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Blueprint

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When designing my classroom blueprint, I wanted to create a place where students felt welcomed, safe, and included. I also wanted to have places where collaborative learning experiences could happen naturally. I decided to arrange circle tables in a half-U shape so every scholar would be able to see the white board without moving their chairs and still have small groups to work in. I placed storage by the door for student belongings to keep the learning space clear of clutter and distractions. A kidney shaped table in the back of the room with flex seating would be used for small group lessons. In the bottom right corner next to the window, I created the library area with comfortable seating to encourage reading. In the top right corner, I created a station table where students could partake in multi-sensory, hands-on experiences. In the top left is my computer station. In my close-up images, I shared some of the classroom details that I was not able to feature in my blueprint, such as examples of flex seating, displays for student work, library and student table bin organization, and some storage and organization hacks for supplies and station manipulatives.

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Close-Ups #1: Flex seating options (besides the beanbags in blueprint).

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Close-Ups #2: Library bin storage. I would organize my library in bins by reading level so students can easily locate books that are on their level.

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Close-Up #3: Shared supply caddies for each student table.

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Close-Up #4: Storage organization for math center materials. I love how the chart above features group numbers and matches with the supplies underneath helping with quick transitions between math stations.

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Close-Up #5: Out-of-the- classroom chart located by the door so I can easily see where my students are - each student is assigned a number and will move it and return it to "in the room" when they return.

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Close-Up #6: A way that students can communicate with me without disrupting lessons.

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Close-Up #8: Student Storage - located by the door to store student backpacks, lunch boxes, and personal items.

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Close-Up #9: Student Work Wall-I would like to have one of these inside and outside the classroom so my students can showcase their work to peers in other classes as well.

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Close-Up #10: Book storage for books that students are currently reading in class with photographs for easy locating.

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Close-Up #11: Transition phrase visuals

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Close-Up #12: Multi-Sensory Table - would be used during math stations for multi-sensory lessons.

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Close-up #13: Learning Objectives. I specifically like this objective wall because the objectives are featured on clipboards so they can quickly be changed.

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Close-up #14: Classroom clock and math visual wall.

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During the first day of school, scholars will learn and practice the expectations and procedures for our classroom and have various opportunities to get to know their teacher, peers, and classroom by participating in activities to help them feel welcomed, safe, included, and excited to start the new school year.

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In my classroom, I want mistakes, both academic and behavioral, to be learning opportunities for my students. In life, you are not always given rewards or consequences for your behavior, so I want scholars to learn how to make good choices because it is the right thing to do, not because they will get a rewarded or punished for behaving a certain way. Rather than enforcing rules, I intend to take a values-based approach to behavior management in my classroom. I want students in my classroom to develop intrinsic motivation to behave in a desirable way that supports a safe, inclusive learning environment, so I plan to replace rules in our room with expectations and we will call them our classroom values that we create together. On the first day of school, I plan to brainstorm with the class which values they would like to see in our room. I will contribute some values that I think are important to support an safe, inclusive, effective classroom community, they will contribute values that they think are important, and we will use these values to create a classroom banner that is displayed in our room. These values will also be used to create a classroom contract that each student signs and will also be displayed (see attached).

To ensure that my students uphold our agreed upon values, I intend to set clear expectations that support our values and remain consistent in modeling and enforcing high expectations for scholars to uphold our agreed upon classroom values. Behavioral infractions that do not support our classroom values will be treated as learning opportunities for growth, restitution, and community building using restorative practices such as peacemaking circles, peer jury processes, mediation, conferencing, and classroom discussions focused on building empathy, repairing harm, and restoring relationships to teach students the social and emotional skills needed to adapt the behaviors required to make good choices, rather than punishing students that have engaged in misconduct.

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Confession: I don't have any rules in my classroom. Not a single one.

Before you roll your eyes, hear me out...

My son is 3. Which means that he is the master of taking what you say he can't do, and looking for loopholes to see how far he can push the boundary that's been set. Sound familiar? He is only three and he does this, which means darn tooting the kids in your class will do it too! Let's be real, how many times in school did your teacher tell you that you needed to write enough to fill a paper front and back, so you wrote in your biggest handwriting and skipped two lines to get done faster? ( guilty, here!) Or, have you ever told a kid "keep your hands to yourself" to then watch them elbow someone and say, "but you said to keep my hands to myself, not my elbows." ( insert eye roll here). Friends, these are normal kid responses. I mean, even as adults, we find loopholes to the rules.

So...I got rid of rules in my class and I replaced them with expectations. Not just any expectations though; I replaced them with character traits, or as I call them "Our Class Values".

Did you know that research has shown time and time again that kids become what they are told they are?!This gives a whole new urgency in how I want to treat and respond to my students. I wanted to use this to my advantage and and that is where the idea of creating our class values started. These values are things that are a part of our community; a part of who we are and who we will strive to be.

When discussing class values with my students, I obviously have values that I want our class to embody, but I also let my kids choose. We create the list together. We sign a class contract. These values become a part of who we are and who we will strive to be each day. The classroom dynamic takes on a whole new level of ownership for students when it is addressed this way.

This is a class that shows kindness.

This is a class that dares to be bold.

This is a class that laughs daily.

This is a class that thinks critically.

This is a class that works hard.

This is a class that learns from our mistakes.

This is a class that gives generously.

This is a class that shares selflessly.

This is a class that respects others.

This is a class that cares deeply.

This is who we are.

I made these banners (above) to serve as visual reminders of who we are. They are simple, but I printed them on my favorite to make them pop. They hang in the front of our classroom where they are always within our view. I deliberately chose to frame the wording as "This is a class that..." because I don't want them to be seen as rules. I don't want it to be seen as "do this, do that". I don't want kids to look for loopholes or exceptions. I want them to be seen as, "This is who we are", because research shows that if you tell a kid they are something enough times, they will actually become it!

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure statement to learn more*

Please note: I hate that I even have to add this to my blog post, but it has been happening repeatedly, and it honestly feels hurtful and violating. You may not take the information in this blog post and/or recreate this product for any commercial purpose. This includes, but is not limited to freebies or items for sale on TpT, your blog, a Facebook group, or a website. This is a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. It violates my intellectual property, and it is just plain rude.

GRAB THESE BANNERS BY CLICKING HERE:
There are 15 ready to print banners and an editable template to add your own.

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Building Brilliance: Why I Teach Class Values Instead of Rules

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Confession: I don't have any rules in my classroom. Not a single one. Before you roll your eyes, hear me out... My son is 3. Which means that he is the master of taking what you say he can't do, and looking for loopholes to see how far he can push the boundary that's been set.

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Building the Parent-Teacher Relationship 

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Building the Parent-Teacher Relationship 

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You are welcome to print copies for non-commercial use, or a limited number for educational purposes, as long as credit is given to Reading Rockets and the author(s). For commercial use, please contact the author or publisher listed.

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Effective communication is essential for building school-family partnerships. It constitutes the foundation for all other forms of family involvement in education.

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Tips to Foster Relationships with Caregivers

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Tips to Foster Relationships with Caregivers

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Parents and guardians play an essential role in elementary school learning, but effectively reaching them can be an ongoing challenge for even veteran elementary school teachers.

From offering a simple smile to fostering a sense of trust, below are nine tips key to effectively communicating with parents.

Be warm.
A little friendliness goes a long way, especially when it comes to elementary school parent-teacher communication. Whether you're communicating via email, text, or in person, be warm, be welcoming, and offer encouragement. When you see parents in person, smile, shake hands, and make eye contact.

Be positive.
Effective communication between parents and teachers starts with positivity. When contacting a student's parent or guardian, start out by saying something positive about him or her. Like friendliness, a little positivity goes a long way.

Foster a sense of trust.
The basis of effective communication with parents also starts with trust. It's essential for parents to trust their child's teacher. When speaking to parents, assure them that everything you discuss is confidential and that as an elementary school teacher, you always have your students' best interests at heart.

