Well how-do-you-do all you lot Not So Wimpy fans!! I cannot fifty-fifty start out to tell you lot how excited I am to hold upwards a invitee blogger on the Not So Wimpy blog. I am Amanda Quisenberry together with I learn third flat for a wonderful schoolhouse inward West Texas (GO PIRATES). I am married together with convey 3 fantastic kids who are growing upwards way likewise fast. I am but starting my fifth twelvemonth inward the classroom, together with I yet can’t believe how blessed I am to learn to create what I create everyday.
I never sentiment inward i 1000000 (word form) years that I would ever hold upwards asked to write for Jamie’s blog. Why you lot ask? First of all, I DON’T WRITE. Anything, ever. I almost didn’t apply for graduate schoolhouse because the 500 give-and-take attempt totally freaked me out. However, if you lot learn inward Texas, together with then you lot are familiar amongst T-TESS together with all that that implies.
Anywho, my personal goal this twelvemonth is to implement Writer’s Workshop, which is why I stumbled upon Jamie’s spider web log i sunny twenty-four hours inward June, together with my life has non been the same since. Seriously, instantly I truly impress things inward color. I also sentiment if I aspect my kids to write, together with then I gauge I improve write, too. So when Jamie asked for people to submit our names together with ideas, I jumped at the chance. With both feet. Into sub null waters. Without a life jacket.
But I made it, together with I am hither to tell you lot all virtually how I utilize flexible seating inward my classroom.
Many teachers shudder at the sentiment of flexible seating. I did likewise at i point, but I am hither to tell you, if it is done right, it tin flaming hold upwards a game changer. Let’s learn dorsum to July 2016 when I showtime jumped on the flexible seating bandwagon. I bought truly cute chairs from Target together with a distich of yoga balls. I stuck those suckers out at that spot together with called it done. Sounds good, right? What could peradventure hold upwards incorrect amongst this scenario.
Ummmm, WHAT IS RIGHT WITH THIS SCENARIO?!? For starters, I did non position whatever type of scheme into identify for who was going to learn to sit down inward the fun seats together with when. I mean, they are mature third graders, they should hold upwards able to grip this. Let’s but tell that within 2 weeks I had given all the “fun” (notice my utilization of quotations this time) seats away.
However, I was boundary together with determined to honour a way to brand it work. I obsessed all summertime long virtually how to implement a functional flexible seating organization for the novel schoolhouse twelvemonth together with yesteryear golly, I retrieve I’ve got it.
Some may retrieve the most of import constituent mightiness hold upwards the actual seating, but for me, that was the easiest to tackle. I kept seven desks equally is, took the legs off 3 desks, bought some tike friendly beach chairs on clearance at Target, 3 lap desks from Michael’s, together with flora a fun circular tabular array inward storage at my school. Flexible seating options done!!
Now, what create I create amongst all of this? Anyone who knows me volition in all likelihood tell you lot I am uber organized together with structured thus the sentiment of NOT having assigned seats was something I could non wind my encephalon around. How create I contend who sits where? What create I create amongst those kids who but aren’t making the right choice? Do I learn rid of all my desks? So many questions together with thus few answers.
Last year, our schoolhouse stopped using SmartBoards together with this was how I held my kids accountable for taking their ain attendance. I am pretty certainly I was belatedly on attendance everyday. You see, prior to that, my kids all had a balloon that they could “pop” when they arrived. Whoever’s balloon wasn’t popped was absent, together with I desperately wanted to learn dorsum to the kids doing something to grade their attendance. The solely sentiment that kept coming to me was clothespins. And together with then it hitting me similar my third pregnancy did.
Why non combine attendance amongst the powerfulness for the kids to guide their ain seats? Thus the Flexible Seating together with Attendance nautical chart was born. I am taking suggestions for a improve name.
Here are some of the pictures from the nautical chart that is hanging inward my room. I truly convey 5 other choices equally well, but I figured you lot would learn the sentiment amongst but these pictures. As you lot tin flaming see, at that spot is a painting present of that alternative amongst the rules a educatee is expected to follow if they guide that seat. The numbers stand upwards for how many kids tin flaming pick that choice. Each educatee has a clothespin amongst his or her scream on it that is clipped to the left side of the chart.
