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30. Room Moms
Room Moms (or Dads) are important to your classroom. They will usually take over parties, celebrations and events. They will often coordinate door decorations, holiday games, and act as a liaison between the teacher and the parents in the class. The younger the children are in your class, the more volunteers you will have for a Room Mom. Kindergarten and first grade parents often compete for this job while fifth grade teachers often have to beg someone to take it. If you have more than one volunteer, choose carefully. You want someone who is organized, respected by teachers and parents, and committed to helping without interfering. That’s a tall order. Sometimes the Room Mom is so helpful to the teacher that she almost feels entitled to information that is protected by FERPA or offers to give you information she found out at the hair salon about the marriage of Suzy’s parents. You need this person in your classroom but approach with caution, maintaining a professional boundary.
Please don’t forget to include your PEC parents. They appreciate being asked to participate in an activity in their child’s class. It can give them a sense of “belonging” in the school setting, which may have been a challenge to navigate with their PEC child.
Pamela Webster, M. Ed., SPED
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29. Wish Lists
Parents are deeply invested in what goes on in your classroom. If you make an Amazon wish list and put things on there that you could use in your classroom, most likely those things will be purchased by a parent and delivered to your classroom. There are parents with a lot of flexibility who will have more time for volunteering and parents who have jobs that require them to be away from the classroom. Those who can’t spend time in your room will often spend money on your classroom. Be sure to value both. If you are in a school affected by poverty, make a Wish List and share it with your own friends and family. You will still be able to get some of the things you need for building your learning nest without having to spend your whole paycheck funding your classroom. When I was teaching children who were affected by poverty, I would often share on social media that I had a student who needed a new pair of shoes or a backpack or a school uniform. Someone with resources to share always came through for me.
Also, if you aren’t aware, the only person who will give you more for your classroom than a parent is a grandparent. Don’t leave them out of the equation. First they have plenty of time to go searching for what you need and typically can’t think of a single better thing on which to spend their money. I would routinely send out a “fishing” email to my parent/grandparent list. It would say that I was going to need 6 screwdrivers, 6 screws, 4 blocks of wood and an inclined plane for an upcoming lesson. I was just wondering if anyone had those things I might borrow. About an hour later, a grandpa waltzed into the school carrying a bag from Home Depot with every single thing on the list. In another instance, I sent out an email asking if anyone had a butter churn we could borrow for a lesson I was planning. One grandparent wrote back, “I’m currently bidding on one on ebay. Please don’t bid against me.”
One morning I woke up and realized that it was October and I had already gone through the substantial number of pencils I had bought at the Back-to-School sales. I just posted a plea on social media that if anyone works at a bank or real estate office that has a surplus of pencils, I was in desperate need and I would come pick them up if they could give me some. About four times during that day, the secretary called my room to tell me that I had a delivery. Parents of children I taught a decade ago brought me pencils. Friends I had in high school brought me pencils. The lady I sold my house to the previous year brought me pencils. Y’all, it was raining pencils. Children use pencils. Children abuse pencils. Children lose pencils. Don’t become frustrated or angry, just give them a dang pencil. If you run out of all your pencils in your stash, allow other people to be blessed by helping you and your classroom. Money is tight, if not nonexistent in most schools. If you don’t have family and friends who are able to help you out with the expenses involved in operating a classroom, I highly recommend applying for grants such as donorschoose, teach.com, and inspirationforinstruction.com. There are dozens of local, state and national grants to help fund classrooms. To not apply is to let the money go unspent.
