Management Monday: Beginning the Year

The first 6 weeks of school are, in this teacher's opinion, the most important. This is when I set up the routines and classroom procedures that will guide us through the rest of the year. It is more important to be consistent now than any other time. You will thank yourself later for having come up with very specific ways of performing tasks and ensuring students learn these procedures. Let's start with the most simple one - entering school in the morning.

There is so much to be done first thing in the morning. I have a very important rule that MUST always be followed though - I ask parents not to come into the classroom first thing in the morning. This is a time of routine and quiet work and having even one parent stop in for a spontaneous conference is very distracting to the day's routines.

First, student must hang up their backpacks on their hooks outside of the classroom. For the first week of school, I stand in the doorway to remind students what they need to do in the hallway before crossing the threshold. I don't allow book bags in the classroom because they are big and awkward and are a major tripping hazard.

Before entering the classroom, students need to empty their things out of their backpacks and carry their items into the room. Immediately, they put their items away and get to work on their morning math and grammar.

It is important not to introduce too many new routines on the first day. Stick to the most basic and/or important on the first day of school. After a few days, introduce another few. Also, try very hard not to have too many intricate details within each routine. The basic parts are important to hit, you can always add more specific tasks in later.

Great book! This will give you some great management strategies for the beginning of school. Especially helpful for  first-year teacher.

I Go By ...

One of the biggest organizational problems I have had is the chaos of the end of the day. In those last 15 minutes we try to squeeze in so much and I kept feeling like things were falling through the cracks. Then there was the inevitable - "oh Mrs. Fornero, I am taking the bus today!" "Oh ya, I am going on a playdate at G's house!" "My grandmother is picking me up, I have a dentist appointment!"

In order to ensure I knew ahead of time where everyone was going that afternoon, I made it their job and part of their morning routine to tell me. But let's face it - 22 kids telling you how they are getting home that afternoon? I might remember 2. So I created this "I Go By..." board.

I used sentence strips to write the different options, then put little pieces of velcro next to the option. Each of their names were put on a strip with velcro on the back and each morning they put their name next to their transportation method.

The options were - Bus, walk, car, playdate, or after-school program. Underneath the board (not shown) was a basket where students could drop notes to me from their parents. If a student was doing something out of their normal routine, we needed a note to allow it.

I hope this helps with some organization :-)

Classroom Management

Hey Everyone - Happy Monday!

So I hate Mondays. HATE Mondays. I have the hardest time getting out of bed on a Monday morning, no matter what time I go to bed on Sunday night. I feel like I need to get one more thing in. Last night, for example, I put my two cherubs to bed and got to work labeling all the bins in the toy closet. Some scrapbook paper, self-adhesive letters, some modge podge and voila! A very organized toy closet. Photos to come!

I thought I would also squeeze in a blog post about my classroom management system. I got the idea from a professor in my Master's program at American International College. He is also a 4th grade teacher and uses these as a positive reinforcement tool. I use them a bit differently and they can be adapted to any classroom. I call these bills "Fornero Dinero." Whenever I catch a student doing something right - sitting or reading quietly, getting ready, working efficiently, lining up quietly, etc. I simply slip one in their hand. I don't draw attention to it - but it certainly garners attention. It catches on so quickly!

One time, the students were lining up to go to Music and they were very loud in line. I looked around for one student standing quietly and patiently. I spotted her and handed her a Fornero Dinero. As soon as I did - like a ripple effect, each student began quieting down. I never had to raise my voice or even speak. And without words, they all got in a straight, quiet line and we headed to Music.

How Does It Work?

Once a week we do a "drawing." I usually do it on Friday afternoons, right before Fun Friday (choice) time. As students collect Fornero Dinero throughout the week, they write their names on the back. On Fridays, I collect them back and put them all in a bin and draw one or two and the winner gets a prize.

My prizes are: a homework pass, choose an item from the "treasure chest," lunch with the teacher, or teacher for a day (student teaches a lesson).

I also use this opportunity to teach about probability - reminding them that the more Fornero Dinero they put into the drawing, their chances of winning are much better. Before each drawing, I randomly pick a student and ask how many bills he or she entered into the drawing, then I tell the class how many are in the bin then ask what is the probability of this student winning?

Then we put it up on the board - 8 out of 40 = 1/5 or 20% chance of winning. I do this for each student and find out who has the best chance of winning.


I got the idea from the professor I mentioned before - his last name was Bateman so he called the bills "Bateman Bucks." Find a name for money that rhymes or has alliteration with your name and it makes it more fun!

Not legal tender!