it to run.  I set high expectations for my students who are always surprised at the environment and I let them ask questions.  One thing that inevitably comes up is whether they can earn rewards (nope) so I politely discuss why they should not expect that from me.  That also includes limited homework (if they work hard in school I don't need to take up their time outside of school), no letter grades except for on report cards (we have conversations and feedback instead), and no punishment (no lost recesses here most of the time).
3. Then let them talk. I tell the students this is our room and that they need to decide what type of learning environment they want to be a part of.  This conversation is totally student-run, they brainstorm in small groups and then share their results.  They do not post a list of rules or even vote.  We discuss, decide and then move on to bigger things.  Throughout the year we re-visit our expectations and tweak them if we have to.  The level of responsibility and buy-in to the classroom immediately increases without me having to beg for it.
4. I challenge them.  Every year, I have some sort of team challenge right after they have set the rules to see whether they can figure out how to work together.  This year it was the amazing Bloxes challenge that brought my students together and got them excited.  Throughout the year we do mini-challenges to continue working on teamwork and expectations for the classroom. Different students step up as leaders, again without my direction, and they share the success of the challenge together.  And challenges doesn't have to be anything crazy, it can be to give them an extra science lesson to explore whatever they want.  Teachers think there is no time for this sort of thing but there is, because our engagement level is higher we get through our curriculum quicker which gives us time to explore.  The biggest time waster in a classroom is usually the teacher talking at the students - how much do you really need to talk?
5. I ask the kids.  No single thing is more important in our classroom than the voice of the students.  How do they want to learn something, how can we improve, what are we missing?   All of these questions pop up on a regular basis and they add so much to our curriculum.  I know what the goals of learning need to be but the students can certainly work on how we will get there.  Even at an elementary level these kids have incredible ideas and methods for covering curriculum thus getting natural buy-in (no carrot and stick needed) and increasing their enthusiasm for school.

This is how I get started in my classroom every year.  I didn't read a book that told me to do these things, instead I asked, "Would I want to be a student in my own classroom?"  That answer is now a resounding yes!  We do a lot of hands-on learning, student-led exploration, and try to keep school fun no matter what we are doing.  I love coming to school, I love my students, and I am proud of what they accomplish every day.  

Related articles

• How We Became that Room (mrspripp.blogspot.com)
• What Would Pernille Do - Some Thoughts on Prescribed Systems in the Classroom (mrspripp.blogspot.com)
• Why Trusting Your Gut Can Be the Best Classroom Management Course You Ever Take (mrspripp.blogspot.com)

No Size Fits All - Some Thoughts on Prescribed Systems in the Classroom

I am sometimes asked what system I used in my classroom; which system do you prescribe to to get them to act this way, which system do you believe in for your philosophy.  I always feel like a disappointment when I tell them, "None."  It is not that I am pioneer within education, or a maverick, but rather that I don't believe in systems.  A system to me means prescribed, a system means rigidity, rules to follow, and scripts to use.  I tried that for 2 years when I first started teaching and it failed, horrifically and miserably.  My classrooms doesn't work that way, it doesn't fit into a book description.   So while some people may say I fall under whatever system they think, I always giggle a little because the truth is much simpler.

I follow the Pernille system.  The one that says to listen to your students, give them a voice, get out of the way, and then change your mind when needed.  The system I use has no book or no guidelines but only common sense and a lot of reflection.  I don't manage my children, they are not stress I must constrain.  I guide them, they guide me and we trade spots more often than I can count.   I do not read a book to see how I should train my students the first week of school; they are not circus animals getting ready for a performance.  Instead we get to know each other and we laugh a lot because laughter is a key ingredient in my life.   I do not hide the "real" Pernille from my students because I believe education must be authentic to be meaningful.  My students share their emotions and opinions whenever they can.

I know that if I wanted a book-deal or masses of followers I should call my system something, my husband jokes about that all the time.  That way people could refer to it and ask themselves, "Well what would Pernille do?"  And then they would be confused as to why my system wouldn't work as well for them, because  a system has to be as personal as your classroom.  You borrow, you steal,  you get inspired by others, but in the end your voice and that of your students is the one that needs to  shout the loudest and it needs flexibility and adaption skills.  So trust in yourself, sure read the books, ask the questions and then reflect; what will you do and what will your students do?  Hint:  It requires conversations with your students to create your own system.  Good luck.