Communicate often.
Also make sure to communicate often! A common mistake amongst elementary school teachers, as well as secondary educators, is simply not communicating enough, or only reaching out when there's a problem. Communicate regularly with parents and they won't be on high alert when they hear from you!

...and in forms that work for parents and guardians.
One size does not fit all when it comes to parent-teacher communication, in elementary school and otherwise. From apps, message boards, and email to social media, texting, and phone calls, find out what communication tools work best for parents and guardians, then stick with it.

Make parents feel valuable.
Great parent-teacher communication, especially in elementary school, starts with making parents feel valuable. All parents and guardians have something worthwhile to offer your classroom, whether it's helping at an event or speaking to students about their occupation. Encourage them to participate and share their strengths.

Acknowledge involvement.
Parents are not required to participate in their child's education. Whether it's a parent or guardian taking the time out of his or her day to meet with you or participating in school events, it's important for elementary school teachers to acknowledge contributions and express thanks.

Ask questions (and listen!).
When talking to elementary school parents, ask questions. Not just about your students' study habits, but about their interests. Listen and absorb the information. Ask follow-up questions. You'll be surprised how much you can learn about not only your students, but their families, too.

Don't make assumptions.
No teacher, elementary or otherwise, should ever make assumptions about a student's home life. Don't assume a student lives with two parents or any parent at all. Also don't assume that English is a parent or guardian's native language. Be mindful of the fact that families come in all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds.

Reach students and families with skills from a BS in Elementary Education

Whether you study on campus or online, a bachelor of science (BS) in elementary education will provide you with the foundation you need to become a successful certified elementary school teacher. The right program, however, will go beyond the basics of elementary education by equipping you with strategies to forge positive relationships and communicate effectively with parents and families.

Walden University's online BS in elementary education program prepares educators to engage with students and families to promote healthy development and learning. Ideal for busy professionals and aligned with national professional standards and licensure requirements, its unique online format enables those with work and family commitments to earn a bachelor of science in elementary education from the comfort of home.
Discover how Walden's online BS in elementary education program can prepare you to support the growth and learning of all children in today's highly diverse classrooms while effectively communicating with their families.

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effective communication between parents and teachers

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Effective parent-teacher communication is key to elementary education. Boost communication with these 9 easy tips.

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How to get parents involved in the classroom

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How to get parents involved in the classroom

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High parent engagement can be nothing but positive, and Henderson and Berla (1994) reviewed and analyzed eighty-five studies that documented the comprehensive benefits of parent involvement in children's education. Here is a summary the benefits they noted for the children, parents, teachers, and the school.

How Parental Involvement Helps Our Kids

There are many benefits to our kids when parents are involved. What are the gains? Well, for the kids we usually see greater achievement in the core subjects, regardless of ethnic or racial background, socioeconomic status, or parents' education level. The kids also tend to achieve better grades, have higher test scores, and better school attendance.

How about the daily routine? Well, that's a plus too. Children are more consistent with completing their homework. If they've practiced, they do better on retaining concepts and perform better on assessments. Parent supervision makes a difference even if it's just reminders on doing it.

Children also have emotional gains. They have better self-esteem, are more self-disciplined, and show higher aspirations and motivation toward school which is awesome!

Finally, kids demonstrate a more positive attitude about school which often results in improved behavior in school. Cutting down on behavior management means increased time on task and that everyone wins.

The Benefits for Parent Support

When parents are aware of what their kids are learning, they are more likely to help when the teacher invites them and more likely to become more involved in their children's learning activities at home. Teachers need to keep this in mind. We need to think about how ALL parents can contribute and VALUE each way they help us. If you have working parents, be sensitive to the limited time they have. Consider the best uses of that time.

Finally, parents' perceptions of the school are improved when they're involved, and there are stronger ties and commitment to the school. When parents feel they are welcome, appreciated, are valuable to the program, and are helping their child, they are much more motivated to come in.

How Parent Support Benefits Teachers

Finally, one of the biggest benefits for parental involvement is that teachers and principals acquire a b etter understanding of families' cultures and diversity, and they form deeper respect for parents' abilities and time. ALL families are important, and it's more important than ever that our ELL and low SES families feel valued, wanted in the school setting, and that their children are valuable. They will help us if they KNOW we love their kids. If we all work together, we love our jobs, volunteer work, and more.

The poster to the right is a free resource I made to share. If you'd like to download it and the parent involvement brochure below, simply subscribe to my email list. Not only will you get this download, you'll have access to my VIP Library linked at the top of this post.

How Parent Involvement Benefits the School

So what can we do to get parents on our side? The first step is taken on registration day when you meet your students and parents for the first time. A welcoming spirit sets the tone for the year. If you are able, welcome your families in your classroom keeping in mind that you may have siblings tagging along. If you can set out coloring pages, legos, or playdough, your parents will feel much more relaxed and attentive.

Once the year's started, work to make connections with your families. You might give them the opportunity to brag about their child. Have the parent fill in a survey about their child, and maybe send home a completed survey about yourself. It's fun to see what you have in common.

Related Posts:

Subscriber Freebie:

Do you have favorite ways to get your parents involved? Below I've linked up blog posts with ideas you might try at your school and a few other parental involvement posts from my blog. If you have a special event you'd like to have highlighted below, simply send me a message through my blogger contact form with the link to your post and I'll add it to the list.

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Parent Involvement Matters | Comprehension Connection

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High parent engagement can be nothing but positive, and Henderson and Berla (1994) reviewed and analyzed eighty-five studies that documented the comprehensive benefits of parent involvement in children's education. Here is a summary the benefits they noted for the children, parents, teachers, and the school.

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Use Parent Communication Logs to improve classroom management and relationships with families. Look for the link to grab your FREE Parent Communication Logs.

I did it all wrong in the beginning.

When I think back to my first couple of years of teaching, I remember how excited I was to finally come up with an organization tool to help me keep up with my parent contacts.

For the years before that, I struggled to remember which parents I had called. By some miracle, if I did remember which ones I called, I then forgot why exactly I contacted them - good or bad. You know, when you document your communication with parents, you are also keeping yourself in check. It's like magic. I tend to make more parent contacts when I know I'm going to be writing it all down. I have to look good for myself, you know. JK

NOT carefully documenting your communication with parents can really come back to hurt you for a few reasons.

Why should you document parent communication?

1. You can look back at the entries for patterns in the student's behavior or results of learning.

2. If something major happens with a student, you have proof that parents were aware of what was happening with their child.

3. The police won't visit your classroom... keep reading. This will make sense in just a minute.

Now as I said, it took me a few years to create a set of forms that were effective for parent communication in the classroom. My first year of teaching was in first grade. I was so excited about this opportunity because I had a specialization in reading, and that was going to be just perfect!!

While I was kicking butt in teaching beginning reading to my firsties, I was not kicking butt in keeping the parents informed about what was happening at school. I don't know why they spend some time on this when you're still in college.

Click here to read about how to use Behavior Forms for Students to improve classroom management.

I will never forget a certain little boy I had in my class that year. Guess it was about the third or fourth day of school when I overhead my new little friend telling another six year old that he had set a bale of hay on fire somewhere behind his house. He then proceeded to say that all seven huge hay bales burned to the ground. Wow!

7 Burning Hay Bales Helped Me Learn About Parent Communication

I had no idea if this really happened or not, but I immediately tried to contact his mom. No answer. I tried to contact his dad. No answer. I thought I had better tell someone, so I told the school counselor about what I overhead. She said that she asked around in the community and hadn't heard anything about hay being on fire around there.

The counselor said it was probably just his vivid little imagination. Interesting side note: This was not a rural community. I don't know why hay bales would have even been in that neighborhood.

For the next few days, I tried calling his parents at home and at work. No one picked up the phone, no one returned my messages. I even called his grandmother from the emergency card, but no answer. That first year of teaching was so crazy, that somehow, the whole hay going up in flames just escaped my mind.

