Over the past few years, I've fallen into a pretty consistent routine each morning I enter my classroom. I leave to head home when I dismiss my students because I have two little ones waiting for me, so all of my prep work takes place before my students arrive in the morning.
Here's a quick peek into what I do every morning before my students arrive:
This is my first stop. It's facing my door as you walk in. I usually plunk down all of my papers: mail, attendance, copies, letters for the kids, bulletins and {MOST IMPORTANT!} my coffee. I will definitely forget that I put my coffee down here and waste time looking for it later! I keep my lesson plans here, so I always stop to remind myself what's on tap for the day.
I spend a few minutes writing up my daily objectives to hang up on the "flow of the day" chart. I like the wipe off sentence strips. Seems like the most "green" option. I also fix the daily schedule.
My next stop is the behavior chart (from Teaching with a Touch of Twang). Anyone who ended the day on level 4 gets a sticker on their clippy. Five stickers gets the student a new color :-) I leave the clippies on their desks so they can see the new sticker and put their clips on level 3. Anyone who ended the day below level 3 will also find their clips on their desk as a little reminder that everyday is a new chance to start over and make better choices!
Just above the clip chart is the homework board. I change the words and numbers for the writing and math homework and add any reminders for parents.
My last stop is the copy machine for any last minute copies or a stop in my teammates rooms for a quick chat before the bell.
What do you do before your students come in for the morning?
Hey! Quick question, I read that all of your walls are magnetic. How did this come to be?
ReplyDeleteThanks so much
My school was built as an open concept school. I guess that was an ed trend in the 70s? At some point later, they decided to add walls and they added these fairly flimsy, but magnetic walls!
ReplyDeleteSarah