Kindergarten Teachers 3 BEST TIPS

New kindergarten teachers are always asking me for my best tips.  Here goes:

Be Kind

1)      Be nice.  Yes, that’s my number one tip.  Why?  Because I believe that kindness is the most important thing to bring to almost any situation.  And in kindergarten?  Think about it.  Many of your kids are coming to school for the first time.  They’re tender, uncertain and scared.  Even if they’ve been to pre-K, this is often their first full day, or their first full-on academic year in school.  I believe that teaching is instruction AND inspiration.  It’s up to the teacher to set the tone, and show kids how nice school can be. 

So should you smile on the first day of school?  Of course!  Smile from the depths of your soul, when appropriate.  Remember, you’re not just teaching the 3 Rs, you’re teaching social skills, too.  If you’re kind by example, you’re teaching the children how to be kind too.  After all, you want kindergarten to be pleasant for everyone, including yourself.  It’s win-win, all around. 

If you'd like this free Kinder-Garten poster, it's here.

Be Firm

2)      Be firm.  Sorry to break it to you, but you’re probably in big trouble if you’re ONLY nice!  Be nice and also firm.  Show the kids exactly what’s expected of them.  Show them step by step and have them practice.  Give them feedback—thank them when they’re helpful, and gently correct them if needed.  Discuss why one way is better than another, so kids internalize the rationale.  And accept no less than their best.

Please have a little heart-to-heart with yourself.  If you're not a born disciplinarian, ask yourself if you'd benefit from the soup-to-nuts course--with word-for-word teacher scripts--what to say, and what to do, starting on the first day of school.  It's Behavior Management 101 Plus ++ and it will save you from a world of trial and error.

Be Fun

3)      Have fun.  I’ll repeat: HAVE FUN!!!  Hellooo…Kindergarten means child’s garden.   

    Kindergarten is a place to learn through doing, dancing, singing, playing, exploring, creating…and of course thinking.  Add plenty of brain breaks and stir.

 Every time you bring life to your lesson, you’re honoring the spirit of kindergarten.  So don’t just teach the writing mechanics (start with a capital, use lowercase, leave a space between words, end with a period...) sing the writing rubric in a song.  Don’t just count to 100, have kids dance--or meditate--to a counting song.    

    Let kids make number chart robots, and have kids write or copy a sentence about it. 

 Create bulletin boards that are as creative to look at as they are to make.  In short, create a child’s garden.

Ready, now?  Let's say it three times fast: 

nice firm fun

nice firm fun

nice firm fun

There!  That was easy!

If you’re a new kindergarten teacher, you’re entering a wonderful world!  If you’d like a mentor's guide, along with step-by-step scripts, rules, posters, printables, songs, and many other resources that you can use all year, take a look at my Kindergarten Creative Mega-Bundle.  I think it will help you on your journey.

As always, I'll be thinking of you and wishing you all the best!

Behavior Mananagement with Humor

Behavior management can be fun--really!

Make 'em laugh 'n behave!  

Behavior Management with Humor is a creative approach to discipline in the classroom.  It's packed with tools and strategies for behavior management with laughter.

At every step, I start with the basic skills for no-stress behavior management.  Then I show you how to infuse these with respectful fun, so they come alive in your classroom.

Why use humor? Of all the tricks in your behavior management toolbox, humor is one of the most powerful.  

• When you use humor, it shows you trust your kids.  You trust their intelligence to “get” the humor, and to join in the fun.
• Teaching kids how to use humor respectfully shows an alternative to negative emotions such as anger, belligerence, cruelty, or ignoring bad situations. 

Laughing shakes up our lymph system; and heals our body, mind and soul.  It strengthens the immune system, lowers our blood pressure and makes us more present and alert.  It’s empowering, rapport-building…AND It’s free!

As always, I want you feel CALM and CONFIDENT—and ready to laugh—starting on your first day of school.