How the cops got involved...

Fast forward about eight weeks. A police officer came to the school and asked to speak with me. Yep. It is EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE THINKING.

The very first thing the principal wanted to know was why I hadn't contacted his parents about the fire story. Of course I told her that I had tried to call on numerous occasions.

The officer needed that information from me, because there were other concerns with his parents not being involved enough in this little guy's life. Needless to say, I felt so bad. I felt like a failure. I had no idea what days I called, which numbers I dialed, or how many frantic messages I had left.

So, as you can imagine, I needed a good way to keep up with documenting my communication with parents.

No more visits from the police, please!

I wanted the form to be very simple, but at the same time have every little bit of information I needed to contact the parents.

I don't know about you, but I am in LOVE with Flair Pens. These are what I use to write on my Parent Communication Logs... well actually, I use Flair Pens on EVERYTHING I write

NOTE: Some links are affiliate links. At no cost to you, I make a small commission on those purchases.

What contact information to include on the Parent Communication Log?

1. parent or guardian's names

2. email addresses

3. cell phone numbers

4. work phone numbers

When I made this form soooo long ago, I actually had home phone numbers instead of cell phone numbers, but most people I know don't even have a home phone anymore. I added in the email a little later too.

Email is actually one of my favorite ways to contact parents. It gives me documentation of exactly what I said to parents. You do have to be careful about your wording when sending emails though, as parents will also have proof of exactly what you said.

What to document on the Parent Communication Form?

1. Write the student's name.

2. Make sure to write the date. This is important. You can also jot down the time in that same section.

3. Include the person you communicated with. With stepparents and grandparents thrown into the mix, it can be difficult to remember who you contacted.

4. Mark the method you used to make the contact: email, call / text, note home, or meeting in person.

5. Check the concern you have with the student. Is it behavior, academic, a daily routine (like homework), or something else?

6. Write down notes. You don't need to write down a bunch, but documentation is super important.

I always copy these forms back to back. You'll notice that the second page right above gives you more space to document parent contacts. It leaves off the guardian info because it's on the front side. Just go ahead and copy these front to back from the get go. It will save you some time later on.

Parent Communication Binder:

Using a large three ring binder is my favorite way to organize these forms. Each student has their own pocket tab divider with at least one copy of the Communication Log behind it. The pocket tab dividers are my fav because I can also include notes from parents, etc. for each student.

One of my teacher friends was using my forms, but she thought it included too much parent information for her situation. She wanted an even simpler form with more room to write about what was discussed and decided on, during the parent contact. I created the one above just for her, but it might work for you too, so I've included it.

You'll see the example above that only includes the date, name of student, and notes from communicating with guardians. The space to write notes is much larger. This space will give you plenty of room to document everything.

This last form is the Parent Meeting Log. If you have been documenting all of your contacts with parents and you feel like you need to move forward with a more formal meeting, you may want to use this form. It focuses on face to face meetings.

What to include in a Parent Meeting Log?

1. student name

2. date of meeting

3. parent or guardian name

4. who the meeting was requested by

5. purpose of the meeting

6. outcome of the meeting

Quite a few people have asked me why I included the "requested by" information on my Parent Meeting Log. This might be important depending on your situation. You don't always have to be the one, but hopefully the teacher is noticing an academic or behavior issue before the parents do. You will want to make the first move in setting up a meeting with parents. This shows you are being proactive, before things blow up. Of course there are certain situations where parents will need to set the meeting first.

I'm going to leave you with just a few last helpful hints on parent communication.

Tips for better communication with parents:

Contact parents as soon as possible in the school year. Let them know your expectations and plan for the upcoming year.

This one can be difficult at times, but the first contact MUST BE POSITIVE! If you start off telling them something negative about their child (no matter how true it might be), there may always be tension there.

Keep conversations with parents discrete. Don't share information in the teacher's lounge. You'll thank me later.

If you tell parents you will contact them at a certain time or for a certain reason, do it! If you don't think you will be able to hold yourself to that discussion, don't promise them.

Have a plan in mind when it comes to discussing concerns with parents. Parents will appreciate it and this will help them build confidence in you.

Document, document, document! Document each time you contact parents. Make sure to write down the positive communications as well.

Do you have any suggestions for improving parent communication? I am gathering ideas for another blog post, and I would LOVE to use YOUR SUGGESTIONS. I will give you credit.
Like this Teacher FREEBIE? Pin it!! Click here to access your FREE Set of Parent Communication Forms. Check out these blog posts on CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT: Student Behavior Reports Digital Resource Organizer
Thank you for reading!

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Parent Communication Logs: FREE Classroom Management Forms - Teacher KARMA

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Use Parent Communication Logs to improve classroom management and relationships with families. Look for the link to grab your FREE Parent Communication Logs. When I think back to my first couple of years of teaching, I remember how excited I was to finally come up with an organization tool to help me keep up with my parent contacts.

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Google's free service instantly translates words, phrases, and web pages between English and over 100 other languages.

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Why do children misbehave? To communicate? To control? To manipulate? This four-part series will describe the goals of misbehavior, what they mean and how you can effectively respond to them.

Why do children misbehave? Is it because they are being disobedient on purpose? Do they not know better? Are they not capable of following rules? Is it just to push your buttons? Are they pushing boundaries? Testing limits? Is it just fun?

Sometimes when children misbehave it feels personal, like your child is purposely doing something to you in order to make your life more difficult. In the hustle and bustle of family life, these acts of misconduct might feel like someone is adding fuel to the fire. Many parents do not understand what motivates their children to act this way, especially after they put so much effort into raising hardworking and respectful children. So, why then, do children misbehave?

Think about misbehavior as a method of communication, a child's way of reaching out. Adults have a lot of practice in decoding their own feelings and have learned many different ways of managing and expressing those feelings. Young children are still learning these tools for communication so, instead of saying they are lonely or bored, toys are thrown. The behavior is negative or undesired, but the reasons behind it are not. It's important to remember negative behavior does not make your child "bad." There's a difference between how your child behaves and their character. What they dois not who they are.

Understanding why children misbehave can be a crucial step in positive discipline. Knowing the why will help you figure out the how -how to respond. Just like it is important to recognize an infant's specific cues indicating hunger, tiredness or overstimulation, it is important for parents and caregivers to recognize older children's cues. These cues, often shown through actions instead of words, will tell you how to meet their immediate needs and help teach them positive and effective ways of expressing themselves. Children use behavior to communicate something to you and understanding their reasons behind their behavior can help you not only care for and nurture your child, but help teach them to regulate their own behavior.

One reason children misbehave is attention. When children seek attention through their behaviors they are feeling overlooked or insignificant. To get this need met, they behave in ways to make sure they get noticed. They throw their toys, hit their brother, scream or generally make life difficult.

Managing attention-seeking behaviors

Oftentimes when children seek attention through their misbehavior we give them exactly what they want, but maybe not in the most constructive way. It's easy to quickly react to these situations by yelling or scolding a child. In doing that, we give them the attention they desire, but we give them negative attention. While children would prefer positive attention over negative attention, they will accept and seek out negative attention if that is all that is offered to them. If the only time an adult pays attention to their child is by yelling or scolding in reaction to negative behaviors, the child is likely to repeat or escalate their actions to continue getting that attention. If we find a way to give the child our attention in a positive, constructive way, everyone can get what they want.

Try these tips from the Michigan State University Extension to manage attention-seeking misbehavior:

Make it positive. Instead of noticing your child's negative behavior, try pointing out something positive. Maybe in the midst of a conflict you can mention how pleased you are that your child picked up all their blocks and tidied the playroom. Shift your child's focus and you can shift their behavior. In this case a child gets the attention they want, but for a positive behavior that you can reinforce.

