Heidi: This is episode 235 of Teacher Approved.
You're listening to Teacher Approved, the podcast helping
educators elevate what matters and simplify the rest. I'm
Heidi.
Emily: And I'm Emily. We're the creators behind Second Story
Window, where we give research based and teacher approved
strategies that make teaching less stressful and more
effective. You can check out the show notes and resources from
each episode at secondstorywindow.net.
Heidi: We're so glad you're tuning in today. Let's get to
the show.
Emily: Hey there. Thanks for joining us today. In today's
episode, we're discussing four strategies to help maintain the
calm despite all of December's chaos, and we have a teacher
approved tip for designing the perfect reward system for your
class.
Heidi: Let's start with a try it tomorrow, where we share a quick
win that you can try in your classroom right away. Emily,
what is our suggestion for this week?
Emily: This is a fun one. It's called a procedure mystery
photo. So you just take photos of your classroom procedures,
maybe snap a picture of how books should look in the book
bin, or what a properly organized desk looks like, or
how students should line up at the door. Then you show these
photos to your class and have them guess which procedure is
being modeled. You can even turn it into a little game, like zoom
way in on the photo so it only shows part of the whole picture.
Take a screenshot, and then zoom out a bit and repeat the
process. Then you have a series of photos that get progressively
easier. So you start by showing the grainy, zoomed in photo, and
challenge students to guess it before you reveal the full
photo.
Heidi: I feel like this is like a game show game like, you get
more points the more zoomed in the photo is.
Emily: For sure.
Heidi: And this is kind of sneaky brilliant because you're
reviewing expectations, but it really does feel like
entertainment. And if you do this in November or December,
you are setting yourself up to hit the ground running in
January, because five minutes of reviewing procedures today can
save you 30 minutes of having to redirect everyone in January.
Emily: Oh, yeah. So grab your phone, take a few pictures and
try it out. Super simple.
Heidi: If you like this idea or anything else we share here on
the podcast, would you take a second and give a five star
rating? Ratings and reviews are one way that new listeners find
us, so it really is a huge help to us.
Emily: If you're listening the day this episode comes out,
welcome to December. Can you believe it? We're here.
Heidi: It doesn't feel possible. And you know how December goes.
Winter Break feels so close, and yet it is still so far away.
You're probably counting down the days while simultaneously
trying to keep your students from bouncing off the walls.
Emily: And you are not alone. So let's just acknowledge that at
some point this month, almost every teacher looks around the
room and thinks, I give up. My kids are off the rails.
Heidi: Yeah, there comes a day where the normal management
strategies that carried you through September and October
and most of November are just not cutting it anymore.
Emily: But it really doesn't have to be like this. You can
keep the calm even in December.
Heidi: Okay, but like, let's manage expectations up front. We
are not promising perfection. There's only so much you can do
when there's an assembly every other day and your students are
just zipping around the room like cartoon characters, but
with the right strategies, you can prevent total chaos.
Emily: Behavior management in December really comes down to
finding that balance between structure and spark. Of course,
in December, spark is basically pouring through the doorway, so
we gotta balance that flood, and our students need us to provide
structure, to keep the energy balanced.
Heidi: So today we're going to walk you through four ways to
increase the structure in your room, and these don't require
you to turn into the Grinch. We're talking about keeping your
expectations alive, maintaining your routines, using structured,
festive fun and adding short term rewards when you need a
boost.
Emily: Alright, so let's jump in with the most important thing
you can do to manage behavior in December, and that is to keep
your expectations alive. When those kids are extra chatty and
you're running on caffeine and Christmas cookies, this might
not seem like much of a solution, but it really is a
powerful way to keep structure strong despite all of that extra
spark.
Heidi: Now, again, you know December's still going to
December. You're going to have to adjust to some extra
chattiness and some extra wiggles, but if in September,
you wouldn't accept students calling out during a lesson,
don't accept it now just because December's feeling crazy
already.
Emily: And this is so simple to implement, all you need is a
daily check in. Start by finding a spot for this in your day. You
can add it to your morning meeting if you have one, just
take a minute at the end to review an expectation for the
day. Today let's review our list of recess rules.
Heidi: Or you could use transitions for this. Before you
head to the library, pause and say, Okay, let's talk about what
respectful hallway behavior looks like. What should we be
doing?
Emily: Now if things have gotten really off track, or if you've
skipped this in September, you might need to do some co
creating of expectations with your students. This works really
well for those times of day that are causing the biggest
headaches right now. So pick one of those trouble spots and you
gather everyone for a quick discussion.