Related articles

• This is My Room - How Controlling Ones Classroom Can Send the Wrong Message (mrspripp.blogspot.com)
• 10 Ways to Make it "Their" Room (mrspripp.blogspot.com)
• The Real Reason Kids Are Missing From School (coopcatalyst.wordpress.com)

10 Ways to Make it "Their" Room

1. Visualize a flow - do you see students moving around a lot, or will they be more sequestered?  Either way, make sure people can get by each other without any issues arising.
2. Create different spots - I learn best sitting in a comfy chair or sprawled out, as do many of my students.  Some though prefer the rigidity of a desk.  Offer options within your classroom to fit all of their movement needs, which leads me to the next point.
3. Let them use your classroom in whichever manner they see fit, as long as it is within safe reason.  My students don't ask whether they can move, they know that they can, as long as it is not disruptive or unsafe.  I love that they feel like it is their room.
4. Talk about it as our room not your room.  Language matters and how you label the classroom is huge.  Do you have a sign that says welcome to "my" room?  That sends a message.  I still catch myself saying "my" even though I know it is ours.  
5. Have them set the expectations.  We all work better when we decide our working conditions.  I have the students discuss routines and expectations for the year and then we adjust them as necessary.  Again, this is their room, not my room.
6. Un-clutter.  At the elementary level there seems to be a need to cram as much stuff on our walls as possible to help the kids or inspire them.  I chose instead to give them room to create and to only put up things that are vital for our learning at that time.  Our room is by no means bare but it does reflect what we are working on and then provides calm.
7. Get rid of your desk.  I cannot tell you how the energy of my room changed when I did.  I still have a table for my computer and planner but it is against a wall.  The students use when I don't and they also use the computer.  I was worried I wouldn't have a place to put all of my stuff and it turns out I have had to get a lot more organized because of this.
8. Give them space.  Make sure the students feel they have enough room for their things, we just have bins and cubbies but it works for us.  The kids spread out more when they need to but they also clean up after themselves.  I had to let go a bit of how clean the classroom is but have noticed that the kids now take more pride in the room.
9. Stop managing and controlling them. You control animals and manage tasks, not children.  How about guiding or leading them instead? Language matters because it changes your own mindset.  I don't do classroom management, we instead have classroom routines and expectations.  The power of words is immense.
10. Believe in it and prove it.  You cannot talk about their room but then act like you are the queen bee.  It just doesn't work.  So if you truly want students to take ownership of their learning and their room, get out of the way.  Let them experiment with how the tables are set up or where they gather for a lesson.  Let them figure out how it works best for them.  You can direct obviously but have them discuss and try.  

Related articles

• This is My Room - How Controlling Ones Classroom Can Send the Wrong Message (mrspripp.blogspot.com)
• My Barren Wasteland - A Room Without Rewards (mrspripp.blogspot.com)
• Let Students Own, Not Rent! Making it "Our Classroom" (oldschoolteach.wordpress.com)

Theirs

As I look around the classroom I see the piles, the papers, the snack wrappers.  I see the posters in progress, some ideas scribbled out, doodles and even a wayward shoe.   Computers that have been left on, carpet squares haphazardly stacked, and pencils on the floor.  When I started teaching this would have stressed me out.  I would have spent a half an hour or more straightening, re-hanging those posters and throwing out whatever I saw fit.  I would have wiped, sanitized, and organized.  Perhaps I would even have labeled and checked my supplies that nothing was missing.  I would have made a note to myself to talk to the kids about how they needed to clean more, how we need a clean and organized classroom to function well.  How their stuff shouldn't be messed in with my stuff.

Now I organize myself, leave their piles, smile as I shut off the lights and think, "This is their room now."

Where I say Goodbye to an Old Friend; My Desk

Today I decided to get rid of my teacher desk.   Felling like a rebel, feeling a little brave, put the door it went to some other wanting teacher.  And yes, while this may seem spur of the moment it is something I have been pondering for about a year now pushing it away whenever the thought crossed me. You see, I love my desk. To me it signifies being a teacher; sitting behind the desk, grading papers, surveying the room, feeling powerful. All things I used to take such pride in, particularly the grading of papers, and now that doesn't seem to be me anymore.  Now I don't take pride in grades but rather in the conversations I have with my students surrounding their work.  Now I love being away from my desk, preferably on the floor or next to a student working. Now I don't feel powerful in an authoritarian way but rather in a "knowledge is power" type of way.

And yet that desk was my anchor. My teacher space, sacred to me and a no-no for the kids.  Whenever I needed to retreat I scurried behind it, setting up my barrier. Whenever I needed to signal to the kids that I needed some space, there I was sitting in my chair working. The wall was up, the kids knew it and I was safe.  The chair was too comfortable, the desk had too much space for piles, and the kids didn't like to approach me whenever I sat behind it. And yet it beckoned for me, drew me to it almost like a magnet; come sit, come relax, come work. And so I did, finding myself nestled in its power, in its comfort over and over, when I should have been on the floor next to those kids. When I should have been out in the room walking, working, learning. Now don't think I sat behind it teaching, just shouting out instructions, I never did, but I pulled kids behind it for one-on-one time. I had kids come there for help, for learning, and it didn't work. They immediately felt the power of the desk and were not able to relax. They knew they were in my space, not theirs, and so their guard was up when I needed it to be down. The desk had too much power.