Change the channel. Sometimes it is hard for children to shift their focus once they have set a goal, like attention! Think of it like being in a tunnel - when your focus is ahead on your goal of getting out the other side, you might miss other opportunities to accomplish the same goal along the way. Try giving attention to your child for something completely unrelated. You could notice their socks are on inside out, point out a squirrel outside or ask them to remind you of the color of their eyes. If you shift their focus away from their negative behavior, then your child is getting the attention they desire in a positive way.

Decode the message. When a child is misbehaving, they are trying to communicate something to you. Try taking a step back and taking a minute to see the situation from your child's point of view. It is easier to address issues in a calm and supportive manner when we understand where someone is coming from. Do a little sleuthing and look for clues that might tell you what your child is feeling. Ask yourself what their motivation could be. Are they tired, hungry, lonely, bored? There may be simple things you can do to discourage misbehavior and make sure your child's needs are met. Maybe your child needs some space, a new activity, a change of scenery or some quality time with you.

Spend quality time. If your child is misbehaving to get attention from you, one of the best things you can do is plan time to give them your undivided attention in positive ways. Load them up with quality time and make sure that you give them lots of attention. Make dinner together, plan a family outing, or snuggle under the blankets reading stories with a flashlight. Whatever you do, do it together!

If you reframe your view of misbehavior as an opportunity to listen to, care for and teach your child, you will be able to model and reinforce positive behaviors patterns, strengthen your communication with your child and increase the quality of your interactions.

For more articles on child development, academic success, parenting and life skill development, please visit the Michigan State University Extension website.

To learn about the positive impact children and families experience due to MSU Extension programs, read our impact report. Additional impact reports, highlighting even more ways Michigan 4-H and MSU Extension positively impacted individuals and communities, can be downloaded from the Michigan 4-H website.
Did you find this article useful?

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Goals of misbehavior - Part 1: Attention

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Why do children misbehave? To communicate? To control? To manipulate? This four-part series will describe the goals of misbehavior, what they mean and how you can effectively respond to them. Why do children misbehave? Is it because they are being disobedient on purpose? Do they not know better?

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Why do children misbehave? To communicate? To control? To manipulate? This four-part series will describe the goals of misbehavior, what they mean and how you can effectively respond to them.

Why do children misbehave? Is it because they are being disobedient on purpose? Do they not know better? Are they not capable of following rules? Is it just to push your buttons? Are they pushing boundaries? Testing limits? Is it just fun?

Sometimes when children misbehave it feels personal, like your child is purposely doing something to you in order to make your life more difficult. In the hustle and bustle of family life, these acts of misconduct might feel like someone is adding fuel to the fire. Many parents do not understand what motivates their children to act this way, especially after they put so much effort into raising hardworking and respectful children. So, why then, do children misbehave?

Think about misbehavior as a method of communication, a child's way of reaching out. Adults have a lot of practice in decoding their own feelings and have learned many different ways of managing and expressing those feelings. Young children are still learning these tools for communication so, instead of saying they are lonely or bored, toys are thrown. The behavior is negative or undesired, but the reasons behind it are not. It's important to remember negative behavior does not make your child "bad." There's a difference between how your child behaves and their character. What they dois not who they are.

Understanding why children misbehave can be a crucial step in positive discipline. Knowing the why will help you figure out the how -how to respond. Just like it is important to recognize an infant's specific cues indicating hunger, tiredness or overstimulation, it is important for parents and caregivers to recognize older children's cues. These cues, often shown through actions instead of words, will tell you how to meet their immediate needs and help teach them positive and effective ways of expressing themselves. Children use behavior to communicate something to you and understanding their reasons behind their behavior can help you not only care for and nurture your child, but help teach them to regulate their own behavior.

One reason children misbehave is power. When children seek power through their behaviors, they are feeling like they don't have any control. To get this need met, children behave in ways to make sure to try to exert their control. They scream "No!," refuse to comply, or throw themselves on the ground when you ask them to put their shoes on.

Whether or not we choose to admit it, everyone wants power. Truthfully, this is not a bad thing. We often associate the word "power" with overbearing, manipulative actions often occurring at the expense of others. In the context of children, power means control.

Children do not yet have the skills and knowledge to have complete power over their lives, otherwise they'd be eating ice cream for dinner every night and wearing flip flops in a blizzard. Control over self is an intrinsic drive, a strong desire to make decisions and complete actions on our own. Take toddlers for instance; with "Me," "No," and "I do it!" as regular parts of their vocabulary, they are verbally expressing this desire for power. As children grow older, they find more direct ways of seeking out control.

Misbehavior for power usually pops up when children feel like they have very little control over what is happening around them. To make up for feeling powerless, children use their behavior to either demand control or simply take it. Examples of these behaviors include ignoring a request, pushing the limits or boundaries or outbursts of anger.

Parents often feel and show strong emotional reactions to displays of power-oriented misbehavior. These actions usually end up with parents feeling angry and they may feel a strong desire to punish the child or to fight back. It is very easy to react quickly to power struggles with strict punishment, scolding or yelling. This is a natural attempt to reassert your control.

Managing power-seeking behaviors

Oftentimes when children seek power through their misbehavior, we dig in and refuse to give it to them. Instead of focusing your energy on protecting your control over your child, try thinking about ways you can give them the power and control that they seek in appropriate and constructive ways.

Try these tips from the Michigan State University Extension to manage power-seeking behavior.

Make it a win-win. Give up the notion of "winning" these situations. When there's a winner, there's also a loser. Do we really want our children to lose, or do we want them to learn? Instead of a competition, think of these as opportunities for teamwork, collaboration and compromise. This is a great chance to teach your child valuable life skills, foster a healthy relationship with open communication and teach them self-control.

Bow out. A tug of war takes two participants. If you refuse to enter into a power struggle with your child, they'll have no one to fight against. Instead of getting sucked into an argument or pushed into reacting, which effectively gives your child the power they are searching for, try these tips for avoiding power struggles.

Give them what they want. Children need opportunities to have control and make choices for themselves, so let them! When you share this power with children on your own terms, you can avoid power struggles. Let them have a vote in what to make for dinner, let them decide whether they want to clean their room or do their homework first. When children have control, they feel useful, valuable and yes, powerful.

When children initiate these power struggles they are seeking out a perfectly acceptable and understandable goal, they are just working towards that goal in the wrong way. When we engage in powers struggles, children get a sense of power from the outcome but they miss out on an opportunity to practice positive and effective life skills necessary for true power, like communication, compromise and collaboration. While we can't let children have complete control over the decisions that affect them, as parents and caregivers it is our duty to help them learn how to use their power wisely.

Remember that misbehaviors are opportunities to listen to, care for and teach your child. Responding appropriately will help you model and reinforce positive behaviors patterns, strengthen your communication with your child and increase the quality of your interactions.

For more articles on child development, academic success, parenting and life skill development, please visit the Michigan State University Extension website.

To learn about the positive impact children and families experience due to MSU Extension programs, read our impact report. Additional impact reports, highlighting even more ways Michigan 4-H and MSU Extension positively impacted individuals and communities, can be downloaded from the Michigan 4-H website.
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Why do children misbehave? To communicate? To control? To manipulate? This four-part series will describe the goals of misbehavior, what they mean and how you can effectively respond to them. Why do children misbehave? Is it because they are being disobedient on purpose? Do they not know better?

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Why do children misbehave? To communicate? To control? To manipulate? This four-part series will describe the goals of misbehavior, what they mean and how you can effectively respond to them.

Why do children misbehave? Is it because they are being disobedient on purpose? Do they not know better? Are they not capable of following rules? Is it just to push your buttons? Are they pushing boundaries? Testing limits? Is it just fun?

Sometimes when children misbehave it feels personal, like your child is purposely doing something to you in order to make your life more difficult. In the hustle and bustle of family life, these acts of misconduct might feel like someone is adding fuel to the fire. Many parents do not understand what motivates their children to act this way, especially after they put so much effort into raising hardworking and respectful children. So, why then, do children misbehave?

