Over the past few years, I have struggled and struggled with my students on their innate desire to stand up at the end of class. I would make an almost daily reminder that they need to stay in their seats until the bell rings. I would get frustrated that just as it seemed that the procedure would […]

There are times throughout the year when it seems like your classes just aren’t going right. You are working hard on your lessons, thinking of engaging applications, and even trying to add ch…

This blog post is more of a description of how Trello helps me manage my life. What My Life Looks Like For those of you who might be kinda new here, I have four kids. They are 8, 6, 4, and 2 years old. My husband Brian and I homeschool the first three (Emmett just […]

I have been looking everywhere for a simple progress report that I could fill out for one of my schools this year (since I am working at three!!), and I am slightly overwhelmed with all of the progress reports that I have to write at the end of the year. This is a basic reading progress report tha...

On A Peach for the Teach on Facebook, I invited people to ask their most challenging behavior questions. We got some great questions, each of which really tied together. Dona asked, I have a student that comes to me from second grade (I teach 1st) for my entire reading block, who likes to shout out talk back and just shuts down when you ask him to do something. He then treats his 2nd teacher with severe disrespect when he goes back to class. Rebecca asked, I have a class of 25 this year. 1 student is below K level (I teach 1st grade), 2 are identified as ADHD, we are working towards another student getting identified as ADHD, and I have 2 students who have really disrespectful attitudes. I have tried talking with parents, I have changed their seating, I have tried encouraging them and pointing out the positive......nothing seems to be working. Ideas? Lindsay asked, I need motivation tips for kids who can do the work but basically refuse to... These are such common issues that teachers face daily. I think they all tie together and have similar interventions, which led me to write this blog post-- How to Help Calling Out and "Class Clown" Behavior. "If you put a kid in the position of choosing between looking bad or looking dumb, he will choose to look bad." - Rick Lavoie, Motivation Breakthrough When a student is performing at a level lower than his peers, he is often aware of that. That could be part of the reason for the acting out. Maybe the child is embarrassed and would rather be seen as a class clown than struggling. It allows the child a sense of control over a situation where he would otherwise feel out of control. Try giving him some control in a positive way. To intervene, start with an informal play meeting. Meet with the student individually when he is calm, to play a preferred, non-academic game at the beginning or end of the day. He may be more likely to open up honestly in that type of setting through informal conversations (e.g., favorite TV shows, games, etc.). Casually ask what he likes and doesn't like about school, and "admit" to him that you always had a hard time with [insert his least preferred subject]. Try not to make it obvious that this is the whole point of your conversation. He might give you some insight into what's causing this. It's also great for establishing rapport, which will help you to get the student on your side. Give him some sort of task with which he can be successful, and give him positive attention for completing it. Avoid patronizing him or making it obviously at a level lower than the other students. Instead, try non-academic leadership positions, like a class helper, teacher's assistant, etc. Maybe give him the opportunity to call on students with questions. "Class, today we are going to try something new." Next, set limits. Start by telling the whole class that today we are going to try something new. Starting today, the teacher will no longer answer any calling out. Explain that we need to practice raising our hands and not calling out. Demonstrate, practice, and ask for volunteers to show you what hand raising looks like. Establish a non-verbal cue (e.g., a cue card with an image of a hand, or simply hold up your hand), and completely ignore calling out. Instruct the class to also ignore calling out. Have students practice calling out while you ignore it. Explain why you're doing this, so the student knows it's not just him being ignored. Ignore the behavior, not the child. You might want to give one verbal cue, such as, "I'd be happy to answer you when you raise your hand." This is your new procedure that will happen every single time a student calls out. You could still say it in a positive tone of voice, but it's all you will say. Give a Little, Get a Little Use positive language to elicit positive language. If a student is using disrespectful language, being threatening will teach the child to talk back with threatening language. Think about your reaction when somebody confronts you with doing something wrong. You initially feel a little attacked, so you want to react. Give the student the opportunity to save face. For example, instead of, "How dare you speak to me that way?" try a, "Whoops, that sounded disrespectful. I know you could ask me using nicer words," and only respond when he uses nicer words. If he doesn't, say, "I'll be over here when you're ready to use nice words to ask me." Dodge