So today I say goodbye to the beacon of my teacher strength. I cleaned out all the drawers, emptied the files and wiped it down one last time. The remarkable thing was all the stuff I found in it that I didn't even know I had; 13 white out's, reward certificates, and numerous empty files. Apparently my so essential piece had become rather nonessential in its true purpose. I was nervous sure, I still am, but at the same time I knew it was time to say goodbye. I don't want our classroom to be their space versus my space. I want it to be all of our space. I want the kids to feel they can approach me wherever I sit. I want them to have room to sprawl out on the floor, I want to sit with them as we learn together. I have said before that we were on this learning journey together; now we truly are.  So farewell dear friend, you have served me well but now we have grown apart.

For more inspiration to give up your desk, please read this posts - they inspired me.

Russ Goerend's Post on going desk less.

John T Spencer's Post on how he was wrong.

Are We Forcing Students to be Noncompliant?

Noncompliance; just the word makes me shudder.  So many connotations, so much negativity connected to this word, particularly in a classroom setting and yet you hear it whispered in the hallways, "noncompliance..."  This word means:  The failure or refusal to comply, meaning someone who is not following directions whether intentional or not.  It is a mantra that we repeat, we must have students that comply in order to be successful.  Without compliance our classrooms would simply fall apart.  


Think about your day; you expect certain things out of the students for the classroom to work.  Perhaps these expectations are simple such as signing in, getting to work, hanging your backpack, and handing in your homework.  Or perhaps these expectations are ones that have been taught, such as raising your hand, not interrupting, working hard and trying your best.  Whatever your expectations, sometimes there are kids that do not comply.  I once had a student that didn't comply, it was a tough year, everything was a battle.  And yet, it was not because of a refusal to do so, he simply failed in the act of complying.  He had too many demons to battle that there simply was not enough life energy left over to focus on all of my expectations and demands.   So he was, indeed, noncompliant.  


Think about the heaviness that comes with that word, though, when we label our students.  Is it really because they are truly refusing or is it because of failure in communications or expectations?  Perhaps a child becomes noncompliant because we set up perimeters in which they cannot succeed.  Think of the child that fiddles, that child will not perform as expected if we set them up with nothing to fiddle with.  Or the child that learns kinestethically rather than orally; if we continue to just talk rather than do, they might also not conform or do what we expect.


So when you set up your classroom expectations, think about what you are asking every student to do.  Does every rule need to apply to ever student?  How many rules or expectations does there really need to be?  Don't forget about your hidden assumptions that you have to communicate as well.  What in your learning environment can you change to to give the biggest percent of kids a chance to be compliant?  We often assume that students defy us on purpose, rather than figuring out the reason.  And yet, sometimes the real reasons for students behavior may be something we would have never guessed.  Instead of battling later, don't set your room up for battle instead set up your room for freedom so that students may have choices.  Offer them an opportunity to be successful, to be compliant, to want to learn, after all, most ids do really like school.  Let's not take that away from them.

Declutter I say! Or Why Motivational Posters Demotivate

Life is full of choices, so choose carefully! How can anyone love you if you do not love yourself? And my favorite: failure is never an option! All sayings found on various motivational posters sold to teachers that mean well and boy, do they sell. Anyone who has ever been in a teacher store those last couple of weeks before school start will see the poster wheels spinning frantically as the just right poster is sought. Ok, I admit I, I was one of those teachers, however, I thought I was clever and that I had it all figured out. You see, I had edited my pre-packaged collection and therefore only had select few displayed. Thus, my students knew that these were the sayings they had to focus on. I remember one was a cute little frog hanging on to a tree branch and something about sticking with it. Oh, day in and day out that little frog inspired my students to never give up! Right? Well, not exactly. My students didn't care. I am sure they thought they were cute and one or two of them used them for inspiration for their own doodles in their journals but did it ignite their passion for learning? Hardly, in fact, I would like to argue quite the opposite. You see, my students were overloaded with messages. Walk into almost any elementary classroom and you will be bombarded with motivational posters, hand-made posters, student work, rules, classroom jobs and anything else that deserves a special place on the wall. And we don't just tack it to the all, we put up back posters and fancy boarders o that it gets really colorful and pops! In fact, bare walls are taunted and laughed at, seen as someone being unprepared or dare I say dispassionate about their room, their job, their kids!