So...let's take a look under the hood at Behavior Management with Humor:

•         Behavior Management 101: Strategies that Work

•         “Tips from the Trenches” for Behavior Management with Humor

•         A Full Day of Humor and Good Behavior, Step-by-Step

•         Funny Things to Say All Day

•         Make it Fun in the Lunchroom, Auditorium, School Yard, Parties, and More

•         Humor in Reading, Writing, Math, Music, and Dance

•         Songs that Get Kids to Move, Smile and Behave

•         Behavior Mod Charts

•         Behavior Management Clip Chart

•         Callbacks for Easy, Fun Management

•         Brain Breaks to Calm or Energize Kids

•         Printable Resources: Awards, Hats, Masks, Glasses, Bracelets, Pointers, and More!

•         “Reboot Box” for Time-Out

•         Deal-Breakers – Teacher Behavior to Avoid

•         Behavior Management Posters

•         Student Activities and Printables for Bulletin Board Displays

•         BONUS: MP3 Counting Backward Song for a Calming Brain Break or Dance

If you'd like a MEGA-bundle of Behavior Management tools that REALLY WORK--I know, because I use them daily!--please take a look at this:

...School Rules, Behavior Management with Humor, Behavior Modification Game Charts, and Behavior Management Callbacks.

One of my top priorities is to get my kids to behave, so we can all laugh--from the first day of school on.

I hope you want your kids to laugh and behave, too, so I'm sharing all I've learned, in over twenty years in the classroom.

Wishing you all the best,

 

Back to School Sale for Teachers

It's a back to school sale for teachers!  Hooray! 

Part of the beauty of "BTS" is a BTS Sale--right??!!--with up to 25% off at checkout if you use this code: BTS2017

So won't you please drop everything this second, raise your right hand, and swear you're going to make your life a whole lotta sweet-bit-easier this year?

Yes, you can make your lessons perfect, and your observation lessons sooooooo much easier with this Teacher Evaluation Guide.    

It includes checklists, charts, cheat-sheets, tips, scripts, class posters, lesson plans and lesson plan templates for your expert Danielson-style teacher evaluation.  

I use it all the time for my lesson templates and reminders of best practices.  And I admit, I carry the one-page mini-lesson cheat-sheet in my pocket, in the weeks before every unannounced observation (really!).

If you're a substitute teacher, you'll find that The Substitute Teacher Guide  is much more than a run-of-the-mill kit.

You see, after over 20 years teaching, I've observed hundreds of subs and teachers in action.  I've seen it all--the good, the bad, and the Kindergarten Cop Chaos.  This resource is a detailed and comprehensive account of what to bring, do, and say when you sub.

And it includes dozens of printables a sub can use all year.

NOT JUST FOR SUBS!  If you're a regular teacher, it makes a handy Substitute Binder--for the days you're absent--with explicit directions so you'll return to a semi-normal room.

Now let's switch channels...to a kindergarten teacher's dream...

First Days of Kindergarten Teacher's Bundle for kindergarten teachers--whether new, seasoned or in-between.  It features step-by-step instructions for setting up a kindergarten classroom, as well as moment-by-moment teacher scripts for the first day of school.  It's like I'm whispering in your ear, giving you expert advice at every turn. 

But I don't stop at the first day.  We go through the first week of school--including all the printables, posters, parent letters, and forms you'll need.  Then I point you in the right direction for the next few weeks of kindergarten, including 4 full weeks of homework (editable, of course).

This best-selling bundle includes the Teacher's Kit, combined with a School Rules and Bathroom Rules pack.  Each of those three can be purchased separately:

 

Even at regular prices they are each very generous kits, and they are priceless to anyone who wants that extra boost of confidence that comes with a thorough guide.

If you want to treat yourself to the mega-bundle, you'll unpack a year of creative song, dance, laugh, crafts, 3Rs, and good behavior:
                                   

The mega-bundle above includes one of my favorite kindergarten treasures: a How-to-tie-a-shoe photo tutorial for your learning center.  To quote one buyer (and maybe, I'll set it to a rock beat and belt it out, while standing on a kindergarten table top): 

"It works! It really, really works! I'm never tying another shoe, except my own, once a day. I love this product!"  -FULL STOP-    

Please stop by my store and browse.  I think you'll find plenty of useful and creative items, at super-generous prices.  Meanwhile, I'll be sending you all my best wishes for the start of your new school year!