Very Good Grasshopper

So...being new to 4th grade classroom management has been something that has kept me up at night.  Not that my students are running around like wild little monkeys! I actually think I have very good classroom management, but I've never really had a set tool that was used in the classroom.

Some of my fellow nut jobs...er...4th grade teachers use a positive/negative system.  At first I really didn't like the idea. (Mainly because there was a lot to keep up with!)

But then a fellow (super) blogger came to my rescue. It's like she jumped into her phonebooth, changed into her red and blue pajamas, and saved me from the ledge I was dangling from! Well...not really like that, but close.

Ginger Snaps posted about a website called Class Dojo.

It is a classroom management tool that works through their website that can be projected for the whole class to see. But the interactiveness (is that a word?) is not the coolest thing about it.  This site is most awesome because I can give positives and negatives through my phone and it will *bing* up on the screen!! I don't have to say a word!

(Not real students!)

If a student is on task I simply select that student and give them a positive for being on task and it will show up on the SmartBoard. That way the students can see who is getting the positive and for what. The past two mornings have been wonderful! Whenever my LBKs get a little off task I simply pick one that is working hard and give them a positive and everyone settles down. Not a single word was spoken. (It's really fun to do it when I'm outside of the classroom!)

Not only does it do all this but check out the weekly report I can print off and send home...

There are some improvements that need to be made but my initial review is that this is a wonderful tool for classroom management. I'll let you know what I think a few weeks from now.

Until next time,

Mr. A


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