Groovy Educator

Check out mycutegraphics.com ! I want every child to have a sense of ownership in my classroom. It is important for the children to develop a sense of responsibility.  The way to do that is to give them opportunities to be responsible. I assign classroom jobs.  There are weekly jobs that rotate so that every child is able to practice that skill.  There are jobs that are earned and there are permanent jobs that are chosen.  There are also jobs that change periodically. The weekly jobs that rotate consist of: door holde r-self explanatory equipment person -carries out the playground equipment and accounts for all the pieces lights person- self explanatory teacher assistant -This student is my go-to helper.  He/she passes out papers, puts mail in the mailboxes, stamps papers, takes notes up to the office, or any other job that pops up. classroom inspector- He/she is in charge of checking to see if chairs are pushed in, desks are clean, are...

Even though we are busy, busy, busy teaching the curriculum, it is very important to help the children develop listening skills.  Being a good listener is a life skill.  Many children these days have difficulty focusing and attending.  Everyday I do many short activities to augment these skills.  Being able to focus is an essential attribute of a good listener. My theory is that if children can focus intensely on technology (e.g computer game, X-Box, etc.),  they have the capacity to focus on other things (e.g. people). With that said, this is what I do... I never assume a child knows HOW to listen.  During circle time, I explicitly go over what a good listener looks like what a good listener does .  We role play and practice at the beginning of the year. I read Listen Buddy by Helen Lester .  This book really helps in explaining WHY it is important to listen.  We make a chart listing other reasons why it is important to listen....

        

             

  Hurricane Isabel (Image from http://pdphoto.org/PictureDetail.php?mat=&pg=7963 ) It's that time of year again... The peak of hurricane season.  Right now it is a wait and see about Tropical Storm Issac.  We fall in the cone of uncertainty.  With that said, here is what I do to prepare at school. Bins! Bins! Bins!  Hurricane Ivan was the first hurricane I experienced and it was a doozy!  Looking back, I now realize that must be where my obsession with bins and plastic originated. I keep my centers, math supplies, reading supplies, school supplies, etc.. in plastic bins.  Okay Just about EVERYTHING is in a bin when it is not being used. On Friday our principal came over the intercom and instructed personnel to cover all the electrical equipment with plastic.  I use the dollar plastic table cloths at Walmart to cover my computers.  The T.V., projector, and document camera are covered with plastic trash bags.  I lock the ...