the Power Struggle To nip disrespect in the bud, we need to avoid power struggles-- even when a student questions what we're doing. That's the part that really tricks even the most skilled behavior interventionists. We want students to believe in, trust, and respect us. When they question what we're doing, we want to tell them. Please don't. You don't need to justify yourself in this moment. You may be skilled with planned ignoring, but when the child asks, "Why are you ignoring me?" it's too tempting to reply with an explanation, but resist the urge. If you planned and practiced this procedure previously, the child already knows why you're ignoring him. He may try to get you to give him anything other than the ignoring. Stick to the ignoring, and he will eventually try using nice words to get you to reply. It may also be helpful to teach a lesson on the words "disrespect" vs. "respect." Teach the meaning, and explain situations and words that are unacceptable. Teach this with empathy, and practice it. If the child uses negative language in class, prompt with a, "Please use your nice words if you need me to respond to you." Completely ignore anything else. I know that using a firm prompt followed by planned ignoring sometimes feels like you aren't doing anything to stop the behavior, but that's the best thing about it-- doing "nothing" stops the behavior. It completely eliminates the power struggle and argument. The child will be forced to use kind words to get any type of reaction out of you and to gain access to his wants/needs. This also works with whining. I told my little ones that my ears can no longer hear whining, and they all stopped whining. Now if only I could use planned ignoring on messes to make my kitchen clean itself! Words of Caution Sometimes when implementing planned ignoring, the child may initially test the limits and engage in more attention-seeking behavior. This is typical and should pass when he sees that he won't get a reaction. I got a comment on this post that really made me think and add another word of caution about this strategy-- exercise caution when using this for students with bonding and/or attachment needs. We certainly do not want to intensify feelings of abandonment, and we want to be sure that we are responding to their needs. It is vitally important to make sure that we are ignoring the behavior, not the child. Give the child plenty of positive attention for positive behavior. Make giving positive attention during appropriate behavior part of your behavior protocol for this child. When the negative behavior ends and the child begins acting positively, give positive attention. No need for a lecture at that moment. After the Procedure is Learned Once you are sure that the student understands how he will appropriately gain access to wants/needs, you can begin to address the calling out caused by impulsivity and habit. Make a T-chart, and write the positive behavior on the left and negative on the right (e.g., "Called Out" and "Raised My Hand"). Instruct the student to tally when he does each. This alone is often enough to curb the negative behavior. Other times with more severe behavior, it helps if tallies are tied to reinforcement. For example, the student can earn [something preferred] if he has more positive than negative tallies at the end of each block. You could also set goals based on baselines. For example, if the student reduces his calling out by ___% or does not exceed ___% incidents of calling out, he can earn [something preferred]. Class Dojo is another fun way to track this! The teacher can track the behaviors throughout the day, or the students can self-monitor behaviors on their T-Charts and plug them into the Dojo at the end of the day. Establish a procedure that students must earn more green (i.e., "positive") than red (i.e., "needs work"), or a certain percentage of green, in order to earn a reinforcer, positive note home, etc. Another helpful strategy is bonus free time. It's often harder for a student with ADHD and/or behavior needs to attend to instruction for a given length of time, so plan three breaks in the day. I call them "five minute free time" to play with something fun, and I end each of my subjects with it. It gives me five minutes to clean up or correct work, and it gives the students five minutes to regroup. If you're strapped for time, you could have students complete exit tickets, assessments, etc., and give the student with ADHD the special free time. It also gives him something to word toward, as he has to earn the free time. If a student engages in negative behavior or work refusal, I ask if he is earning his free time or if he is to make up his work during free time. Never underestimate the power of a question instead of a demand. A simple, "Are you earning your free time?" is often enough to set the behavior back on track. An additional motivational tool is a task chart where students rank their tasks by preference. They earn little reinforcement for easy/preferred tasks and high reinforcement for non-preferred tasks. You can download that chart for free here. What are some ideas you use in your classroom to help calling out and "class clown" behavior? Do you have any questions about behavior challenges? Please share in the comments below! A Peach for the Teach

The day I was diagnosed with scoliosis my life changed forever. At 14, I thought it was the end of the world. So, what would I tell my 14 year old self now?