Heidi: And really, this can be quick. So let's say enrichment
rotations have become a disaster. Students are getting
loud in the hallway, touching stuff that isn't theirs, taking
forever to rotate the next bathroom. Ugh, I can feel it. So
you make a T chart, or you pull up a blank slide and title it
enrichment rotations, and then ask students, if everyone is
being respectful and responsible during rotations, what will it
look like?
Emily: So easy, the kids will just share their ideas and you
write them down, and then you ask what it should sound like,
probably silence or whisper voices in the hallway.
Heidi: This type of T chart discussion works really well
with younger kids. If you teach the older ones, they might roll
their eyes a bit, but you can just make this more of a simple
discussion. Just ask what's working well during math centers
and what could be smoother, and then list their responses.
Emily: And then, once you've made your list of expectations,
keep reviewing them. Before you go to the library tomorrow, grab
that chart and spend 60 seconds going over it. Remember, in the
library we use walking feet and whisper voices. Look at our list
and pick one thing to focus on extra hard today.
Heidi: Then you have your students turn and tell a
neighbor which expectation they're going to focus extra
hard on. Of course you want them to do all of them, but what are
they really going to focus on? That way, they've made a little
commitment to themselves, and their buddy can help remind
them.
Emily: In our December teacher survival kit, there are pages
you can edit to include your behavior expectations and blank
T charts to fill out with your students. If you use the
survival kit in the past, make sure to download the updated
version so that you get all these new pages.
Heidi: Yeah, that's problem with us and digital products, because
we can just tweak them forever and ever, and we probably will.
Emily: Yep.
Heidi: You can find a link to the survival kit in the show
notes, and that will help you get started with your December
behavior management plan. Keep those expectations alive through
quick daily check ins and visible posted guidelines.
Emily: And this whole process doesn't have to take a ton of
time, but doing it consistently will make a big difference in
your students' behavior.
Heidi: Okay, now that you're keeping expectations alive,
let's talk about maintaining your regular routines. This is
such a powerful way to disperse all that excess spark, but it
does take extra work this time of year.
Emily: Yeah, that's because we're in those swiss cheese
weeks that we always talk about, and that's when the calendar is
full of holes. Maybe you've got an assembly on Monday, a concert
on Wednesday, early dismissal on Friday, and half your class is
out sick or traveling.
Heidi: Oh, yeah, December is no joke. You technically have five
days of school, but it's more like a hodgepodge of lessons
between festive interruptions, and that's where the swiss
cheese strategy comes in. Instead of fighting the chaos,
we are going to work with it.
Emily: Right. So here's the framework we're going to use.
First, protect your mornings. Even if the rest of your day is
as mixed up as laundry tumbling in the dryer, do everything in
your power to keep your mornings as normal as possible. The more
disrupted your schedule, the more your students need the
predictability of your routines.
Heidi: We really cannot overstate the importance of
this. Guard this time fiercely. If your morning is off balance,
the rest of the day is going to be much harder to manage, but if
you can maintain a calm, predictable morning, it's much
easier to keep everyone on track, even if there are
disruptions later on.
Emily: When kids start the day calm and grounded, that
foundation carries them through whatever weirdness is going to
come later.
Heidi: Yeah, but you know when your morning is off balance?
Good luck.
Emily: So look at whatever disruption is coming and decide,
how can I protect my morning? If there's an afternoon assembly,
great, keep your morning routine exactly as it normally is.
Heidi: Now, on those days when there's a morning interruption,
it gets trickier. Keep things as normal as you can but remember,
you can always reset later. You can come back from an assembly
at 10:30 and do morning meeting then if that is what it takes to
channel that energy in your room.
Emily: The second part of the swiss cheese strategy is to keep
your routines consistent, even if the content changes. So you
still do math during math time. You still do writing during
writing time, but maybe instead of teaching a new concept,
you're doing review.
Heidi: Or, you know, instead of your regular writing lesson,
everyone does a seasonal writing craft. The consistency of, we do
writing at 11:15, helps students feel safe and grounded. Even
though the activity might be different, the rhythm of the day
is staying the same.
Emily: So do your best to keep the when and how consistent,
even if the what changes. This consistency gives students the
support they need to make positive choices. It signals to
their nervous systems that today is still a normal day, even if
there's a lot going on.
Heidi: Now, an important part of surviving December is having the
right mindset. Remind yourself that these swiss cheese weeks
are not going to be your most productive weeks.
