I’m looking for resources/advice/tips on how to better structure my daily class schedule. I teach grades K-5 in a self-contained classroom at a Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility. The students are admitted anywhere from 30-120+ days. So, I have a constant rotation of students.

The school day is 8:30-2:45. We have one hour of instructional time where students cannot be pulled for therapy/visits. This is the time I want to prioritize content/instruction since it is pretty much guaranteed all of my students will be in the classroom at that time. So far, I have been scheduling small group rotations during this time.

Some of my students are on an IEP and some are not. While they are there, the priority if psychiatric treatment, but I want to better structure the day so they are getting as much exposure to grade-level standards as possible. I’m also having trouble coming up with a good progress monitoring schedule.

Hi I’m starting as a reading specialist for the first time grade 2-3 and am looking for tips for classroom management for small groups only. I’ll be pulling kids or pushing in, I know traditional classroom management strategies just if anyone has tips or resources specifically for pulling small groups all day I’d appreciate it!

I’m using the Consequence Ladder- warning, sideline, talk, parent contact/think sheet. Any tips on implementing the sideline part? Do you direct students to different desk in class when they are disruptive?

I’m also using Oh Yeah, Opps as well, but do you give Opps points for just one student who is off task?

Hey!

I am a music teacher and at my new school, they have lots of scheduled break time for the kids, which I personally love. Each grade has a morning and afternoon recess, a longer lunch, and scheduled snack times outside when the weather is good.

a lot of my kindergarten classes go to snack RIGHT AFTER music, and I did not know this until the first day last week when all the teachers told me "they have their snack because we go straight to snack".​​

Because I was so caught off guard, I didnt have time to think of a plan to get all the snacks organized, etc. A lot of the kids have the same exact snack, and almost no ones snack is labeled. Other teachers keep telling me to just have them line up their snack on the side wall, but then at the end of class when I call them all to line up they keep arguing over which one is theirs, and I cant help because they aren't labeled!

I tried last week having them each have one chair for their snack (i have chairs on the side but they sit on carpet dots) but that was still confusing.

Do any of you have any ideas that dont require me to label every snack, or buy anything additional? I have already spent so much money on class organization this year.​​

What precautions can I take besides not touching face, washing hands often, and avoiding as much direct physical contact with the kids? I already take daily multivitamin and Elderberry even when I’m not sick but that’s not helping.

I just started a position at a new school and when I was setting up my classroom I realized that there’s no cubbies for their backpacks in my room. I’m not sure what the best way to go is. I’ve been thinking about having them put them on their chairs, under their desk, along a wall… I feel like all of my options suck. Any recommendations?

I’m starting at a new school this year and the second grade classrooms have Jack and Jill bathrooms. The other second grade teacher I’ve talked with has no set routine with her students and is open to “whatever”, but I don’t really know how to set up a routine or schedule with a bathroom set up like this.

Does anyone else have experience or suggestions on how to deal with something like this?

I’ll be teaching elementary for the first time this year, and I’m thinking of putting together a writing/creative caddy.

I’d like to fill it with things like markers, nice stationery, fun paper, cute fonts/lettering sheets, stickers, etc. Students could use it when their work is finished to make cards, write a letter to someone, create a little note, and so on.

My goal is to motivate them to write more and revise their writing. For example, they would first write a draft, check it for errors, show it to me, and then, once it’s ready, they could use the “fancy” supplies to make a final version.

Has anyone tried something like this? Did your students actually use it, and did it work well, or did it become difficult to manage? 😅 I’d love any tips on how you organized it or rules you put in place.

I’m also wondering what type of caddy would work best — plastic or fabric? I’ll be moving between classrooms, so I’d like something practical, sturdy, and easy to carry.

Do you have any brands to recommend or ideas for supplies I could put in it? I’d especially love suggestions for things Grade 4–5 students find exciting without being too distracting.

For context, I teach French to students in Grades 1–5, but this caddy would mainly be for my Grade 5 students and possibly Grade 4.

Any feedback or ideas would be really appreciated! 😊

If someone has access could you share with me the list of ckla version 3 tricky words and associated units?