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28. When a Student is Moving Away
When a student is moving away, she will be sure and tell you before it is her last day. I could always sense the angst of a student who was acclimated to our classroom when she thought about starting over in a new place where she knew no one. One thing I implemented that seemed to be very appreciated was to have all of the students write letters to a new student in her new class and I would write a letter to the teacher. We would be sure to include all of the positive attributes about that child, including what extra curricular activities she enjoyed. I would tell the teacher that the child was helpful, trustworthy, and kind. The children typically included details like she is a wicked chess player or she should be on your quiz bowl team. I always included my email so if the new teacher needed to reach out to me, I could help her. More often than not, the child took the large envelope full of letters to the new teacher on her first day at her new school. It was like having all her classmates with her when she entered a brand new school. The new students all got a piece of unexpected mail. The teacher would sometimes send an email about the delay in transferring school records but often she would respond that she loved the idea and wanted to send her moving students off with a stack of letters, too! I always read what the children wrote to prevent anyone from being sarcastic or thinking they were funny. I never sealed up the envelope because I imagined the child reading all the letters over and over during the move until she took the envelope to school on her first day. It was a small gesture for us but a huge comfort to that one child.
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27. Field Trips
My dissertation research explored what constituted lasting learning. I discovered that students remembered immersive experiences and especially field trips. Where you go on a field trip is not the only venue for learning that day. Children will be responsible for staying with their group. They will negotiate relationships with friends while riding the bus. They will manage their spending money, if they have any opportunity to purchase souvenirs. They will eat all their lunch or save a snack for the long ride home. All of that is before any of the curricular objectives are introduced. Kids love field trips! It is great to get away from the school and experience something first hand. Here’s what you need to know; field trips are a LOT of work for the teacher. Some schools have standardized field trips for each grade level while others rely only on what the teacher plans. There are about a million forms to fill out, approval to gain, and plans for paying the expenses related to the trip before you ever even mention it to your students. If your school does not have standard field trips for each grade level, consider planning one local and one out-of-town trip each school year. If you are in a school affected by poverty, you can often ask business or community sponsors to help cover the expenses. The answer is always no until you ask.
Schools affected by poverty are often excluded from field trips because of the daunting problem of how to pay for a trip when the parents can’t contribute. In this age of technology, don’t underestimate all the places you can take your class virtually. You can plan activities that resemble field trips and virtually go see the Sistine Chapel, or the pyramids in Egypt. Get them excited about it. Tell the students, “We are going on a field trip tomorrow to Egypt to study the pyramids! Don’t worry, you won’t miss your bus.”
Virtual field trips do not replace the full experience but it is a reasonable solution for children whose only option is to view the pyramids in a book. Most museums have virtual online tours so if you want to visit the Smithsonian, the Louvre or the space station, there are tons of options available for free to give your students the virtual field trip experience.
Sadly, there are some schools and districts that have eliminated leaving the campus altogether. Usually the prohibition has come about because of poor decisions made by the professionals in charge on some previous trip. Also, there is liability to consider as well as compromised instructional time. If you are in a school or district that does not allow field trips, consider bringing the field trip to your classroom. There are some traveling animal exhibits sponsored by local museums and there are always historians with an enviable collection of Revolutionary War relics that love to have a captive audience to talk about their collections. There are more ways to give students an immersive experience even if you are not allowed to leave the campus.
If there are limitations in your school district about leaving campus for field trips, look at the resources available in your local community. Firemen, Policemen & many other community helpers will come to your classroom, grade level or entire school, if you ask. Many of the parents in your building are great resources as well. There are Certified Therapy Dogs in every community and they love to come to schools and “work”. Therapy Dogs are known for the emotional support and calming effect they have on learners of all ages. Our Therapy Dog, Lucy & I have been in schools , nursing homes & hope to be able to go back into hospitals soon. Most communities have “Storytellers” connected to their local libraries. Invite them into your classroom.
What constitutes lasting learning? You can create these immersive , hands on, interactive experiences without ever leaving your campus. Be creative and open in imagining the possibilities. Ask your students who they would like to meet and what they would like to learn. There are farmers in every community who will bring equipment, farm machinery and farm animals to your campus, if you invite them. Invite a sanitation driver and his truck to visit your students ( this will require a little more research, but it is possible). Imagine the possibilities…….
