Wednesday's Weekly Wisdom

Well it is that time again!  Time for the Weekly Wisdom from your Teamed Up Teachers!  This week we are talking about everyone's favorite topic....Classroom Behavior Management and the Rewards (or Consequences) that go with it.

Since our students swap classes, we knew that we had to have a system that could "travel."  So, we first looked at portable devices that traveled with the class.  The information had to be clear and detailed to support our consequences when it came time for those dreaded parent conferences.  Yet, it also had to be quick to look at since we have SO MUCH free time when we change classes.  

So, we chose to use a clipboard with a check list for students.  Each student is listed down one side of a chart with the days of the week across the top.  When a student does not conform to our wants (or needs), then they receive a check.  This is our system for tracking checks:

1- Loss of half recess 
2- Loss of whole recess
3 - Loss of recess plus Fun Friday
4 - Loss of recess for the week and parent contact
5 - office referral

Now this system has not always worked.  We have tweaked and worried and lost sleep over these consequences.  We have started with 1 as a warning.  We have made them lose more/less recess.  But...this is what is currently working with this group of kids.

Disclaimer: Fun Friday is a time on Friday (duh!) after all tests and assignments for the week are complete, then you may have free time in the classroom.  We are lucky enough to each have a cart of iPods that the students may use (we do also use them for educational use...but that will be another post!) or we have games, puzzles, etc. that the students have access to.  

Now before all you "health fanatics" start blowing up our page with comments about taking away a child's recess away, they still have physical activity.  Just not free play at recess.  We are lucky enough to have a paved sidewalk around two of the areas on our playground.  These sidewalks make perfect pathways for students to walk around during their lost recess.  

Now on to the better side... REWARDS!!!

The students in our class earn stamps for good behaviors.  We both have a monogrammed stamp (so those sneaky kids can't copy it unless they want to pay the $14.95 for a stamp as well!).  Each day that they do not have any checks, they earn one stamp.  They also earn stamps for various other good things they did (returning signed papers, being polite to others, 100's on major tests...you get the point).  On Fridays, they are able to spend these stamps in our STAMP STORE.  We have everything from 2 stamps is a piece of candy to 5-10 stamps for bigger prizes (but not too big since we are not made of money and we usually end up having to pay for these prizes!).  

Stamps can also be spent through the week in emergencies for pencils or other necessities.  

So, what do you do in your classroom for behavior?  What kind of rewards do you use?  Have you found some good rewards that don't break the bank?  

Leave us some love and comments please!

Whitney and Brenda