Think about misbehavior as a method of communication, a child's way of reaching out. Adults have a lot of practice in decoding their own feelings and have learned many different ways of managing and expressing those feelings. Young children are still learning these tools for communication so, instead of saying they are lonely or bored, toys are thrown. The behavior is negative or undesired, but the reasons behind it are not. It's important to remember negative behavior does not make your child "bad." There's a difference between how your child behaves and their character. What they dois not who they are.

Understanding why children misbehave can be a crucial step in positive discipline. Knowing the why will help you figure out the how -how to respond. Just like it is important to recognize an infant's specific cues indicating hunger, tiredness or overstimulation, it is important for parents and caregivers to recognize older children's cues. These cues, often shown through actions instead of words, will tell you how to meet their immediate needs and help teach them positive and effective ways of expressing themselves. Children use behavior to communicate something to you and understanding their reasons behind their behavior can help you not only care for and nurture your child, but help teach them to regulate their own behavior.

One reason children misbehave is because they are feeling hurt. Ever feel like a child was trying to get back at you for something, like you had a target on your back? Sometimes hurt feelings leads us to lash out at others, even the people who love us most of all.

Children lack detailed understanding of their emotions and what they mean. Combine that with undeveloped communication and social skills and children aren't left with many options to manage feelings of hurt. So instead of addressing them, they throw their hurt onto others. These hurt behaviors will come across as personal attacks, whether direct or indirect.

Children might hurt others unprovoked with words or actions, damage belongings and act with an all-around unpleasantness. In these instances of hurt-motivated behavior, parents and caregivers often feel hurt, angry, and are often left wondering why the child wants to hurt them.

Managing behaviors stemming from hurt

Try these tips from Michigan State University Extension to address hurt-oriented behaviors from children:

Establish boundaries. Work on defining the boundaries of your relationship with your child. You can talk about the importance of respecting people and possessions and how to respectfully communicate with others.

Hug it out. Teach your child that feelings of hurt are a normal part of life. Teach your child that it is OK to express these negative emotions. Give them words to use and work together on ways of identifying and expressing these feelings. When you respond with empathy, your child feels heard and valued.

Be Switzerland. It might be tempting to strike back when your child hurts you, but instead work on keeping the peace. You will show your child how to acknowledge other's feelings and manage tough situations with democracy and dignity.

Teach them to own up. The feelings behind these hurt behaviors are normal, but along with teaching how to express and deal with these feelings, it is important to also teach children to take responsibility for their actions. Whether it is cleaning up a mess they made, repairing or replacing possessions or a simple apology, help your child understand how their actions affect others. Teach them citizenship and respect.

Every parent wants their child to be happy and to build positive relationships with others. In order to do that, we need to teach them how to deal with the tough stuff. Hurt and pain are a part of life and teaching your child not only how to express these feelings, but why it is important and healthy can help turn frowns upside down and better prepare them to handle future hurts.

Remember that misbehaviors are opportunities to listen to, care for and teach your child. Responding appropriately will help you model and reinforce positive behavior patterns, strengthen your communication with your child and increase the quality of your interactions.

For more articles on child development, academic success, parenting and life skill development, please visit the Michigan State University Extension website.

To learn about the positive impact children and families experience due to MSU Extension programs, read our impact report. Additional impact reports, highlighting even more ways Michigan 4-H and MSU Extension positively impacted individuals and communities, can be downloaded from the Michigan 4-H website.
Did you find this article useful?

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Goals of misbehavior - Part 3: Hurt feelings

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Why do children misbehave? To communicate? To control? To manipulate? This four-part series will describe the goals of misbehavior, what they mean and how you can effectively respond to them. Why do children misbehave? Is it because they are being disobedient on purpose? Do they not know better?

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Why do children misbehave? To communicate? To control? To manipulate? This four-part series will describe the goals of misbehavior, what they mean and how you can effectively respond to them.

Why do children misbehave? Is it because they are being disobedient on purpose? Do they not know better? Are they not capable of following rules? Is it just to push your buttons? Are they pushing boundaries? Testing limits? Is it just fun?

Sometimes when children misbehave it feels personal, like your child is purposely doing something to you in order to make your life more difficult. In the hustle and bustle of family life, these acts of misconduct might feel like someone is adding fuel to the fire. Many parents do not understand what motivates their children to act this way, especially after they put so much effort into raising hardworking and respectful children. So, why then, do children misbehave?

Think about misbehavior as a method of communication, a child's way of reaching out. Adults have a lot of practice in decoding their own feelings and have learned many different ways of managing and expressing those feelings. Young children are still learning these tools for communication so, instead of saying they are lonely or bored, toys are thrown. The behavior is negative or undesired, but the reasons behind it are not. It's important to remember negative behavior does not make your child "bad." There's a difference between how your child behaves and their character. What they dois not who they are.

Understanding why children misbehave can be a crucial step in positive discipline. Knowing the why will help you figure out the how -how to respond. Just like it is important to recognize an infant's specific cues indicating hunger, tiredness or overstimulation, it is important for parents and caregivers to recognize older children's cues. These cues, often shown through actions instead of words, will tell you how to meet their immediate needs and help teach them positive and effective ways of expressing themselves. Children use behavior to communicate something to you and understanding their reasons behind their behavior can help you not only care for and nurture your child, but help teach them to regulate their own behavior.

One reason children misbehave is because they are feeling inadequate, like they aren't enough. Everyone feels down once in a while, even young children. Children might misbehave in situations where they aren't feeling good about themselves. They may act out passively by withdrawing or avoiding, like refusing to complete a requested task or participate in an event. To cope with these feelings, many children show a hesitancy to engage because they don't feel like they are good enough.

When children experience these feelings, they might feel unworthy or inferior to others. In order to avoid these uncomfortable feelings and the vulnerability that comes with them, children often act out by displaying withdrawal behaviors, a pessimistic attitude or by putting themselves down.

Children may not have the words or tools necessary to communicate or address these feelings and because no parent or caregiver wants to watch their child feel this way, these situations often make parents feel helpless or discouraged.

Managing behaviors stemming from feelings of inadequacy

Try these tips from Michigan State University Extension to manage behaviors stemming from feelings of inadequacy:

Be responsive and present. Presence and proximity are powerful when it comes to parenting children. When children know you are not only physically close, but that you show them you are present and responsive they feel safe and cared for and they can take advantage of opportunities to seek help or comfort. It's also important for children to know that sometimes it's OK to be alone and address uncomfortable feelings. If your child needs some space, instead of making it a punishment like at time-out, make it a retreat. Suggest they read a book, draw a picture, take a walk or do another activity they find soothing.

Build them up. Remind children why they are so special, important and loved. We don't want to fill children up with false praise, but by noticing and noting the positives - character traits, behaviors and actions - we can help children develop a strong sense of worth. If we help create situations where our children can be successful, we can help them build feelings of self-worth. Try seeking out their expertise by trusting them with an important job or assignment. Help them regain their sense of success and value.

Accept them. No one is perfect, so when we set very high standards for children, they inevitably fail to measure up. Create an environment where it's OK to fail, make mistakes and it is OK to not be perfect. It took Thomas Edison 1,000 failures to invent the light bulb; remind your child that it's OK to fail because that is how you grow and learn.

Sometimes this requires a lot of patience on your part because it is tempting to swoop in and try to solve the problem. By giving your child an opportunity to recognize, feel and understand their emotions, you are preparing them to handle bigger situations they will face as they grow up.

Remember that misbehaviors are opportunities to listen to, care for and teach your child. Responding appropriately will help you model and reinforce positive behavior patterns, strengthen your communication with your child and increase the quality of your interactions.

For more articles on child development, academic success, parenting and life skill development, please visit the Michigan State University Extension website.

To learn about the positive impact children and families experience due to MSU Extension programs, read our impact report. Additional impact reports, highlighting even more ways Michigan 4-H and MSU Extension positively impacted individuals and communities, can be downloaded from the Michigan 4-H website.
Did you find this article useful?

