My students come in every day raring and ready to go! Our day always begins with several hugs and exciting news that they have to share with me. The greatest gift in the world is to be surrounded by children who love you despite your flaws, can't wait to see you every day, and think you hung the moon!
Most of my students come from high-poverty homes, and many don't have Internet access at home.
It is not uncommon for students to go to second grade on a first-grade level. Because of this, it seems that we are playing catchup for most of the year.
Luckily, I teach in a great school where teachers share resources and do whatever it takes to help students achieve success. Although many of my students face various challenges, including broken homes, being raised by grandparents, and living in poverty, they are motivated learners.
My Project
Controlling a classroom full of 8-year-olds while ensuring that learning is taking place is no easy feat. This year will be especially trying once we add social distancing to the mix! To make things a bit easier, I use a positive behavior system with tickets.
Students have been rewarded tickets for being responsible, following directions, being kind to their classmates, and making good decisions.
The students can also lose tickets for making poor choices in the classroom.
Throughout the week, students save their tickets in their school box. Every other Friday, I allow the students to shop at our classroom store. They can either spend their hard-earned tickets on the lower priced items or save them for, the higher priced items. I love that there is a much bigger economic life lesson hidden inside this system! Some students have never had the opportunity to earn money and choose what to spend it on. We all know that students are motivated by extrinsic rewards.
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