positive tips

What is Your One Little Word?

by Lisa Dabbs on January 16, 2012

 

Create!

When I was a classroom teacher it was so easy to get pulled in so many directions and get caught up in so many projects. I was always volunteering to be on this committee and to chair that important group, that it was easy to get lost to what really mattered: teaching my students. Has that ever happened to you?

Part of that comes from the fact that I’m inherently a high energy person, sometimes driven to distraction! No…really I am. And part of that comes from the fact that I’m constantly looking to re-invent myself, and my work, because, deep down inside, I’m a creative person. You’d probably not really think that about me, if you met me. I don’t have a funky style of  dress, I don’t know how to paint, draw, or make amazing hand-made creations that I can sell on Etsy. But are those things what really defines a person as creative?

One Little Word. An Idea that Sparked a Resolution.

January is a time of new beginnings.  At least it always has been for me.  In this time, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how to harness this energy that I have, to be focused in the work that I do, and I came upon this project.

This One Little Word project got me thinking that if I could make a commitment to pick a word for the year that defined my work, it would support me to stay focused on the things that matter in my work. It would guide me to concentrate and grow, instead of being all over the map. It would also help me to support others to do the same.

The more I thought about what my word would be and all the words that educators might pick to describe their work such as organized, professional, structured…the more I thought that those words didn’t work. I wanted to choose a word that would inspire me, lift me up and make me smile every time I thought about it.

So I thought about all the projects and people I’ve known in my career as a teacher and a principal. I thought about what I remembered that defined those projects and people that I really enjoyed and admired. What was the essence of those experiences? Then it hit me: Creative.

I began to reflect on those opportunities that I had to do creative projects and be around creative people. I remembered that those were the times that I was the most successful, content, and happy.  The project might have been to create something seemingly mundane like design a new schedule, rubric, report card or workshop. But during those times, working with those creative teachers, I was truly challenged to create something new from something old, and I loved it! I was inspired to work with others, hear their perspectives and see the project come to life.

I want to wake-up every morning knowing that I have a new opportunity to CREATE. Maybe it’s a blog post, a new chapter in my book or a photograph. Maybe it’s a workshop, a journal entry or my new goal: an e-course for educators. Whatever it is, I want to hold that word close to my heart and be a “ripple in the pond” for other educators.

In my work, I never want to be the kind of educator who grows stagnant and stops learning. I want to consistently push myself now (as a consultant), just as I did as a teacher, to think big thoughts for myself, have big dreams and

Create!

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So will you join me? Will you take this time to re-focus your work for 2012? Come back to the thing that really resonates for you?

Will you choose One Little Word? Mine is CREATE. What’s yours?

~Lisa is an Educational Consultant and blogs at Teaching with Soul.
Photo:Sarah Parrott CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
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Card-O-Matic {Tip for Encouraging Class Participation}

by Laura Parker on November 3, 2011

Need a positive, easy way to get students to participate in class? Watch this one minute explanation from TeachingChannel.org called the Card-o-Matic for a simple tool to engage all the students in your classroom {subscribers will need to click through to the site to view following video}:


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How about you? How do you POSITIVELY motivate students to participate in class activities?

Want More? Check out our list of favorite classroom management tips here.

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Top Ten Classroom Management Ideas and Resources

by Laura Parker on October 18, 2011

Classroom Management. Whether you are looking to control a rowdy class, capture the heart of a disrespectful student, or encourage kids to turn in their homework on time, effective classroom management is an ever-moving target. Class personalities, student ages, season of the year, the presence of that one student {yes, you know the one}, can sometimes have even experienced teachers searching for new ideas. If that happens to be you, I hope the following list of resources and ideas will be helpful. I’ve spent quite a bit of time researching, and these are some of the best ideas I’ve seen on the web.  You know, for those few moments when your class doesn’t look quite like this:

{Some of} The Best Classroom Management Resources and Ideas

1. Laura Candler’s Classroom Management Strategies Resource Page. {If you click one link, go here for a quick overview of ideas and a gajillion free resources. Laura Candler has a host of practical ideas and resources for teachers of any level. Free printables, charts, tips, techniques. Really, you’ll learn something new.}

2. Behavior Plans and Charts. {Over at The Cornerstone for Teachers, this resource includes several practical ideas for instilling positive behavior in the whole class, as well as detailed instructions– including a how-to video– of how to create an individual behavior plan.}

3. World’s Easiest Token System. {Detailed instructions on how to create and maintain a token system for behavior that has literally won awards. Again, over at TheCornerStoneforTeachers.com. Excellent idea! You can also check out her suggestions for making class rules– another informative post.}

4. Classroom Management Ideas for Elementary Students. {This helpful list has about 30 simple, practical ideas for classroom management for students ages 5 to 11.}

5.50 Behavior Management Strategies, Relationally-Speaking. {This compilation of 50 ideas was compiled by a group of teachers and can be used for students of all ages, particularly middle and high school students. Many of the ideas focus on practical ways to build relationships with the kids in your classroom.}

6. Classroom Management Ideas for Young Children. {Another list of simple behavior management ideas for elementary students.}

7. Getting Class Control, Elementary Aged. {Seven simple ideas to control talking and get the group’s attention. Ideas include using a “talk thing,” “do the wave,” and “high-fives.” Super practical and effective with the preschoolers I’ve helped teach!}

8.  How to Keep Kids Busy When They Finish Work Early. {If you haven’t already spent time at TeachingBlogAddict, then you really must. This practical idea for occupying students during class time was first posted by Hadar at the adorable blog Miss Kindergarten. It’s called the “I’m Done Jar.” Awesome idea you could tweak for any age!}

9.  True Story of a Troubled Kid Turned Model Student. {This is an encouraging story about a high school student who was disturbing her classroom daily, including name-calling and knocking over desks. See how this teacher practically turned Trouble into Success through fostering a RELATIONSHIP with the young man.}

10. A Simple Way to Get Parents Involved in a Positive Behavior Plan. {Kathy over at the blog First Grade a la carte, posted a great idea of asking parents to sign up in the beginning of the year to bring in weekly prizes for those students who had good behavior and completed homework. This particular system works best for elementary students, but the idea of having parents provide the classroom rewards works for any age — and gets you out of spending money at The Dollar Store!}

If you need to peruse free and inexpensive printable resources and e-books, you can always search the teacher-created products over at the site TeachersPayTeachers– always an excellent resource. You can specifically find their listings under Classroom Management here.

* photo credit

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