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Goals of misbehavior - Part 4: Inadequacy

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Why do children misbehave? To communicate? To control? To manipulate? This four-part series will describe the goals of misbehavior, what they mean and how you can effectively respond to them. Why do children misbehave? Is it because they are being disobedient on purpose? Do they not know better?

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Behavior Motivation | Behavioral Intervention | Intervention Central

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Behavioral Intervention is a leading strategy to help educators increase classroom productivity by helping with behavior modification

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Adoption and usage

Simple, effective, and surprisingly easy to use

With nearly 30 million users in 80% of US schools, the numbers speak for themselves: students, families, and educators love using Remind.

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Remind | Communication Platform for Education

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Remind is a communication platform that reaches students and families where they are and supports learning wherever it happens. Millions of educators, students, and parents use Remind to connect with the people and resources that help them teach and learn.

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Before School Checklist Master Fall 2020

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A Back-to-School Checklist for Busy Teachers

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Start this list now for a stress-free first day at school.

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To-Do List for Beginning of the School Year

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To-Do List for Beginning of the School Year

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The summer months never seem to last long enough when you're a teacher. It's your time to take a deep breath, and envision how exactly you want your classroom to look next year- virtually and in-person. Though different schools are responding to the pandemic in different ways, everyone is moving towards online learning. Having a back to school teacher checklist and to do list can help make this transition easier.

Because of COVID-19, this year especially is going to look different than usual. We're here to help with a back to school teacher checklist to completely prepare you for the fall- no matter what your classroom may look like.

Read on for how to prepare for a new school year for teachers.

Whether you are teaching fully virtual, fully in the classroom, or in a blended environment (which is a bit of both), we have resources to help you navigate the school year successfully. Follow this back to school teacher checklist, and start your first day of school prepared for anything. We'll cover the following topics in depth-

1. Setting up your classroom

Arrange your room to support healthy and safe classroom operation.

2. Organizing your whiteboard

We cover virtual and in-person whiteboard options for the first day of school for teachers.

3. Checking off resources

Gather the resources you need to organize your curriculum, syllabus, and lessons.

4. Shopping for materials

Download and purchase the materials you need to start the year on the right foot. Don't worry- we include many free options here, too!

5. Creating your teacher website

Create your website to include all the information and resources families need for success.

6. Communicating with families

Forming good relationships is key to solid communication year round.

7. Communicating with administration

Consider what goals and support from administration will set you up for a successful school year.
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Different districts are preparing the return to school this fall in different ways. Many are considering some type of alternating schedule to keep the total number of students in the building down. When thinking about setting up your own classroom, consider the WHO's released guidelines to keep you and your kids healthy. Use the following first days of school checklist when setting up your classroom.

1. Create a hand washing station

Encourage and demonstrate regular hand washing throughout the day. If you don't have a sink in your room, set aside an area for hand sanitizer. Also consider allowing students to go to the hallway bathroom to wash their hands regularly during class time.

2. Create a disinfectant station

All frequently touched surfaces should be wiped down regularly. Set up a place in the room where students can get materials to disinfect their own spaces. Introduce procedures for student cleaning that work for your classroom.

3. Increase air flow when able

Keep the windows open and use air conditioning if you can. If the weather is nice and your lesson allows it, consider holding classes outside occasionally.

4. Distance seating if possible

Keep as much distance between desks as your room allows. Avoid having students face each other in clumped groups.

5. Post signs instructing good hygiene practices
Hang signs detailing proper 20 second hand washing, wearing masks, and encouraging students to stay home if they feel sick. Return to the Table of Contents
Your whiteboard is the first thing students see when they step into your classroom. Not just a space for instruction- it also shares events, student shout-outs, and important reminders. Whether your classroom is fully virtual this year, a blended environment, or mainly in-person, we share ways to think about organizing your whiteboard for the first day.
When your students first sit down in their seats each morning, the whiteboard is the first thing they check. Capturing this effect in the virtual environment takes some creativity. We highly recommend creating a weekly newsletter to send out to students and families every Monday. Instead of them having to check a static site, like your website or the school's learning management system, a personal message from you popping into their inbox gives a cheery (and hard to miss) welcome to the week. Lucidpress is a great tool for creating this. We recommend your newsletter include all of the following items suggested for a whiteboard.
Sharing a calendar of upcoming due dates, units, and lessons helps hold students accountable. Time management is a difficult skill for kids, teens, and (let's be honest) even adults to master. Having students working virtually from their own homes, instead of on a structured bell schedule, adds another layer of difficulty. Constant and frequent reminders of what is expected of them can help them plan their time to get their work done.

For younger students who need additional assistance with time management, create a "parents corner" section of the calendar. Here families can find events, assignment guidelines, and resources for supporting their student's learning.

3. Shout-out student achievements

Everyone wants to have their hard work recognized, and it's no secret that positive, verbal reinforcement strengthens student behavior and achievement. Dedicate a space to sharing exceptional student behaviors and academic achievements.

4. Post weekly curriculum standards and objectives

When you share your content objectives, you provide students with a focused purpose, and you guide your own instructional strategies. Communicating these objectives with families keeps them engaged, and enables them to support student learning at home.

5. Wish students a happy birthday

Building a classroom community is different in the virtual environment, and we aren't able to celebrate birthdays with cupcakes for the class. In some virtual schools, students could go all day without any classmates or teachers even realizing it was their birthday.

Recognize student birthdays every week with a birthday shout out. This also allows students to connect with each other. Students can record and share videos wishing each other happy birthday or you can share a picture of the birthday child. You can also send out a short birthday survey with questions like "How will you celebrate this year?" and "What are you most excited for?" Then, share the responses with the class.
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Having your resources for the upcoming school year prepared and organized all in one place, will save you time and future headaches. Read on for resources including tools and back to school documents for teachers you can prepare ahead of time.

Typically, if you've taught the same class it's easiest to just reuse last year's syllabus. However, if your course is shifting to online, your syllabus needs to be modified to reflect this. It should include-

Provide a content overview. Share what standards and content you'll cover throughout the year, along with required readings and materials. Focus on presenting the content in an engaging way. Include if this course has a state required end of course exam.

2. Create an Online Calendar

Nearly every teacher today needs a planner to keep their head on straight. While paper planners are great, it's important to also have an updated online calendar. This calendar can be shared with your coworkers, as well as students and families. It's essential when trying to schedule virtual calls and conferences.

Google Calendar is free, easy to use, has colorful themes for personalization, and links with a large number of other tools (like youcanbookme and ). is another great, free option that makes scheduling meetings a breeze.

3. Adapt your in-person lessons to virtual ones
Most lessons you've already created can be quickly modified to suit the online environment. Prepping them in advance and organizing them in one place will save you a lot of time later in the school year. Here are quick ways to adapt different lessons:

Record your lectures. You can pre record your lectures with applications like and Screencastify . Share your Powerpoint or presentation screen, and record your voice as you go through it. Both Loom and Screencastify can include an embedded, small shot of yourself, so your students can see your face as you're talking.

Modify discussion activities. In-person discussion activities can be quickly changed to virtual ones with a few softwares. allows students to record themselves replying to your prompt, view each other's videos, and even post video replies. NowComment is a platform for you to post articles and specific passages for students to post written discussions. is a tool allowing you to monitor real-time chatting, polls, and drawing.

Update your projects. If you have a project that is already suited for online learning (like a written essay), upload your instruction sheet to Google Drive and create a shareable link to quickly send to students. If the project was for students to create a paper poster or visual project, they can easily instead make a virtual one with Google Drawings or . Students can also screen record themselves presenting this project with or Screencastify . By the way, check out our free teaching strategy discovery tool.

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Shopping for an online classroom is different than a traditional one, and involves a lot less time ambling down the aisles of Target. Many of the items on your shopping list will be software downloads. However, there is some essential hardware you should pick up, as well. Whether you're prepping for your first day teaching high school, middle, or elementary- we've got you covered.

