What's In My Classroom? (Part 1: Welcome and Favorite Writing Tools)

I don't know about you, but I love online 'room tours.' This trend has been popular on YouTube for many years, I think more particularly in the beauty guru community. They would record themselves as if showing their viewers around their bedroom (Room Tour), apartment (Apartment Tour), and even their bathrooms (What's In My Bathroom?).

I decided to join the bandwagon and do a little online tour of my own, in my classroom.

I know it can be a bit tricky posting things related to your workplace online, especially if you're part of the education industry, but rest assured that nothing here will harm my beneficiaries (i.e., my little kiddos), and all private material (such as full names, grades, portraits, etc.) have either been censored or completely omitted for this entry.

Well, without further ado, here are a few random things you might find interesting in my classroom that you also might want to incorporate in your own study areas, whether you're a classroom or homeschool teacher.

I've divided this topic in two parts. Let me kick things off by showing you the first thing my students and I see and experience upon entering Mrs. Bee's realm...

Clockwise: Door, Bag/Coat Hooks, Calendar, Rug

Hello, Frankie! It's the most wonderful time of the year! Our classroom door is currently a work in progress. It is, obviously, Frankenstein themed, and my students will continue to add Halloween and fall themed decorations such as pumpkins, bats, and spider webs. Of course, we are extra careful about hanging paper decor to comply with fire hazard standards.

First things first: put away your bags and coats! I have always been used to actual cubbies for my students' personal belongings, but all I have now are wall hooks, which I think are even better and add to the warmth and colorful atmosphere in my classroom -- as long as they are organized and neat!

Calendar. Although most 7-year olds have already mastered their calendar skills, I still find it essential to have a visually appealing calendar for them to refer to and for the teacher to further sharpen their knowledge of the months, days, and seasons.

Morning meeting and main instruction area. I am an advocate for instruction that is conducive to learning and friendly to a child's attention span; I find that doing most of my verbal instruction and listening comprehension the criss-cross-apple-sauce-hands-on-your-lap way happens to be the most effective. I am in the process of moving my new SMART Board in this area since I use technology for 95% of my instruction.

Tools for writing! My students each made their own privacy folders for independent writing practice. Second grade is a crucial time for students to learn how to write narratives independently, so we do at least 45 minutes of writing a day. My students are currently practicing with a planning sheet that addresses all aspects of a narrative -- the 5 W's and 1 H (Who, When, Where, What, Why and How). Most of my students still find it a challenge to automatically spell and use words on paper, so I encourage pictures on their planning sheets if they can't think of the word just yet!

What's inside their privacy folders?

(L-R) Feelings Card: Students refer to the pictures to depict the appropriate feeling or emotion for the characters in their stories.

Sound-Spelling Card: This is a great way for students to learn how to independently sound out words and figure out the correct spelling for these words. This basic phonics list includes all learned sounds to their specific letter or combination of letters. This encourages them to decode and encode independently without having to ask time and time again, "Mrs. Bee, how do you spell _____?" during independent writing.

Numbers and Colors: My students are also currently in the process of spelling out numbers and colors correctly, which is good practice and the appropriate standard for formal narrative writing.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of my classroom tour...

Discipline is saying 'Yes'; not 'No'

I grew up in a community of strict Filipino elders who put the utmost importance on discipline. Being raised like this made me aware of the things I am not supposed to do. Being 'disciplined' is basically someone saying 'Don't do that."

Discipline is also one of the biggest priorities in my classroom, but I learned how to discipline a little differently from how it was like for me growing up. Although hearing a firm "Stop doing that!" was not only effective, but instant, I find that turning discipline into something positive rather than negative -- saying 'Yes, do that' instead of saying 'No, don't do that' -- has been far more effective than the traditional sense of disciplining.

How you phrase your statements is huge especially when teaching elementary. Yes, they're young and mostly innocent, but they are also old enough to value trust and independence.

Conveying this belief, trust, and responsibility to my kids has done wonders to my classroom management. Changing my words and tone of voice make managing their behavior so much easier. Here are some examples that you can use with your own kids:

• Be specific about daily classroom habits. Unnecessary chatter is a huge challenge in my daily instruction. I find that using specific voice levels helps direct the students to the precise level of voice you want them to practice at a particular moment. These voice levels are posted on my wall, and my students know them by heart.

Using specific hand gestures also helps. For example, Voice Level 1 (Whisper), can be illustrated by holding up your index finger to your lips. Instead of saying "Keep quiet!", simply say "Please use Voice Level ___. Thank you." It's specific, clear, and you don't even have to raise your voice amidst the chatter. You only have to make the proper hand gesture.

• Give your students a choice. It's common knowledge that kids these days rebel if parents only give them one choice. I find it very effective to convey trust to my students by giving them at least two specific choices. This gives them the opportunity to think through their actions and to be independent and choose on their own, without the feeling of an elder forcing rules upon them. For example, if a student is misbehaving, I would say, "You have two choices. Either you continue misbehaving, which everyone here knows will have a consequence (i.e., write-up, parent call) or you can be the responsible student that you are, and we can go on with our day. Your choice." 100% of the time, they end up choosing the positive behavior, because at the end of the day, it's also easier for them.
• Be consistent and specific with consequences. Begin as early as the first day of school, the most important day in all 180 days of the school year. Once you have established specific rules and consequences in your classroom, students will know exactly what to expect, and what is expected of them. A consequence is not necessarily a bad thing; in fact, focus on positive consequences, or rewards. I always keep a consistent reward system in my classroom, illustrated by the following target board:

Target arrows with students' names are moved every day according to their performance and behavior. Students who reach the target by the end of each week will get to choose a prize. Students are always actively asking themselves, "Am I on target, or am I off target?" Again, this gives them the opportunity to make good decisions that would reap good rewards.

• Re-phrase your No into a Yes. Some examples:
• Say "Please walk quietly!" instead of "Stop running in the hallway!"
• Say "Make sure you are keeping your area clean!" instead of "Don't make a mess!"
• Say "Voice Level ____, please!" instead of "Stop talking!"
• If the student is seeking permission, and the situation calls for you to say no to them, instead of saying "No, you may not.", give them specific directions. For example, if the student wants to eat a snack before lunch -- and my students know I encourage them to save their appetite for lunch -- tell them, "Here's a better idea: lunch is in 15 minutes, so have some lunch first, then, after recess, if you're still hungry, you may eat your snack."
• Use catchy chants! My kids love it when I use the following attention getter, and it is so effective:

Teacher: 1, 2...

Students: Eyes on you!

Teacher: 3, 4...

Students: Crisscross on the floor!

Teacher: 5, 6...

Students: No more tricks!

Teacher: 7, 8...

Students: Sit up straight!

Teacher: 9, 10...

Students: Let's begin!

Be firm and consistent, but also never forget to get your trust across to these kids. They will appreciate it and will want to prove themselves to you every minute once that trust has been established. Good luck!