It's all in how you present it. 5-year olds definitely don't have a long attention span, but with active modeling and demonstrating you can definitely set expectations for your calm corner. Visuals help, too!
Thanks for the tip. I have always done the 10+ class jobs and like you said, I also never kept up with it. By December the only jobs that got different people were the Line Leader, Door Holder and Supply manager. I am so ready to give this tip a try!!! I will let you know how it works out.
Hi Caroline! Thanks so much for watching along! I'm happy to help. If you're not already on our email list, you'll want to be sure to join us so you don't miss some upcoming announcements about workshop opportunities! teachingexceptionalkinders.com/free-first-week-of-school-pack
Agreed! Most instances you let it go, new day. You weren’t there. Just had a teammate asking me if she should address this and I said no, start the day on the positive and fresh and happy to see your class. Subbing is hard and it’s always different when the teachers gone. I always leave suckers for sub to hand out to kiddos and stickers.
I was moved to kindergarten this year from from another grade level.I have a student that I have had for 5 months that hits, kicks, rips at my clothes, spits and bites me. He was coming at me repeatedly to attack me. His behavior has gotten somewhat better, and this only happens a few times a day and it’s less violent, but it has made me very sad and I feel like I have lost myself. I’m not enjoying teaching. Is this normal for me to feel this way?
I'm so sorry to hear you're dealing with this. Unfortunately, in my experience this is all too "normal". I wish it weren't the norm, but all too often teachers (myself included) are dealing with major behavior disruptions. Hopefully you are able to get admin to help you to get your student the support he needs, soon.
Hi Amy , I love your videos! I'm a homeschool teacher and every since I found you over the summer I have used some many of your products. They have helped me be a better teacher. :)
Hi! I am a para who is completely new to kindergarten. Tomorrow is day 1, so I am a excited and a bit nervous. Thank you for this helpful advice, although it is aimed at helping teachers. I got an idea of what to expect 😊.
Thank you so much. You are a life saver. I’ve been teaching for 3 years in preschool; however, it’s my first time teaching kindergarten. I thought I would be lost, but thanks to you, I feel better ❤❤
I find going over the routine for getting ready for lunch in detail is so helpful. Bathroom, wash hands, get lunch box or whatever your routine would be. This also becomes the bathroom/wash hands routine for any time students use the bathroom during the day. Once the school year gets rolling, I want to be able to tell students to get ready for lunch and then keep on teaching with minimal disruption. They get it done and get right back to work or group, etc.
Hi there! You can find most of the links here in this blog post: teachingexceptionalkinders.com/2021/05/morning-work-ideas-for-kindergarten Hope that helps! Amy
This is great! Does the token chart start over each day? Meaning if they only got 3 out of five starts a day- do they carry over or do you start fresh the following school day?
Absolutely - start fresh each day. Every day is a new opportunity :) Sometimes carrying over the 3 stars from the day before brings back negative feelings that they "failed" the day before. Starting fresh with a clean slate sends the signal that each day is a new chance to have a great day.
Thank you for making this video! For your whole class incentive system, did you have two separate ones, one for AM and one for PM or were both classes adding pieces to the same one?
Hi Kelly - The timing is totally up to you and how long you think your students will need for their break. I had a set of sand timers with 1, 3, and 5 minutes. Usually, I put the 3 minute timer in there because in half day kindergarten, we didn't have a lot of time to spend in Hawaii.
lol...love it. And we will be going to Jamaica..lol. That makes so much sense, I never thought of that and its true, I hate when people tell me to calm down. It doesn't really help with my calming down process, so I know that it doesn't work for rhe children either. This was great advice and I am do glad I came across your page.
I’m trying to gauge if my child is ready for kindergarten or not. This is very helpful! I’m a pro homework parent but I understand your reasons for not being pro homework. Maybe I’ll ease up a little 😅
It's hard to know if you child is ready for kindergarten - but you'll never regret giving them the gift of extra time to be a kid! There is definitely a time and a place for homework, but kids need to be kids, too 😀
I am getting rid of morning work worksheets this year and am doing morning tubs in fourth grade! I was researching more ideas when your video popped up on IG.
This is great! Thank you! I'm curious as to whether or not you TELL kids to go to Hawaii or if it's just a spot where they self-identify the need to go there? I could potentially see saying something like, "Oh, you seem tired/frustrated/disappointed... now might be a good time for you to spend some time in Hawaii!" If the student refuses, then you move on... it's not a punishment, it's not a consequence... it's a tool. Then maybe coming back to it with the student who refuses... having a quiet conversation with them about why you suggested it? Maybe? I so appreciate your work Amy!
As long as you're not sending them to Hawaii as a punishment, I don't see any harm in suggesting it. I like to frame things like this, "Your behavior choices (you could be more specific) are showing/telling me that you may be ___(tired, frustrated, etc.), maybe spending time in Hawaii could help?"
That's a great question. Our calm down corner was always portable so students could take the materials to where they needed them. When students are upset with each other, you could opt to have them choose a calming strategy at their seats or even have a neighbor teacher's calming space available to lend a space. If it is a frequent occurance (of bigger behaviors) that multiple students need the space at once, I'd opt to have a second space available in a neighboring teacher's room to help diffuse the situation.