Pamela Webster, M. Ed., SPED
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24. Indulge Culture
It is kind of a bonus if you have some beautiful diversity among your students. In most classes, there are children who speak other languages, children who subscribe to different faiths, and children from multiple races and cultures. Honor every culture represented by making a child your resident expert on Jewish traditions, Muslim holidays, Buddhist beliefs, African holidays etc. Those children love to share their traditions with children who want to learn so make your classroom a safe place to explore other cultures and beliefs.
Holidays are a great time to introduce your students to other faiths of students on your roll. Children were always curious about the Muslim hijab worn by a student but were too afraid to ask. Opening the lines of communication where the students can ask the questions and have them answered without being scolded for drawing attention to another student’s differences is a tremendous learning opportunity for everyone. When you have a Jewish child, or Indian child or even a military child who has lived in another country, be sure to seize the opportunities to let that child teach you and your students about their holidays and beliefs and answer your questions in a safe environment.
When my child was about four years old, we saw a man in the grocery store wearing a silk kurta. In a loud voice, he asked, “Mom, why is that man wearing his pajamas at Kroger?” I was horrified and talked to him all the way home about not drawing attention to someone whose cultural garments we don’t recognize. The lesson I was teaching him was that it was not okay to have questions about cultural dress because it embarrassed me. I am sure that other parents have done the same thing, which is why children are hesitant to ask the questions in your classroom.
Whatever faith you claim as your own, be very careful how it impacts your classroom. The moment of silence is for everyone to personally reflect or silently pray as they see fit but it is not okay for you to proselytize for any religion in a public school.
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25. Stay. In. Your. Lane.
Minding your own business is a full time job. Stay employed. You don’t have the time to hang out in the teacher’s work room and learn who is going through a divorce, who has been flirting with the PE coach or how that teacher lost so much weight. Yes, gossip is alive in every workplace and a school is no exception. Every year when it came time to vote for Teacher of the Year, I always struggled because the fact is, I don’t know anything about someone else’s practice. We all stay in our own rooms teaching all day so how am I really supposed to know who is implementing cutting edge technology or differentiating instruction? In the brief few minutes per day that we have to meet with our colleagues or at lunch, be very intentional about your conversation. Only say quotable things. Gossip, especially among colleagues who work together every day, is a dangerous and slippery slope. If you listen to it, or worse, repeat it, you can be sure that you are the subject of the gossip when you are not present. It is hard to criticize someone who can’t be quoted saying or doing something disreputable. Be very aware that people are quick to believe bad things they hear about good people, including you. Regardless, do you know who is silently struggling with something right now? Literally everybody. Don’t blow on that fire.
One of the consequences of engaging in gossip is that it can very easily be about children; the same children who are likely to land on your roll one year. Remember how you are planning to give every child a new chance? It is hard to do when you are influenced by all the information you gained when he was in Mrs. Green’s class last year. You can’t unhear those appraisals. The same goes for parents. There are children who are perfectly delightful to have in your class but they can come attached to a parent who creates anxiety for the teacher. That is a parent you handle with care. Communicate. Be positive. Remain professional. If you do all that, it will make it easier for you to get through the year.
Yes, children come to school and tell you everything that is going on at home. Know the difference between gossipy information and something that needs reporting. If you suspect abuse, neglect, or endangerment, you are a mandated reporter. If you are uncomfortable making the report, a counselor or administrator can help you navigate that situation.
If a staff person shared something personal with me that was private, they knew I would not share it with anyone. My motto was…”Its; not mine to share.” I know this was frustrating on more than one occasion with others, but, they also knew they could count on me not to share whatever they chose to tell me.
Pamela Webster, M. Ed., SPED
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26. Fire Drills
Go ahead and plan on it. You will have one fire drill per month that you teach school unless you don’t do it correctly, then you will have more than one a month. Fire drills are as predictable as the National Anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance. Older children know the drill while younger children may be frightened by the noise and brisk activity. This is one of the things you should discuss on the first day of school so that students will understand the expectation for a fire drill.
