April 17, 2015: Journal Entry # 7

Journal Entry 7

What are the school/classroom rules and how are they enforced?

What are the procedures the teacher uses to make everything run smoothly in class?

         Mrs. Nuttal had a very specific schedule for her class and rules. All of the student knew the rules and schedule though. One of the biggest rules was a rule for Mrs. Nuttall her self. The rule was to always be consistent, to not left things slide with the kids, no matter how small. She said that this was vital because if she ever did let them slide even the little things, its would grow and grow and become a problem, the kids would begin to loose their respect for her and think they can get away with much more. The rules I noticed in Mrs Nuttall's class were all pretty simple, but it kept the class going, some of her rules were, walking in a straight line, not speaking out of turn. They students always had to tell her something they learned before they went to recess and went home. 

           Many rules in Mrs Nuttall's class were very specific to each student. Some students that struggled with focusing and got angry or frustrated fast, she would pull them aside and talk about the routine of the day and asked how they were and just prepared them for the day. I am thinking of a specific little girl she did this with. The little girl has 3 strikes a day, if she reached those 3 strike, the parents would find out and she would have to sit out of an activity or out of the class. 

           Mrs. Nuttall used several things to help her classroom rune smoothly, but one of the biggest things she did that was for every student was punch cards and earning marbles. I loved these 2 ideas because it helped students individually and as a class. The punch cards were little card they each had with 20 boxes on them. Every time Mrs Nuttall saw a student on task, or getting to the rug early, she would say "I caught you" and give them a sticker, when the punch card was fun they earned prize. Then the class as a whole could earn marbles she could place in a mason jar, when the mason jar was full they would earn a party.