Emily: Unfortunately, no, and that is okay. Go back to last
week's episode where we talked about must do's. Make sure you
know exactly what content you need to cover before winter
break, and prioritize getting those lessons in, even if you
have to get a little creative to make it work.
Heidi: Now, outside of your must do's anything else you manage to
get done is a bonus. Your goal right now is not to power
through your curriculum. It's to keep everyone calm and engaged
through a busy, spark filled season.
Emily: And hopefully not get behind so you can start back in
January without having to play catch up.
Heidi: Now, when the frustration starts to mount, and it will,
take a deep breath and remind yourself that this is normal.
Given all of the chaos, things are actually probably going
better than you think.
Emily: So to sum this up, when your week turns into swiss
cheese, structure is your stabilizer. Protect those
mornings, keep the rhythm of the day, even if the song changes.
Heidi: Alright. Now, you know what might actually save
December? Adding more novelty to what's already going on.
Emily: And you may be thinking, we've lost our minds, but truly,
sometimes the best way to fight fire is with fire, and sometimes
the best way to manage classroom spark is with more spark.
Heidi: Okay, but the key to all of this is to use the motivation
of novelty to increase structure, and that's where
festive breaks come in. We love these.
Emily: Festive breaks are short, low prep, seasonal activities
that you control. We're talking 5 to 10 minutes of fun that give
kids something to look forward to and gives you leverage.
Heidi: So you might say something like, if everyone
works quietly on this assignment for 15 minutes, we will do a
festive break. But if talking starts, I will have to reset the
timer.
Emily: That one sentence gives instant structure. Kids know
exactly what's expected, and they're motivated to do it.
Heidi: Plus, this takes all the emotion out of your management.
You aren't nagging, you're not reminding. The system is
managing the behavior for you.
Emily: And the great thing is, festive breaks can be so simple.
It can be flashlight reading, a short video, directed drawings,
a favorite game, or a quick craft. Honestly, anything quick
and seasonal feels like a festive break.
Heidi: Now, you know we're looking out for you, so if you
want this already done for you, we have a whole system waiting
for you in our shop. It includes cute holiday themed cards that
you can display to increase interest, and on the back of
each card, you can just write down a fun activity.
Emily: Our festive break pack includes a bunch of Print and Go
no prep activities like Tic Tac Toe, unfoldable joke tellers,
things that are fun but they're not going to spike anyone's
adrenaline.
Heidi: Yeah, we worked really hard to come up with chill fun.
Chill fun is kind of our zone, isn't it? Once kids have met
your goal, maybe they came back from library with a good report
from the librarian, then a student gets to choose one of
the cards. The surprise factor keeps kids interested in earning
the reward.
Emily: And then in the teacher's guide, we've included several
suggestions for how to display the cards. You can hang the
cards on a string, tape them to the board, or draw them out of a
hat, whatever fits your vibe.
Heidi: And one thing we love is combining festive breaks with a
work packet. Remember last week when we talked about those?
They're just basically a stack of review worksheets organized
around a theme, with a few just for fun pages mixed in.
Emily: So you give your students the packet to work on, calm,
structured focus, and then you add the festive breaks as little
bursts of excitement, work, break, work, break. That rhythm
keeps engagement high and chaos low.
Heidi: And bonus, when students are working on their packets,
you get a little pocket of prep time. You can tackle some
teacher tasks or start getting ready for January.
Emily: We talked a lot more about maximizing those pockets
of prep In last week's episode. So definitely check that out if
you haven't already.
Heidi: Alright, so far you are working hard to keep your
expectations alive. You are protecting your calm mornings,
and you're sprinkling in fun with festive breaks. But what if
that is not enough?
Emily: This is where a reward system might be helpful. Now,
normally, we are not huge fans of reward systems, at least not
for day to day classroom management.
Heidi: No, but that's not because rewards are bad. It's
because rewards don't work in the long term. Students get used
to them, the novelty wears off, and then you are stuck in the
cycle of having to constantly up the ante. And if your whole
management plan relies on rewards, you're going to be
burned out well before April.
Emily: Right. But in high energy times like December, a short
term, that's key here, a short term reward system can be
exactly what you need to boost structure and motivation. It
gives students a reason to push through all the distractions and
stay focused. And actually, Heidi, didn't you use a reward
system one December when things were really chaotic?
Heidi: Oh yeah, this is one of my clearest teacher memories. It
was a Friday afternoon in mid December, and we had everything
go wrong that day—you know, an assembly, the snowstorm rolling
in, I'm pretty sure it was a full moon. I was standing in my
classroom feeling completely helpless, surrounded by Lord of
the Flies. But after school, instead of collapsing on my
couch like I wanted to, I dragged myself to the craft
store.