1. All Content Areas

Notes to PDF scanner. If you have a paper copy of an assignment or signed form you need to upload as a pdf, there are a number of phone apps that make this easy. Genius Scan and CamScanner are two options that are both free to download and use.

A Remind101 account. While GoogleVoice is great for individual texts and calls, you can send mass texts to your whole class at once using . It's free and easy to use.

2. Math

A graphic tablet. Writing solutions to math problems sometimes just isn't possible on a keyboard- you need the flexibility of pen and paper. A solution for this is an electronic pen and tablet. Hook it up to your computer and an online whiteboard like BitPaper , and share your screen with students. While these tablets can be pricey, XP-Pen and Huion have options for around $30.

Desmos is a free online graphing calculator. Not only is it a great resource for students who don't own one, but it also includes digital activities from 6th to 12th grade.

3. Science

TedEd offers a number of free engaging and thoughtful videos across all scientific topics. You can even filter by student level.

Albert. We have high-interest, evidence driven, practice questions with built in differentiation. They are all standards-aligned, ranging from grades 6-12.

CommonLit. A free resource library with over 2,000 standards aligned reading passages and assessments for grades 3-12.

ReadTheory. An online reading comprehension platform that is completely free for teachers.

The National Science Digital Library. Find everything from games and interactives to assessments and full lessons. Meet your particular needs by searching by resource, subject, and standard. All resources are free, and can link to your Google Classroom , if you have one.

Mystery Science provides highly interactive STEM lessons targeted for K-5. Their most popular ones are available for free.

CNN10 (formerly CNN Student News) is a free, ten minute daily newscast targeted for middle and high schoolers. It's an engaging way to quickly cover current events, and includes an interactive trivia question.

NewseumED has free, primary resources for history and social studies. It includes lessons, digital artifacts, edtools and more.

Seterra offers geography games for K-5 students. They are offering free memberships for schools in response to COVID-19.
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4. English Language Arts

5. Social Studies

Having your website up and running on the first day of school for teachers is essential. A good website will support student learning, increase communication with families, and ultimately make your life easier. Instead of receiving multiple questions, calls, and emails all related to the same issue, families can go directly to your website to find the help they need. Your website will become an essential resource for them, and a huge time-saver for you. Follow these steps to create a website that works for you.

1. Choose your website platform

The first step to building your website is deciding where you want to host it. No coding experience required! Many sites have easy-to-navigate interfaces if you're new to creating your own website. , , and are all great choices- and best of all, they're free! Google Classroom and Google Sites are also free, and sync nicely across all other Google web apps.

2. Add your personal information

When creating this section, it's important to include a picture of yourself, and a brief description of who you are as a person (hobbies, experience, etc.). In the online environment, students and families can feel disconnected from you. This is a great place to let them get to know who you are, and put a face to your name. We recommend recording a brief welcome video of yourself here, too!

If a student can't remember your email or phone number, they can head to your website to look it up easily. Remember to also post your available hours, so you aren't getting calls in the middle of your family dinner.

4. Create a resources page

Your website is a great place to house all the supplemental resources and extended activities for your lessons. Include resources to help remediate struggling learners, as well as ones to push the advanced learners further. has an extensive resource library of articles, practice problems, and videos to suit any curriculum and all age groups.
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The calendar on your website allows families to plan ahead and know what to expect. Share due dates, as well as special events. Here is a video for embedding a GoogleCalender into different sites.

And here is one for how to embed your Calendly booking calendar.

The first contact with a new family should always be a positive one. Good relationships between parents and teachers is invaluable in supporting student's learning and well-being throughout the year. Even though you may not be meeting your parents in-person at back to school night, there are a number of virtual, valuable ways to form a strong connection at the beginning of the year.

1. Schedule a welcome call

What are your goals for this school year?
If you're students are struggling to set a goal, possible examples include: making all As, turning everything in on time, or joining in a new club.

What do you like to do for fun outside of school?

What is the best number to reach Mom/Dad? What is the best number to reach the student? Can I text you at these numbers?

During the first week of school, you should set up your first phone or video call with both the student and his/her parents to welcome them to your classroom. This call is essential and incredibly valuable. It allows families to make a personal, individual connection with you.

Avoid doing any actual teaching during this phone call, and focus on making connections and building relationships. Show families you care not just about your student's academic well-being, but about who your student is as a person. This is the time to ask questions like:
The absolute easiest way to organize phone calls or meetings with students and their families is with an online scheduler tool. Instead of going back and forth via email trying to find a time that works for everyone, you just send out the link of your scheduling page, and they choose a time slot. YouCanBookMe is a strong tool for this. It links to your personal calendar (like your Google or Outlook calendar), and automatically blocks off time you are unavailable. You set your available days, hours, and can even consistently block off time for your lunch breaks

Be sure to get their best and most recent contact information while you have them on this phone call.
Your welcome letter should be one of the first emails families receive from you. Below is an example of a teacher welcome letter that you can download. We recommend typing it up and saving it as a PDF attachment- it's easier to format and share this way than typing it up within the body of an email. Be sure to include the following:

Set Expectations. Detail attendance requirements, how many lessons/assignments they should complete each day, behavior expectations for any live classes, how often they should call/email teachers. This is also where you should include the percentage breakdown for grades (ex. Tests are worth 30% of your overall grade, Essays are worth 20%, etc.)

Give Contact Info. The more places you share this information, the better. Remember to include your available hours.

Tips for Success. Include what they should do to be successful in your course. Tips for note-taking, how to use resources, and how much time to spend each day on class work.

How to Complete Daily Assignments. Share how students see what they need to do each day and how to turn it in. If your school is using a Learning Management System, share a video/instructions on how to access it.

Add Personal Touches. Include a photo of yourself, and briefly share your experiences and some personal information. Add fun and encouraging images or GIFs to get your students excited for the school year.

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2. Create an online scheduler

3. Send out a Welcome Letter

The back to school checklist for teachers and administration is extensive. It's best to reach out to your administration before students arrive to prepare yourself for a successful school year. Read on to see the three key topics you want to discuss with them before the first day.
To help yourself grow as an educator in the online field, set at least one professional development goal related to distance learning. TeachHub provides starting goals for you to consider. Some possible suggested goals related to distance learning are: implementing 3-5 new technology tools throughout the school year to improve student engagement, implementing 3-5 technology tools for data collection and analysis, differentiate lessons for different learners with online modifications, and organizing online parent conferences monthly.
1. Set aside time for collaboration with colleagues

Request your administration set aside time and opportunities for purposeful collaboration specifically related to distance learning experiences and tools. No other educators understand what works for your specific student population quite like the other teachers in your school. Collaborating with them, even just informally, to discuss what is working well for them- and what isn't- is incredibly valuable. Maybe someone in the science department has already tried out that particular tool you were thinking of using, and has suggestions for how you can implement it.
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3. Coordinate support on behavior policies

The two biggest student behavior issues in online education are plagiarism and late work. It's much easier for students to copy and paste Googled answers at their home computer, than it is while sitting in your classroom. Students can also fall behind more easily. Create a clear plan to address these consequences with students, and ensure you have support from administration on your policies.
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Preparing to return to school in the fall can be overwhelming. Following our back to school checklist will make your first day run smoothly. Be sure to prepare your whiteboard space, gather your essential resources in advance, and use your administration for support. When preparing your virtual curriculum, use Albert for supplementary and assessment resources.

We hope you found this Back to School Teacher Checklist and To Do List helpful. How are you preparing your classroom for the upcoming school year? In the comments below, your favorite tip for starting the school year off on the right foot.

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Back to School Teacher Checklist and To Do Lists | Albert Resources

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The summer months never seem to last long enough when you're a teacher. It's your time to take a deep breath, and envision how exactly you want your classroom to look next year- virtually and in-person. Though different schools are responding to the pandemic in different ways, everyone is moving towards online learning.

