Today started out a little hectic due to a planned all school evacuation. This morning we had to practice quickly leaving the building and going down to the Community Center for safety. The students did a great job, but this kind of start to the day throws off our routine and routine is so important! We spend a lot of time building up our routines for all aspects of our day. One of our routines is "What do I do if I'm done?" If the students are working on an assignment and finish before it is time to move on to another subject or activity, they have learned to "make a quiet choice." These include: read out of your book box, shop for books in our classroom library, write out of your binder, write or draw in your notebook, sharpen your pencils, or organize your desk. With all of these choices, there is always something to do that won't take away from the work time of others.
After students finish their handwriting, I come around to each student to check it over. Instead of just sitting and waiting for me, they are instructed to push their booklet to the corner of their desk and make a quiet choice. As handwriting time was coming to an end today, I was so happy to look around the very quiet classroom to see that EVERYONE had made an excellent quiet choice without any reminders. Many students were in the library shopping for books and quietly discussing their choices. Others had taken their book box to a spot in the classroom to read. A few more students were drawing in their notebooks and organizing their new reading binder pouches. To look around and see everyone doing their job makes for such a peaceful and happy place to be!
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