Emily: I'm impressed that you made it to the store after that
kind of day, especially because I know the craft store was not
that close in those days.
Heidi: It was not. I was desperate, Emily. I grabbed a
cardboard reindeer banner, I disassembled it, and then I
stuck a red pom pom on one of the noses. And as I'm thinking
about it, I don't know if I went to the craft store with that in
mind, I think I was just like, I need something that's going to
get the kids engaged, something I could use to make a reward
system out of. And those reindeer fit the bill. So on
Monday, I introduced the new system. If my students made
helpful choices, they would earn one of those reindeer cutouts.
When we had all nine reindeer, including the one with the pom
pom nose, of course, we got to include Rudolph, they earned a
fun surprise.
Emily: And how did it work?
Heidi: Oh, gosh, it was like magic. Suddenly, I had my
September class back. They were focused, making good choices,
and reminding each other to stay on track.
Emily: And the thing to keep in mind with that story is that it
wasn't the reindeer that made the difference. It was the
increased structure that the reindeer provided.
Heidi: Yeah, exactly. The novelty of December was so high
that my students needed that boost of extra structure to
counteract the overflowing energy.
Emily: So if you're thinking about adding a reward system,
there are a few things to keep in mind. First, we recommend
making it class wide. When everyone is working toward the
same goal, students will help keep each other on track because
they want that reward.
Heidi: That might not seem important, but it's the key to
all of this. It means that you don't have to be the enforcer.
You just calmly walk toward the reward board, and your students
will self correct immediately, and they will help each other
get back on track.
Emily: Oh yes, they will. Now an effective reward system also
needs to be visible. So maybe you are adding letters to spell
out movie day, or you're adding pieces to a puzzle or marbles to
a jar.
Heidi: When kids can see their progress, that's what keeps them
motivated to keep working toward their goal.
Emily: And then, this might be controversial, but we think it
helps. The system needs to allow for progress to be lost as well
as earned. So if behavior goes off the rails, you can remove a
letter or take out a marble, because this is going to help
with that peer accountability.
Heidi: So when you're choosing rewards, pick something that
will actually be motivating for your students. Since it's
December, you might need to go bigger than you would in
October—a glow in the dark party, hot chocolate and a
movie, extra recess, whatever your kids would work for, makes
a great reward.
Emily: And the nice thing about doing this before a break is
there's an automatic end date built into it. You don't have to
worry about how you're going to transition out of this reward
system. The kids will come back in January, and then you can
just start fresh. They probably won't even remember that you
ever did that.
Heidi: That'll be old news by then.
Emily: Yep.
Heidi: In our teacher approved tip in this episode, we're
diving deeper into how to choose the right kind of reward system
for your specific class, but for now, just know that rewards can
be a helpful tool when everything else feels chaotic
and you need extra structure.
Emily: And if you want the reindeer reward system for your
own class, you're in luck, because we have that available.
It includes pictures and prize cards and a complete Teacher's
Guide with all the important details to walk you through it.
You can find a link to that in the show notes.
Heidi: And that reindeer reward system comes as part of a larger
December behavior help set. So we've got lots of different
systems if you want something for individual students or teams
or multiple whole class rewards. So you can change things up mid
month, because after you reindeer rewards for a little
bit, the motivation to keep going tanks. You know how it
goes.
Emily: Yeah, for sure, that's exactly what happens. So we gave
you all the options, and you can find a link to that in our show
notes.
Heidi: Show notes are hopping today.
Okay, so let's recap our four strategies for keeping the calm
in December. First, keep your expectations alive with daily
check ins, visible posted guidelines and quick reviews
before tricky transitions.
Emily: Second, maintain your routines. Be sure to protect
your mornings and keep the when and how of your schedule
consistent, even if the what has to change.
Heidi: Third, use structured fun. Festive breaks give you
leverage for behavior while channeling that December
excitement into focus,
Emily: And fourth, add rewards when you need a boost, a class
wide visible system can provide exactly the structure you need
to get through the chaos.
Heidi: December doesn't have to be survival mode. With the right
balance of structure and spark, you can keep your class focused
and maybe even enjoy this season.
Emily: We'd love to hear your tips for managing December
behavior. Come join the conversation in our teacher
approved Facebook group. Now for our Teacher Approved Tip of the
Week, where we share an actionable tip to help you
elevate what matters and simplify the rest. This week's
teacher approved tip is reflect on what you need before starting
a new reward system. Tell us more about it, Heidi.