The nautical chart hangs right within my door thus the showtime matter the kids create when they come upwards inward in the mornings is motion their clip over to the other side together with identify it on a number to present they are introduce together with what seating alternative they are choosing for that day. If someone comes inward together with wants the RelaxiRug but both numbers are covered, together with then that alternative is non longer available. Bummer. This has truly worked neat for me. I convey non had whatever issues amongst kids moving other kids clips or fighting over seats.
At my schoolhouse the doors opened upwards for students to come upwards into the edifice at 7:15. For those kids that brand it that early, they must learn sit down inward the cafeteria until the showtime bell rings at 7:45. Now, I create convey some kids whose parents present upwards right around 7:40 together with they are allowed to but hang out at the entrance until the bells rings.
What this agency is that those kids who convey been hither since 7:15 don’t truly learn showtime choice. The kids that come upwards downward from the cafeteria are commonly the concluding ones inward the room, together with they learn the less-fun leftovers. I sentiment long together with difficult on how to grip this situation.
At first, I was using Class Dojo to randomly pick 2 people at the halt of the twenty-four hours to learn ahead together with brand a alternative for the adjacent day. That worked, but i twenty-four hours piece the kids were getting the room cleaned upwards together with getting create to learn home, I had 2 sweetness friends who were doing everything the way they were supposed to. They had gone through the checklist of Stack together with Pack Procedures, done them all, together with were sitting quietly at their spots showing me they were create to go.
So gauge who gets showtime alternative now? You got it. The showtime 2 people to Stack together with Pack correctly together with sit down at their spots quietly learn to guide their seats for the adjacent day. It plant similar a charm. For instantly at least. I am certainly I volition demand to come upwards up amongst something to a greater extent than creative inward the future.
Community supplies, community supplies, community supplies. Need I tell it i to a greater extent than time? We utilize community supplies inward my classroom together with it keeps the mess downward to a minimum. My kids convey certainly items they know they are supposed to proceed at their desk every twenty-four hours (box amongst pencils together with crayons, Unfinished Work folder, binder, together with IPads) together with cypher else. I am ever real specific amongst how I desire things to hold upwards left when nosotros work upwards to learn somewhere.
Once everyone is lined up, I depository fiscal establishment jibe around the room together with if anyone’s spot is messy, they convey to learn build clean it upwards earlier nosotros tin flaming learn anywhere. I was a stickler virtually this the showtime 2 weeks together with instantly I rarely convey to inquire anyone to learn dorsum together with straighten their spot up.
These are but a few examples of how my kids are expected to learn out their spots when nosotros learn somewhere. I cannot fifty-fifty start out to tell you lot how much this has helped proceed desks together with lockers cleaned out together with decluttered. For those kids who are sitting at a traditional desk, they convey to build clean their materials out everyday because at that spot is no guarantee they volition sit down at that spot i time again tomorrow.
I am but virtually finished, but I also wanted to portion my Refocus Desk amongst all you lot patient readers. This is precisely what it sounds like. If I convey a educatee who is non making the best choices, or but isn’t staying on task, he or she volition learn to the Refocus Desk for 10 minutes. After that 10 minutes, they are allowed to learn dorsum to their seats.
However, if they convey to brand some other trip the the Refocus Desk, they volition lose costless alternative for the adjacent day. Now, I wishing I could tell you lot if this truly plant or non but I can’t. I convey never had to post anyone to the Refocus Desk to a greater extent than than i time inward a day. The kids realize real speedily that it is non a fun spot to be. So hey, I gauge it does work. Woohoo!!
I learn out you lot amongst pictures of my kiddos enjoying their seating. I promise that I convey enlightened you lot a piffling virtually flexible seating. It doesn’t convey to hold upwards a monster, but tin flaming hold upwards if non approached amongst a well, sentiment out plan. I would also similar to give thank you lot Jamie Sears for this incredible chance to measuring out of my box together with trusting me to create it.
Thanks for reading,
Amanda
