Tips and Tricks

I am not sure where to begin with today's topic "Tips and Tricks".  I am a bit OCD on certain things with my personal life as well as my classroom. 

Tips
#1  Be organized:  you never know when someone important will come to visit your room and ask you so share data or other things to prove what you are doing in your class.  So if you are organized and know where things are it will impress them and you won't feel embarrassed either.  I have folders for everything from my student data, portfolios, committees I run or am on.  I also organize my lesson plans into a folder on my computer as well as have a printed copy.  Materials are organized in my room as well.

This is where I keep all my folders.  The bottom two shelves are my folders with all my themes.  I write on the outside what theme it is.  Inside you will find all you need for that theme including ideas, print outs, art work etc.  The top shelf has all my individual committees, data folder, contact logs, PLCs, PBIS folders.  The shelf below that are all my resource books.  I also place my emergency bag in this location for easy access.

#2  Communication

Communication is key.  Creating a relationship with your parents will help you be able to talk with them about the hard things that come up.  Getting to know them and their child the best you can.  There were times I didn't want to talk to a parent cause I was scared how they would react about me talking to them about their child's behavior.  But over the years I have learned I have to be able to communicate with them so that the child has success plus they are the child's first teacher and they may know something that can help me out as well as me being able to tell them what they can do at home.

Tricks

#1  Teaching Pre-K students how to use glue.

I introduce glue to my students in small doses.  I place glue on a paper plate and then have the students use Q-Tips to dip into the glue from the plate to place onto their item they are gluing.  Talking to them about using small dots.

#2 Velcro

Velcro is your friend.

I placed Velcro on the backs of the ladybugs, flowers, and bees.  This allows me to move these items with ease.  The flowers are their jobs and I move those to the right on Fridays so they are ready for their new jobs on Mondays.  The bees are where I write my agenda, so I take those down to be able to write on them easier.  The ladybugs are their names where they will place their backpacks.

There are many tips and tricks out there but find things that work for you or take it then make it work for you.