Tutorial for creating an accordion timeline that folds flat. Video and written instructions.

This blog post lists ten must-dos for the first day of school! I want to share some actions you may know (or may not know) to ensure you have a great first

This fun end-of-year ESL activity is perfect as a reflection tool for all elementary grades and includes a template to create a lap book!

Not that I'm counting down or anything, but I have 10 teaching days left with my wonderful second graders. I mean that sincerely. This has been a terrific teaching year. I switched grade levels and kept many of the kids I had from first grade. Part of me was thinking it was going to be a long, difficult year because I had many of the same students. In reality, it has been a pleasure. I have completely enjoyed watching their progression this school year. I remember their first day of first grade and many of them weren't even reading. Now at the end of second grade, I have a smile from ear to ear because of how hard they have worked and how much growth they have shown. I wanted to do something special for this group of kids to culminate our last two years together. I came across this amazing idea from Jessica at The Polka Dotted Teacher a few weeks ago. I made these wonderful word clouds about each student. I gave each student the following form with the name of each student in our class. I asked them to think of just one word to describe each student in our class. We have spent a tremendous amount of time learning how to use the dictionary and thesaurus this year. So I wanted the kids to use those skills to come up with some meaningful words about one another. The words could only be positive and they could only use the same word twice on their sheet. It was really wonderful to see the words they chose for one another. Some of the funniest words were the ones they chose for themselves. This was the first time I have ever made a word cloud. I used Tagul.com and found it really easy to use. I can't wait to give them to my students next week and see the smiles on their faces.

If you can't take one more day of dismissal chaos, a closing circle is the solution. Like morning meeting, this let's you focus on what's important before you part ways.

Have you settled in for a luxurious savasana and had your teacher read a life-changing quote aloud? Has a poem or short story left you elated, inspired, and more connected to your true self? In this blog post, I reveal some of my favorite quotes to end a

This fun sunglasses craft is perfect for the end of the school year or the beginning of the year! The sunglasses template paired with all of these wri

My top strength is Competition. I love pushing myself to try new things, build new habits and improve my life. 30-day challenges speak to my soul! They’re a great way to try something new for a month. At the end of the challenge, if you like it, you can keep going on your own! If you don’t, you can

Back to school activities for middle or high school classrooms. These engaging activities will build relationships and community from the first day of school.

For beginners who want to be able to do a front and middle split, here is an extensive guide for you! I go over exactly what you need to do to do a split.

Horchata is a delicious Latin American beverage that is perfect with Mexican food or as a refreshing treat when you want something special.

 What a CRAZY week and weekend!!! We are finished with our state testing and school fair. Yahoo!!! This past week consisted of finishing up state testing, teaching students a dance for the fair performance, painting a picture for the fair silent auction, (see picture below), making over 50 candy apples for the sweets booth, and practicing for the teacher fair performance! Yes, I am one of 11 teachers who actually dances in front of the parents and students at the fair!!! I think the best part of dancing would be attending all practices after school!!!  enjoying the fair candy apples for the sweet booth silent auction: each student painted a different picture on the canvas End-of-the-Year Linky Party With state testing & the fair behind me, I can start preparing for the end of the year. I am linking up with Clutter-Free Classroom and sharing my end-of-the-year ideas. I can't believe May is right around the corner!! Where did the school year go? I still need to put together portfolios and make a power point presentation. I love making a power point from all of the pictures I take during the school year. I must admit that it takes over a week to construct because I always find a way to mess up something! It never fails that every year I make some kind of mistake!!! For the portfolios, I save the students' work all year and use sheet protectors in binders. I like to put the work in order from the first to last day for the parents. I put all work in sheet protectors. The parents appreciate the organization of the work so much because it saves them the time of doing it over the summer. Also, students complete a summer writing activity. This writing activity is my favorite one of the year. The creativity that flows from the students' brains is amazing! Students are asked to write about a summer trip they have taken already or plan on taking. After editing the rough draft, students write the final copy of the essay on sunglasses. Students glue glasses on large white construction paper and draw a picture around the glasses. I was amazed the first time I did this with my class. I did not instruct them to draw a person. The end results were more than I imagined! summer writing summer writing end-of-the-year presentation set up Click (HERE) to grab your sunglasses template. What a post! Please check out Clutter-Free Classroom Project and join the End-of-the-Year Linky Party! With much appreciation,