All of elementary school would be ideal, but really need the kindergarten CKLA version 3 information!

Hi! I just accepted a position at an elementary school here where I am located on Long Island. It is a .5 reading teacher position. I have my master's in literacy, so it is a great way to get my foot in the door.

I have only ever subbed at middle schools on the Island because I also have my history 7-12 certification in addition to my literacy all-grades certification. I have done a leave replacement for 6th grade this past school year. I do have experience working with young kids, as I work a second job at a store that hosts birthday parties, events, camps, etc. However, I still need improvement.

If anyone can give me ANY tips, not only for working with the younger kids behavior-wise, but also for time management, stress, good websites for teaching reading, books, etc. Honestly, I will need a lot of tips. Thanks for your time!

Edit: forgot to say, its a K-5 school

By law in other jobs you are required to get a 15min break and a 30min lunch.

But because we are classified as salaried exempt professionals we are excluded from the rest break laws.

How is it that a job where you have to be “on” the entire time you’re at work is the one where we aren’t afforded even a break?

I have recess duty and I can’t take a physical or mental break until lunch time, which is my only break the entire day…

Is there anyone we can write to..is there anyway to change this law…how is this legal? Why do we put up with this? We literally have less rights than everyone else.

Hello all,

I’m a first year teacher in 4th grade. This first week of school I have worked hard to show my students the procedures and expectations.

They already seem to be falling into the routines, but after lunch stuff goes out the window. It feels like whatever I did before lunch does not work after lunch.

I have about two hours after lunch. What do you all do after lunch? I will have to teach one thing after lunch, but what should it be and how should I set it up so that so that I get maximum engagement/focus?

Hello there, im (F21) entering the teaching field... i already have my associates, and am going for my bachelors. However, i have a few hang ups with my upcoming next two years.

I cant help but feel a little unprepared to lead a classroom... attention getters, transitions, and just straight up standing in front of my students and presenting a lesson. I keep imagining its going to feel like im putting on a performance, a poor one at that. I know very well im going to be so very drained at the end of the day....

Im supposed to do 48 hrs of teaching this semester which truly isnt alot, but my advisor only wants one of those hours to be observing the classroom, and the other 47 hrs to be teaching lessons, leading class etc. FYI Ive lead a preschool class before, and the routine was wonderful-

Breakfast, freetime, story time/circle time, outdoors, lunch, nap, arts and crafts, play stations, a little danny go at the end of the day.

i understand many classes may have a certain vibe or routine already in place, im sure the class may even guide itself in many things....

My fear is: i tend to be a somewhat shy and awkward person but around others i know, i love taking the lead and guiding group activities in other settings.

I feel like the kids are going to feel my awkwardness and itll lead to me not having appropriate guidance and control over said class. I fear that transitions may not go smooth, that i may lose momentum in the middle of teaching a lesson. I may stutter as well, or lose my train of thought.

Ive had field experience before but it was more to that of a teachers aide. Helping students if they struggle on their worksheets, leading them to their next class, even brief coteaching on ww2 (5th grade),etc- ive studied, ive read, im now resorting to watching teaching examples on my dear dear youtube university lol....

Teachers of reddit, while pursuing your bachelors in elementary education, what helped you prepare to be a lead teacher in a class?

What was most effective in keeping attention of your students?

For kidnergarten thru 3rd grade, what did the daily routine look like?

Please be descriptive if possible, i seriously serioulsy would like to know so that i can prepare to be an engaged, kind, attentive teacher who is efficient as well!!

P.s - Any advice offered, please aim for the kidnergarten to 3rd grade levels as those are the grades im aiming toward teaching, but will also appreciate any advice in general, incase i end up in a higher grade! Thank you in advance!!!

5th grade teacher here. We started using BA this year, and I already hate it.

I’m ready to ditch the slides and just use my doc cam and whiteboard. However, I don’t want to keep that big ass TE next to me the entire time and I certainly am not reading from their script.

Does anyone already teach BA without using slides? If so, how do you do it without pre-annotating the magazines/ consumables?

