T. R. Paul Academy of Arts & Knowledge

Are you tired of spending precious funds on little plastic toys and stickers to reward your students for their good behavior?  I've always been opposed to material rewards for my students.  I tend to focus on intrinsic rewards and fun no-cost incentives to celebrate my students making the right behavior choices.

One of the most popular free rewards in my classroom has always been Lunch Bunch.  That's what I call it when students earn the privilege of eating lunch with me in the classroom.  I enjoy this special time, too.  Plus, I think it's sweet that my students are motivated by such a simple pleasure as eating lunch with their teacher.

What no-cost rewards do your students value?

No-Cost Classroom Rewards originally appeared on About.com Elementary Education on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 01:29:52.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

St. Patrick's Day is coming up on Wednesday, March 17th.  How will you "go green" in your classroom?  Here are a few St. Paddy's Day resources for you and your elementary school students to enjoy together:

• St. Patrick's Day Acrostic Poem Lesson Plan
• St. Patrick's Day Word List (for use in creative writing, spelling lists, puzzles, etc.)
• St. Patrick's Day Worksheets, Songs, Recipes, and more

If you have a favorite St. Pat's lesson, please share it in the comments section.

St. Patrick's Day Lesson Plans originally appeared on About.com Elementary Education on Friday, March 5th, 2010 at 01:00:15.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

I've never job shared, but I am intrigued by the concept.  Although it'd be great to have the flexibility to teach part-time, I wonder about the challenges that come along with working so closely with another teacher.  Is it truly possible to present a unified front to the students and their parents?

I'd love to hear from those of you have job shared, whether it worked out well or poorly.  Meanwhile, here's how I view the Pros and Cons of Job Sharing.

What Do You Think of Job Sharing? originally appeared on About.com Elementary Education on Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 at 08:43:34.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Are you tired of trying to manipulate your students into staying quiet hour after hour?  Have you ever lost your voice from talking too much at work?  If so, try some of these techniques for nonverbally quieting your classroom.  Nobody wants to sound like a broken record, right?

If you've found other simple ways to get your student quiet and focused, please do share!  It's important to have many different strategies in one's toolbox.

How to Quiet Your Students Without Saying a Word originally appeared on About.com Elementary Education on Monday, March 1st, 2010 at 08:32:21.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

It's unfortunate but true: virtually all classroom teachers have to dig into their own pockets to buy necessary supplies to help their students learn.  That's why it's so important for you to keep all of your receipts in a handy and organized place when it comes time to file your taxes.

Use these tax time tips for teachers to make sure you are maximizing your tax benefits.  Hopefully someday we will be able to count on school budgets to cover the totality of our classroom needs.  Until then, follow your state and federal tax codes in order to claim deductions and make your dollars count.

Tax Time is Coming Up - Get Your Receipts Ready originally appeared on About.com Elementary Education on Friday, February 26th, 2010 at 00:31:31.

Permalink | Comment | Email this