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This piece is to accompany Bullying Basics. Some anti-bullying policies actually do more harm than good. Educators can use the following tips to intervene appropriately when bullying occurs.

Stop the bullying immediately.

Stand between the bullied student and the bully(ies), blocking eye contact. Don't send any bystanders away. To avoid escalating the tension, wait until later to sort out the facts. Talk to the parties involved separately once they are calm.

Refer to school rules regarding bullying.

Speak in a matter-of-fact tone of voice to describe what you heard or saw. Let all students know bullying is always unacceptable.

Support the bullied child.

Do this in a way that allows him or her dignity and to feel safe from retaliation. Make a point to see the child later in private if he or she is upset. Increase supervision to assure bullying is not repeated.

Offer guidance to bystanders.

Let them know how they might appropriately intervene or get help next time. Tell them you noticed their inaction or that you're pleased with the way they tried to help.

Impose immediate consequences.

Wait until all parties have calmed down. Do not require that students apologize or make amends that may be insincere. The consequences should be logical and connected to the offense. A first step could be taking away social privileges i.e. recess or lunch in the cafeteria.

Notify colleagues and parents.

Let the bully know he or she is being watched.

Follow up and intervene as necessary.

Support the bullied child and the bully, enabling them to vent feelings and recognize their own behavior. The bully may need to learn new methods of using his or her power and influence in the classroom.

Do not confuse bullying with conflict.

Bullying is a form of victimization, and addressing it as a "conflict" downplays the negative behavior and the seriousness of the effects. Educators should strive to send the message that "no one deserves to be bullied," and to let the bully know the behavior is wholly inappropriate.

Do not use peer mediation.

It can be very upsetting for a child who has been bullied to face his or her tormentor in mediation. Giving both parties an equal voice can empower the bully and make the bullied student feel worse. In addition, there is no evidence that peer mediation is effective in stopping bullying.

Do not use group treatment for bullies.

Some schools use therapeutic strategies such as anger management, skill-building, empathy-building and self-esteem building to reach the bully. In practice, group members can actually reinforce each others' bullying and antisocial behavior.

Adapted from "Misdirections in Bullying Prevention and Intervention," and other tip sheets by Stop Bullying Now!, a website dedicated to helping youth "take a stand" and "lend a hand."

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This piece is to accompany Bullying Basics. Some anti-bullying policies actually do more harm than good. Educators can use the following tips to intervene appropriately when bullying occurs. Stand between the bullied student and the bully(ies), blocking eye contact. Don't send any bystanders away.

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Plan for Developing a Supportive Classroom Environment

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Plan for Developing a Supportive Classroom Environment

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Program Materials

The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program has three required materials and several additional recommended resources. Find out how to order the materials for your school.

Prepare Your School and Plan to Address Bullying

The Readiness Assessment will help you gauge how prepared your school is to implement the program. The Bullying Questionnaire will tell you how extensive bullying is in your school.

Core Components

The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program is a long-term, system-wide program for change involving program components at four levels: School Level, Classroom Level, Individual Level, and Community Level

Olweus FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions about the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program

OBPP in the News

Browse recent headlines about the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program.

Latest Research

Recent studies have shown how effective the OBPP is in reducing school violence and increasing test scores.

The authors of the OBPP are the leading researchers in bullying prevention.

Dr. Dan Olweus, a research professor of psychology from Norway, is often considered the "pioneer" in bullying research." He has spent several decades researching the issue of bullying to help keep children safe in schools and other settings.

Testimonial Videos

Educators across the country tell how the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program has helped their schools.

Endorsements

The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program is widely recognized by educators and authorities on violence prevention as the leading bullying prevention program available today.

Success Stories

Schools and institutions around the world have implemented the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. Case studies and testimonials illustrate the program's success.

Benefits for Community Institutions

Because the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program is not a curriculum, its core principles, rules, and supportive materials can be adapted for use by any program that children and youth attend on a regular basis, such as after-school programs, camps, or community youth programs.

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Olweus Bullying Prevention Program | Violence Prevention Works

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The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP) is the most researched and best-known bullying prevention program available today. With over thirty-five years of research and successful implementation all over the world, OBPP is a whole-school program that has been proven to prevent or reduce bullying throughout a school setting.

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It is very common for instructors to assume that student shares their own background, but this is not necessarily so. Do you find yourself addressing students as if they all share your social identities?

Learn and use students' names.

Even in large classes, you can start with a few names and build up. At the very least, let students know you are making an effort to do so.

Model inclusive language.

For instance, avoid using masculine pronouns for both males and females. When you use U.S. English idioms, explain them for the benefit of non-native English speakers.

Use multiple and diverse examples.

Multiple examples increase the likelihood of students relating to at least one of them. Take care to include examples that speak to both sexes and that work across cultures.

Establish ground rules for interaction.

This will assure that other students are also being inclusive and respectful. In order to generate maximal buy-in into the ground rules, you can involve the students in the process of establishing them. You will still need to enforce the ground rules and correct students for the occasional non-inclusive or disrespectful comment.

Examine your curriculum.

Are certain perspectives systematically not represented in your course materials (e.g., a course on family focusing only on traditional families, or a course on public policy ignoring race issues)?  Neglecting some issues implies a value judgment (hooks 1994), which can alienate certain groups of students.

Strive to be fair.

Especially in courses with multiple sections and Teaching Assistants, it is crucial to be perceived as fair, both in grading and in implementing course policies. Perceptions of unfairness can induce feelings of learned helplessness (Peterson et al., 1995), which are highly demotivating for students.

Be mindful of low ability cues.

In their efforts to help students, some instructors inadvertently send mixed messages (e.g., "Sure, I'll be happy to help you with this, I know girls have trouble with math"). These cues encourage attributions focused on permanent, uncontrollable causes, which diminish students' self-efficacy. Instead, it is more productive to focus on controllable causes, such as effort.

Provide accommodations for students with disabilities.

Instructors are required by law to provide reasonable accommodations to students with documented disabilities.

Don't ask people to speak for an entire group.

Students of underrepresented identities often report either feeling invisible in class or sticking out like a sore thumb as the token member. This experience is heightened when they are addressed as spokespeople for their whole group and can have implications on performance (Lord & Saenz, 1985).

Practice inclusive classroom behaviors.

Of course, we as educators are not out to intentionally exclude anybody from the educational experience. However, many researchers report small unconscious behaviors - "microaggressions" - that certain student groups experience repeatedly. For instance, women report that instructors tend to interrupt them more often than men, ignore them more often, call on them less often, ask them more recall questions and less analytical questions, acknowledge their contributions less, and build on their answers less (Hall, 1982).  These microaggressions add up and have a highly discouraging effect on those students.

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It is very common for instructors to assume that student shares their own background, but this is not necessarily so. Do you find yourself addressing students as if they all share your social identities? Even in large classes, you can start with a few names and build up.

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Marie Willard - ABC Data Collection Tool

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A supportive and equitable environment in all classrooms serves as a platform for all academic, social and emotional learning. At the core of a supportive classroom is a caring, engaging teacher who establishes authentic trusting relationships with each student.

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The Role of Educators in Preventing and Responding to Child Abuse and Neglect

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The Role of Educators in Preventing and Responding to Child Abuse and Neglect

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Procedures, Routines, and Time Management

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Procedures, Routines, and Time Management

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I developed my procedures with the intention of developing a classroom community where everyone can feel included, safe, and important. I want my students to be actively involved in helping to maintain our community values in our classroom, so I developed my plan with this factor in mind. I also took into consideration techniques that will reduce time to maintain as much lesson time as possible. I intend to implement these procedures by discussing, modeling, and practicing (and re-practicing) until our procedures become a routine.

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FSA Data Analysis & Diagnosis Assignment_Willard

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Modified ESOL Vocabulary Lesson Plan Assignment and Reflection_Willard (2) (1)

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Modified ESOL Speaking Lesson Plan and Reflection_Willard