Classroom Management....Your Ideas!!

[Heather C.]

Hi Teachers,
I know most of you are winding down your school year or have finished, but I am working on the back to school (believe it or not) issue of my teacher newsletter, Pencil Points, which will come out in August.
We want the focus of the first issue to be centered around classroom management. I would like to hear about strategies, programs, innovations you've used in your classroom. Your responses will be included in our first issue. If you would like to respond, please tell me your name, where you are from and what grade level and/or specialty area you teach.

Thanks,
Heather

[WA57]

In many of the kindergarten classrooms I work in we use the "Green Card/ Red Card" system. On a poster board we have library pockets and each student's name on it, and in each pocket we put a green, yellow and red card. Each day they start out on a green. If they need a warning their card goes to yellow. They then have to talk to one of us before recess or free choice time. If they change their behavior then they can go back to a green card or if they don't, it goes to a red card. Depending on the school, and the severity, the consequences range from missing recess, calling home, talk to the principal or go home.
We also have "Super Kid" cards that are blue and the kids earn these for super behaviors. So the positive is being stressed also.
One teacher also put blue, green, yellow and red dots on a 5x7 card and put these in the pockets.