Guest blogger: Jackie from Third Grade's a Charm

Ok, first of all, it's my birthday. Yes, I know. I am one year older and probably not any wiser. Happy Bird-day to me.

Second of all: school stuff.
You know how some groups of kids are lovely and make you want to go to work, excited with the idea of sharing new things with them? And some groupsof kids are terrifically naughty and make you want to drink copious amounts of adult beverages or hide in bed, pretending to be a blanket. That's the class I had this year: naughties. Some were nice, but most were naughty. So this guest post from Jackie at Third Grade's a Charm is right up my alley!

Hey Guys!  I'm Jackie from Third Grade's a Charm, and I'm so, so happy to be here guest blogging for Chrissy!  I'd love for you to come over and check out my blog, so consider this your personal invitation!

When I started teaching (and even before) I was probably most worried about classroom management.  I'm really a very soft-spoken person, and I wasn't sure how that would translate into a management style.  However, I've been really pleased (and even a little surprised) at how well that aspect of my teaching has gone.  My students' behavior is always one of the things I'm most proud of!  When I taught kindergarten, I saw parents and grandparents daily.  They could see with a glance how their child's day went (behavior wise), and I could easily communicate with them if I had any concerns!

In third grade, it wasn't that way.  We were in a different building, and that principal did not allow parents to come inside to wait for their children and pick them up.  It made ending the day a bit quicker, but it made communicating with parents and families harder.  Pros and cons, right?  So I had to come up with some sort of solution...and that's what I have to tell you about today!

I'm sure you've all seen the behavior clip charts all over the great blogs we follow.  The thing that I love most about the clip chart is that it isn't all about the negative!  Kids have a chance to move up with their good, responsible choices!  Of course there will be days when some of our kiddos make poor choices.  But you can allow them to turn that all around and move back up the chart if they begin making smarter decisions!  My biggest concern with using the clip chart was communicating with the kids' families.  How can I let them know about their child's day?

This was my solution - a behavior bookmark.  The front is printed with a table for the child to record his or her ending color for the day.  There is also a column for daily teacher initials and parent initials.  The back can be printed with a reminder of what each color represents.

A second option for using these bookmarks is to use them as a running record of students' behavior.  On Monday morning, after the parents have seen and initialed the bookmark from the previous week, hole punch the corner.  You can keep the weekly records on a binder ring for each student (or just for those with unique behavior concerns).  This could be useful for parent conferences if you have had ongoing behavior problems with any students.

I was in the market for a new clip chart to go with my new retro theme this year, so I created and uploaded a "Groovy Guys & Gals Behavior Clip Chart"  It has the clip chart signs, parent notes, good choices (and poor choices) notes, an absentee clip holder (to make attendance a little quicker in the morning too) and bookmarks.  So if you're in the market for a new "retro" clip chart head on over to my TN shop or my TPT store!

Thanks again for having me as a guest blogger, Chrissy!  And remember, you're all invited to my blog!  Stop by for a visit (and hopefully you'll stay)! :)

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Guest blogger: Casey from Second Grade Math Maniac

Two days till my birthday, people. Two days. Until then, I'm out out the clear blue sea, sitting by lovely water, drinking tasty drinks with little umbrellas, and using a crowbar to pry my hunnybun out of our cabin and away from the TV.

Unless you have seen otherwise on the news. Keep in mind, I scheduled these posts in advance, and it is entirely possible that, at this point, I am being held hostage by pirates, gallantly fencing them with a ruler with one hand, and holding a paper bag for my hunny to hyperventilate into with the other. Or I could be bobbing along on a small orange floatie in the middle of big blue ocean, signaling for passing planes with my hand mirror. You may know things about me now that I didn't know then.

Given that I'm potentially experiencing these high levels of trauma, I am incredibly thankful for Casey at Second Grade Math Maniac. She's written an awesome (and fun) post  that is sure to be useful to you with your new naughties next year.



Hi all! This is Casey from Second Grade Math Maniac! Thanks Chrissy for letting me guest post today! :) 

Do you ever feel like this?:

You were supposed to imagine that you were the teacher in this scenario. I know that this is how my students feel some days. Well, before I worked as a teacher I worked for this amazing organization:

Let me just say that almost EVERYTHING I know about classroom management I learned from the Y. It was an AWESOME experience and something that I would HIGHLY recommend for a teen who may want to become a teacher one day. 

One thing I learned from the Y that I use on a DAILY basis are "Attention Getters". These are cute call and response phrases that let the students know you are about to say something important.

I use them both during instructional AND non-instructional blocks. They save me a lot of time and help my classroom have an atmosphere that encourages fun. I have used these phrases with kids ages 4 - 12 and they are effective with ALL age groups.

These work better for me than Give Me 5, 1,2,3 Eyes on Me, Class . . . Yes, or any other tactic I have tried. You have to use something that the kids WANT to respond to. 

Every kid wants to shout out Noodle Soup, and that's the truth.

Happy Blogging. :)