I recommend that you have a small drawstring bag on a hook by the classroom door that you pick up as you exit your classroom. Most schools issue teachers a red or green card so that teachers can hold up green to signify that everyone is accounted for and red if someone is missing. It is a routine way of communicating that you have all your children with you. I would also suggest that you include a student roster and copies of your emergency cards that contain parent names and phone numbers for the unlikely event that you are not immediately allowed back inside your classroom. It is also a good idea to have some basic first aid supplies like bandages and ointment.
Children are so trainable for emergency protocol because in addition to regular fire drills, we also have severe weather drills (though not as frequently). Each school usually has a string of codes that signify something that requires your attention. Code red could mean stay out of the hallway, code green could mean there is an unwanted visitor in the office, code yellow could mean there is a medical emergency. These codes vary from school to school. Most of the codes require you to lock your door and cover the windows and keep the children in your classroom until you get further notification. Because these codes are used rarely, you may want to have a list on an index card under your keyboard so you always have a quick reference. When a code is called, there is no time to go across to Mrs. Smith’s room and ask her what is going on. It is a sign to take immediate action. You can learn whatever you need to know after the event is over.
For PEC students, fire drills can be one of the worst experiences they have in school. To begin with they are VERY loud and unexpected. It’s a major disruption in an otherwise routine school day. A fire drill can blow the whole day for one of our students….the extreme noise, the confusion of rushing around, going outside with the rest of the school, etc. I would always ask the school administration and office staff to give me a warning before the fire drill, so I could prepare for it with my students who needed that extra support. I heard an adult in his 30’s who was on the Autism Spectrum ( ASD) speak at a conference once and he told us what it was like for him when there was a fire drill in his elementary school. He said it took him almost two full days to calm and reset his sensory system from the shock and disruption of the unexpected alarm blaring in the hallway outside of his classroom. He said that he often got a cold or was sick after fire drill day because his immune system was so depleted from trying to survive the shock to his system of the fire drill alarm.
Be an advocate for your PEC students and explain to your administrative staff “why” you need to know ahead of time before they pull the alarm. It’s the right thing to do.
Pamela Webster, M. Ed., SPED
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23. Allergies and Medical Needs
Allergies are no joke. When I was in school, I don’t remember any student being catered to for any specific dietary needs but times have changed. If a child is allergic to peanuts and is offered peanut butter cookies as a snack, you could have an epi-pen emergency on your hands. It is your responsibility to make all parents in the class aware of any allergies in your class so they can be aware when they send in snacks. The parents of children with special dietary restrictions are usually very good about making you aware of the danger of allergens. Be sure you post a warning outside your classroom door as well as tell all of the other teachers who work with your children about certain allergies or dietary restrictions. There are children in classrooms who are not allergic but are vegetarian or restrict certain foods that are offered in the lunchroom for religious reasons . Early in the year, have a private conversation with every child with certain dietary restrictions or allergies and tell them you want to respect their needs but you will depend on them to also not take something they know they don’t normally eat. You and the child can be accountability partners. You are not going to force anything on a child and he is not going to try and sneak to eat something that is forbidden. Usually kids with allergies are very aware of the foods they need to avoid and are good about letting you know when something being offered is restricted for them. While you will not likely offer a student a forbidden food, sometimes another child may accidentally forget. My experience is that the allergic child is very good about monitoring foods he didn’t bring from home.
In addition to allergies, I have had insulin dependent diabetic children, asthmatic children who needed regular breathing treatments and even a child in a motorized wheelchair who came with his own personal para pro to help him navigate the building. These children have specific medical needs that you must take care of if the need arises. The school nurse is aware of these issues and is usually very helpful with understanding what is an emergency and what is not. Most school age children have learned to recognize the warning signs. A diabetic child may need a cracker or peppermint if his blood sugar drops or may feel the need to check his blood sugar with his own testing device at an unusual interval. Be sure to be sensitive to all of those children with medical needs and tell the child to not hesitate when he feels the need to get up and check his blood sugar. Mothers of children with specific medical needs are usually very good about sending in the medication, equipment, or even foods or juice that the child might need during the day. Aside from candy or juice, all medical equipment and medication must be kept in the nurse’s office.