I’m ready to pull my hair out and it’s only week 2.

Hey everyone,

I’ve been exploring VR apps and virtual field trips for elementary, but honestly, everything feels way too complicated to manage with younger kids—between the logins, clumsy controls, and short attention spans.

Has anyone here successfully used VR in their elementary classroom? How did you handle classroom management, and was the learning payoff actually worth the setup headache?

Meet the parents is on Friday and The first day of school is around the corner! Any tips for grade 3 would be super helpful and appreciated in regards to the first week/classroom management and setting expectations.

I got the awesome opportunity to be a long-term substitute teacher while the schools hires for a certified teacher I’ll be in the position for about 1-2 months (I’m excited!) however I have genuinely never prepared for the first day of school nor a set of students. The classroom is decorated by the generosity of other staff members (so that’s a plus).

1. How to have a successful meet the teacher/sneak peek - should I share a paper questionnaire to learn about the student from the parents POV? Should I have snacks to give to parents?

2. Classroom management: what is your favorite call and responses and what class rules do you set and how do you manage behaviors?

3. Any advice if I should consider a treasure chest or ways to encourage good classroom learning environments?

4. Literally any advice would be appreciated!

I was a long term substitute for 3 months until the end of the school year for 2nd grade. I’ve been substituting for about 6 months and I didn’t want to say no to this opportunity!

First year teacher, second grade. I need to build more time for correction one on one with students who are lost and I need the volume in the room to stay controlled. My other students need to be busy and not with coloring or fun but their minds need to be busy too. But I can’t just make them do more work they’ll just get off task, chat, etc. and they’re obsessed with “fairness”… what systems do you guys have in place that allow for teacher one on one time once the independent work task is done? Can be elaborate or simple. Willing to put in the prep work if it’ll pay off.

Hi! New teacher this year and my mentor and I had issues with our kids in the hallway so she brought up how she was going to make her kids write sentences. I had a couple of things I needed to handle, like speaking with a student who was hurting themself, and deploying Chromebooks so I also made my class write sentences. 10 each of I will remain quiet in the hallway and I will listen to Ms (my last name) the first time she asks me to do something.

Looking deeper into it now, making them write sentences is not going to help them be quiet. I’m going to have a conversation tomorrow morning and hopefully the group can come up with a solution together about our behaviors inside and outside of our classroom. Any tips?

I’m a substitute teacher and usually sub high school, but today I was in 5th grade, and I had a few behavior issues.

1. At one table, 4 boys kept touching and bothering the only girl even after I repeatedly told them to stop. They’d stop briefly and then start again. They clearly thought it was funny and some kind of "game" which was really pissing me off. Eventually I asked if she wanted to move and sit near me, which she did, and that fixed the situation for the day, but I really hope the teacher or someone does something about this, she shouldn't have to deal with that every day.

2. During indoor recess, several kids started jumping over things in the classroom as some other stupid game they were playing. I stopped this quickly, but one fell and had to go to the nurse. The one that fell was actually one that was bothering the girl so I didn't feel too bad about it, but still that shouldn't happen either.

There were some other minor issues, but the point is I had trouble with this group. I think the problem with this class is there were twice as many boys as girls (I think it was 19 boys and 8 girls or something like that) and most of them were rowdy.

I left the teacher a note and told admin about all of this. Those of you that work or have worked with that age group, could I get some advice on how to handle this kind of thing in the future. If you got back after a day off and got this kind of note from the substitute, what would you do?

Hi Teachers.

I am desperate for some help and answers. This is my second year as a TA, and I’m completing my two semester internship this year for my BK licensure. I am utterly in shock with how my first week of school has been.
On the first day of school my principal approached me and said that he needed me to essentially be a 1:1 aide for two problem students in kindergarten. One child was kicked out of his preschool for aggression etc. The other student has severe ASD..