I wrapped up my 22nd year of teaching on Friday! YIPPEE!!!!!!! The children are the #1 reason I teach and summer break is the #2 reason. Although I have ten weeks off, I changed classrooms, and will be spending a lot of time in my new room this summer. This blog post is all about ... Read More about Surviving the End of the Year

Use this template to remember what students looked like at the start of the school year and at the end of the school year. This resource downloads as an editable PowerPoint so the year can be changed.

Genius ideas that make these last days manageable and fun.

Warning: This article includes discussions of sexual assault.

These FREE Learn My Name & Address Printables is perfect for helping preschool and kindergarten age kids to learn their name and address.

Looking to explore London a bit deeper? Get off the beaten path and discover the hidden gems around Spitalfields and Brick Lane in the East end. Find out more!

One of my favorite end-of-the-year activities I’ve ever done with my students is an end-of-the-year letter to themselves. I did this one year that I had

Find short stories difficult to teach? Here are five of my favourites that your students will love to analyze. A free lesson plan will be available, too!

Mexican loteria cards embroidery designs! Iron on embroidery patterns from the embroidery library of Jenny Hart.

Right before the break I had my first grade kids do a number spree. I am very happy to report that we did VERY well, but some of us got snagged up on that little fellow number 110.

A wonderfully cute end of the year memory book for grades pre-k-4th grade! Capture all of your students' learning and growth in this fun and engaging pack! It includes everything you need to wrap up your memorable year! Most every page comes in both color and black and white. Contents include: Cover page (color and black and white), title page (color and black and white), my teacher page (color and black and white), class photo page (color and black and white), class list (color and black and white), friends (color and black and white), my favorites page (color and black and white), field-trips (color and black and white), when I grow up (color and black and white), smarty pants (color and black and white), what I will miss about ___ grade (black and white only), autographs (color and black and white), a note from your teacher (color and black and white), and the best thing about ____ grade (color and black and white). You can get your copy HERE!

How did summer fly by so quickly?! I can't believe we are in September already! To kick off the end of summer, my partner and I took a road trip to Montreal from Toronto to

This pack is full of resources to help your students learn more about areas of interest whether they be in the paleozoic, mesozoic or cenezoic.   For each era there is -A set of cloze reading texts: Students fill in the gaps to complete the text. This is an excellent reading comprehension activity -A set of sorting activities; students read and work out features of different geological periods, the end up with a giant grid which gives a great overview of the era and is perfect for students who like to see the big picture. -A set of research projects. I've included a text for each period broken up into easily identified categories. Two options for research are given.   I've also included my Early Life Coloring sheets.   See the individual resources here:  Paleozoic Sorting Paleozoic Research Paleozoic Cloze   Mesozoic Sorting Mesozoic Research Mesozoic Cloze   Cenozoic Sorting Cenozoic Research Cenozoic Cloze    Early Life Coloring sheets   Why not check out the Cosmic Bundle? It has resources to help related to each Great Story   PDF - this is a downloadable resource   You can see all my money saving bundles for a variety of topics here.