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22. Restroom Protocol
Arguably, this is the least desirable thing a teacher is required to do in the daily performance of her duties. Nobody likes to take children to the restroom. First, you have to monitor the restroom and the children to prevent mischief from happening there. Second, you have to walk a line of children to the restroom, wait for them to use the facilities, remind them to wash their hands, and walk them back. That is fifteen golden minutes that most teachers could use more effectively. One of the most frustrating things about taking children to the restroom is for them to not even go inside the walls but to immediately stand in the line to return, because you can be sure that within a few minutes of returning to the classroom, that hand shoots up and asks to go to the restroom. The days of taking a hall pass and going to the restroom alone are gone. Now there is more pressure than ever for a teacher to maintain visual contact with every child every minute of the day so if that is the rule in your school, children can’t be sent alone to the restroom. I never thought I would see the day that I would stand in front of a classroom with a cup of water explaining how a bladder works to a group of children but here we are. I articulate that our bodies are machines that are constantly processing the food we eat and the water we drink into energy. That which is not necessary for creating energy is what we leave in the restroom. I pour a little water in the cup and ask the students if it is full. They all say no. I can continue to add more and more water but when the cup is full I will absolutely have to empty the cup. In fact, the fuller the cup, the more emptying it becomes an uncomfortable emergency. I go ahead and tell them the times of day they will be going to the restroom. I tell them the same reason their mom makes everyone use the restroom before you head out on a long trip is to preserve the travel time, we are going to do the same thing with our instructional time. When we go to the restroom, you are expected to empty your bladder whether or not it is full. Doing so will just give us a longer time before we all have to go again. Nobody wants to be the student that a teacher and twenty-two friends have to walk to the restroom and wait for him to use it when we all just went. As disgusting as this conversation is, have it. It could save you hours of frustration throughout the year.
For our PEC students, this could be an entirely different conversation. I have had several multi handicapped students ( in wheelchairs) over the years who had urinary catheters which were used to drain the bladder. All schools now have a nurse, who will support these students, but “back in the day”, we did not. A PEC staff person had to be trained in this procedure.
In addition, I have had many students over the years who had “ toileting schedules”. I took them several times before lunch and several times after lunch( these times were literally written out on his/her schedule). At the school I spent most of my teaching career at, we had two restrooms available in the walkway that connected two separate classrooms. This made the “toileting schedule” easier to implement. Be sure to include the PEC staff and necessary medical staff if you have special needs learners with these issues.
Pamela Webster, M. Ed., SPED
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21. Consider
Consider. I love this word. Instead of telling someone what to do, I ask them to consider something else. It softens a command to a request. It is effective for teachers, students, and parents. Instead of telling a parent, “You need to have a certain time every day to read to your child,” say “Consider creating a time and space for you to spend time focusing on reading with your child. Before you know it, your child will be reading to you!” Somehow, just the word consider makes all the difference. Instead of telling a child, “Put that book away. This is math time,” say “Consider reading that book during the appropriate time.” Instead of telling your coworkers that you want them to all do the same art project in February, say, “Can we consider all doing this project together?” Using the word consider transfers a command to more of a request and for some people, that makes all the difference.
I learned a great technique many years ago from a veteran teacher, and have used it successfully with learners of all ages, as well as parents, friends and family members. I found it very effective to tell a child that…”I need your help with something. Can you help me figure out…..” Learners of all ages appreciate being asked to be part of the solution, as much as they enjoy knowing that you need “their help”. It shifts the “position of power or the position of authority” to a level playing field where it can be a “win-win” for all involved.
Pamela Webster, M. Ed., SPED
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Fire Drills 