And so the pressure on new teachers in particular is immense. You may be new but your room should still look inviting, educationally functional and also be a representation of you as a teacher. That last week before my first week of school ever, I was waking up in cold sweat wondering whether the kids would get "me" in the room? And then school happened and I realized little by little that even though I had labored intensely over my handmade sign with the great Shakespeare quote "Do Not be Afraid of Greatness" my students had never read it or noticed it really. How do I know? My principal asked them about it when I was observed the first time. But surely they had noticed all of the signs? Not so much, even if I had pored over each placement of every poster so much that my walls had holes in them from my tearing off the gorilla tape (note to self: don't ever use gorilla tape again.) I had created rules - keep them simple but firm, and a little flexible. Classroom jobs - instill responsibility but make the chart so fun that the kids cannot wait to see what job they will do. And maps - I had maps all over my room. Why maps? Well, I really like maps and they filled all that dreaded empty wall space. I would have continued to cover and decorate had it not been for a pesky thing called the firecode. It stopped me at 20%.

So what changed? One day I realized that it wasn't my room that represented me, but myself that represented me. In fact, I got sick of re-taping posters that kept falling down, or moving them when I actually needed the space for learning and so little by little down they came. The ultimate clean up came when I had to move rooms this year. I sorted, evaluated and donated. Now I chuckle when I see my "old" posters hanging somewhere else. Don't they realize why I got rid of them? I also thought about my students more and how they reacted to the environment I created. Too much of it was about me, and how I wanted the room to be. They didn't feel welcome or that the space was theirs, but merely as guests passing through borrowing the space. Another consideration was that I have students that get over-stimulated quite easily. Being a clutter freak myself I start to get clammy when I stay in these rooms too long so imagine if you are a student trying to focus on whatever is going on on the whiteboard. Where do you look? To the poster telling you to keep focusing or on to the actual board? So is my room bare walls? Nah, but what is up there is important. In fact, the kids have noticed what is posted. Quotes form the Little Prince, from the "I Have a Dream" Speech, and student introductions in Wordles. We have some literary elements as reminders and even a couple of pictures. The students know how obsessed I am with zombies so they draw me pictures of flesh eaters. No rules, no motivational posters, just us. Our space, our room. And most importantly, room to grow into a community. Into making the space our own. They own the room as much as I do and that is more important that sticking to it or never giving up!

If You Have One Hour with a New Teacher...

We've all been there; arms full of papers, books falling out of our bags, and so many questions that we hardly know what to ask - ahh, the plight of being a new teacher.  Or at the very least, a teacher switching schools, or jobs, or grades.  So who do you turn to, where do you find those elusive answers that will make you sleep more easily at night before the big show?  And mostly, which answers do you really need?

Today I had the pleasure of meeting with a great friend from college who just landed her dream job in a 5th grade classroom.  Previously she has taught as an ELL teacher but had the opportunity to switch jobs and switch schools.  Prior to our meeting, I asked my PLN what I should share with her and had some fantastic responses.  So here is what I thought was important.

1. Sign up for Twitter!  If you need to know why, read this post or read the Innovative Educator's fantastic blog on how to use Twitter.
2. Start a classroom blog; Tumblr or Blogspot are just fine - my classroom blog is is well visited by parents and they love how everything is accessible to them.
3. Start a professional blog for your own reflections, this can even be tied in with your PDP and you will be amazed at the thinking you end up doing.
4. Meet with teammates, ask questions but don't forget yourself, after all, you will be teaching your own class and must be able to stand behind what you teach.
5. Think about a morning and afternoon routine, or coming and going routine if you are non-elementary.  I explain and establish this on the 1st day of school and it sets the tone for the rest of the year's expectations.
6. Reflect on your hidden rules of your classroom.  We all have pet peeves, figure your out and then share them with your students!
7. Come up with community building projects.  Although curriculum will need to get started quickly, make sure you have opportunities where the kids are engaged in something creative to establish trust and excitement in your room.
8. Send home an introduction letter to students and parents.  Give them insight into you and your classroom.
9. Don't waste too much time on your hallway bulletin boards.  Spend the time in your classroom instead, setting it up for great learning and collaboration.  Cybraryman has a wonderful webpage with great resources for how to set up your room to boost learning. 
10. Laugh, joke, smile, and most importantly be yourself!  You were hired because you were a great candidate, so go in there and show it.  Curriculum will be taken care of but those first few days set the tone for the year so have fun with it!

I know there are many more important ideas to add, so what would you tell a new teacher they should focus on?  What did I miss?