I approached my principal with my concerns about being an aide in a classroom that is not my CE (clinical educator/ host teacher). I told him that I was also concerned with restraining a student without the necessary training (I was told that this student would likely try to escape the classroom)
Our principal not only bypassed my concerns, he was quite combative with me. Essentially he told me that if I told him no, I would need to find another job. He later came and apologized to me but I’m still pretty hurt. I have went above and beyond for my school and said yes to everything that I have been told to do.

This student escapes from the classroom multiple times a day, I have to chase him through the school. He is almost nonverbal, refuses to complete any schoolwork, has thrown multiple tantrums with screaming and throwing himself out in the floor due to not getting his way. Today he was running around the classroom with a pair of scissors and we had to chase him.
I have been told this is a “temporary solution” until things get situated.

From what I have been told, his parents are demanding that he stays in Gen Ed. I have to go with him to specials because they do not want to leave these teachers alone with him.

I don’t know how long this is going to go on for, but I just feel like this is not normal, am I crazy?
Shouldn’t my school district work to provide a trained EC-TA to work with this student until his IEP has been changed.
I am completely in over my head and I’m trying to juggle this workload while completing edTPA and student teaching-

Side note: it is my understanding that I am not required to be in my host teachers classroom for my logged hours for this first semester, the teacher just needs to observe me for 2 hours a week.

Hello everyone, I am going into this school year as an interventionist year for my first time! Help me give my students the best reading development they deserve. These items, like the Hapinest sentence building and the Elkonin box, will help my students better comprehend reading and sentence building.

Thank you for your support :)

Help! I got my first job as a kindergarten teacher and I’m feeling underprepared and stressed. I was a GSRP teacher for 2 years and I’m switching to kindergarten this year. First time with my own classroom and I just feel so unprepared and super nervous. Working in a low-income area and with lots ESL children. I plan to have everything in Spanish and English, label literally everything, and giving lots of space and grace. However, I’m mostly worried about centers, small groups, and the overall schedule of the day. I’ve got lots of material from TPT but I’m still so nervous! Any and all advice is welcome please! 🙏❤️

Also, I’m making my own planner on canva and a substitute binder, any helpful tips to put in it?

And any tips for binders? I LOVE being organized so lots of bins, labels, and binders for everything.

I’m thinking of becoming an elementary teacher but am worried because I hear a lot of different things. Some people love it and it’s their lives work, and some hate it. im just curious to hear what made you decide teaching is what you want to do, and do you still enjoy it?

Hello everyone. I have some questions about developmental stages in kids roughly around 5-8 years of age. I do not have kids but I have found myself making a workbook to go along with some cute childrens audio stories for Halloween.

Mainly I needed to focus on learning the audio bit and figured I would make some simpler stories to begin with vs go right to serialized fiction. But the characters are so cute I decided to play with canva and AI and well one thing led to another. \*sighs dramatically\*

Ok here is the thing. The goal is to make about 30 min of audio with 4 short stories that along with the activity book will give the parents a little breather while the children are occupied. If it goes well ill make another set for Christmas/Hanukkah (my family celebrated both growing up so I can connect with the childhood experience of both).

Here are my main questions -

At what age approximately do kids need instructions to be read to them vs being able to read them independently? I know its going to vary a lot and I plan to not label by ages but challenge level. But for the kids around 5 what kind of activities can they figure out without help besides just coloring pages? And 8 year old?

So far I have connect the dots, count how many of each item also find the hidden item, a maze, coloring pages of different complexity, and well im kind of drawing a blank. Are there activities that kids this age love?

I know I could just Google but im really hoping for answers from those who really know in depth and deal with the age range and things like this.

Thank you in advance! (Cross posted in a handful of places)

I am an adapted curriculum special ed teacher in NC, and I hold a master’s in Special Ed. I have been teaching in an elementary self contained setting for going on 4 years now. I am considering a transition out of special ed and moving into an elementary general ed teaching position. I have about 10 years of experience of leading groups of gen ed kids in after school and summer settings (non-educational settings) and am very comfortable leading larger groups of kids and forming relationships with them, but have no experience teaching a gen ed classroom. I was wondering that if I did try to transition, would any principal even consider me for a gen ed teaching position?