Heidi: Well, if you are thinking of launching a reward system
this month, just be aware that not all reward systems are
created equal. For a reward to be effective at shaping
behavior, it has to target the correct behaviors. So don't jump
in without at least a few minutes of reflection.
Emily: But we've got you covered, of course. The December
teacher survival kit has a journal page that walks you
through this decision making process. There are 12 questions
that help you figure out exactly what kind of system would make
sense for your students.
Heidi: Now we don't have time to go through all 12 right now, but
we can hit the big ones. So first, you need to think about
what behaviors you're hoping your reward system will increase
and what behaviors you're hoping to decrease.
Emily: Once you're clear on your goals, then you can decide, will
a whole group system work best? A small group system, individual
or some combination?
Heidi: We've mostly been talking about whole group rewards this
episode, where everyone is working toward one shared
reward. This works really well when you have a general on task
behavior goal that you're working toward.
Emily: And we prefer whole group rewards because they can help
build your classroom community. But small group rewards are a
great way to increase competition, and they may boost
student buy in.
Heidi: Small group rewards could be something like table points
or team challenges. If a whole group reward system isn't
motivating enough, you can up the stakes by awarding table
points. That competition can get kids to buy in very quickly.
Emily: Individual reward systems are for when you need to target
very specific behaviors for specific students. Use them when
they're needed, but they probably won't help much with
general classroom behavior in December.
Heidi: Once you've decided what reward system you need, then you
need to think about the format. Are you doing tickets, marbles
in a jar, puzzle pieces, or, you know, letters on the board?
Emily: Younger kids often do well with something very visual
and concrete, like puzzle pieces that they can see filling in a
picture. Older kids might prefer something quicker and less
babyish, like tally marks on the board.
Heidi: And then, of course, you have to think through all of the
physical logistics that come with starting a new reward
system. How will you organize it? If you're doing tickets,
where are students going to keep them? If you're adding puzzle
pieces to a board, where's that board going to go?
Emily: And this might sound silly, but this is where your
systems fall apart. You introduce something that sounds
great in theory, but then you realize you don't have a good
place to store the materials, or it's too complicated to manage,
and if the system is complicated, you won't stick
with it.
Heidi: Now, you got enough to do in December. Don't make this
harder than it has to be. So think through those big
questions, and in the December teacher survival kit, we have
that whole worksheet that will walk you through all of this,
plus a few more considerations. Because you know, the last thing
you need right now is to introduce a reward system that
adds more stress to your life, instead of making it easier.
To wrap up the show, we are sharing what we're giving extra
credit to this week. Emily, what gets your extra credit?
Emily: I'm giving extra credit to solar powered fairy lights. I
got some to add to my little free library, and it's so cute.
So now I'm wondering what else I can add fairy lights to outside.
Heidi: I love that. And then you could put them in places where
stretching an extension cord is just not practical. Gosh, now I
Emily: You need some. I don't know where you what for, but I
want some.
think you need them. They're super cute.
Heidi: I could put them on my porch railing. That's why I
haven't decorated my porch, really, because I don't have a
good place to plug things in out there. But maybe?
Emily: That could work. You could probably put them in your
trees too, because your trees aren't too tall.
Heidi: That would be pretty.
Emily: Yeah. Do it.
Heidi: Okay, good ideas.
Emily: What are you giving extra credit to, Heidi?
Heidi: Well, I'm giving extra credit to season two of A Man on
the Inside, now that it is out on Netflix. So in season one,
Ted Danson's character goes undercover in a retirement home
to find a jewel thief. It's so sweet. This is from Mike Schur,
who, if you're not familiar with, he was a writer on The
Emily: yet.
Office and was a creator for Parks and Rec and The Good
Place. So if you like any of the shows, I am sure you would love
Man on the Inside too. It's got big heart, but it's not cheesy,
really, and it's not afraid to ask some big questions. It's,
it's very sweet. And my only sadness is he's not at the same
retirement home this year.
Heidi: That is it for today's episode. December behavior does
not have to unravel. Remember to keep expectations alive,
maintain routines, use festive fun strategically, and add
rewards when you need them.
We hope you enjoyed this episode of Teacher Approved. I'm Heidi.
Emily: And I'm Emily. Thank you for listening. Be sure to follow
or subscribe in your podcast app so that you never miss an
episode.
Heidi: You can connect with us and other teachers in the
Teacher Approved Facebook group. We'll see you here next week.
Bye, for now.
Emily: Bye.