Class jobs

After reading this post, from Sunny Days in Second Grade, I started thinking about my own system in my class.  

I created this system when I returned to the classroom after being a Learning Assistance teacher for a few years.  I wanted the least amount of children moving around the classroom at a time in the shortest amount of time possible.  So I created Group Leaders.  My kids sit in a formation of 4 or 5, and their desk position and day of the week determines who is group leader.  Let me explain.  Mondays is always the person closest to the door, Tuesday is the person across from them, Wednesday is next to Tuesday and Thursday is across from Wednesday.  If there is only four in the group, then Monday gets 2 turns.  This doesn't seem to be a problem as my kids get moved around in groups and class fairly regularly.  Group leaders collect supplies, pass out papers and generally make my life easier. 
I also have person of the week.  The person is chosen on Friday for Monday, and is the line leader, takes the attendance to the office (when my online attendance is not working), and does other little jobs and errands for me.  
My job chart is sparse.  I don't have plants to water, a class pet to feed or anything like that.  I have 2 library people who need to take our books down in a big bin on library days, and straighten out the class library.  I have 2 people to take care of the recycling bins and make sure they are separated out properly.  I have 1 person to make sure the centers are put back properly and that there is enough materials in each bin on Fridays.  Everyone is responsible for their own chairs, floors and coat hooks.  Last year I had lots of very helpful kids and had to make up jobs for some of them as they were so desperate.  I am not good at changing the people at the main jobs and usually a change happens when someone reminds me that we haven't changed in a while!  This year I am going to try to be better about this, and have put it on my calendar to help remind me.

Classroom Tour

I thought I'd share what my room looks like.  My centres are not full of open, coloured baskets, but I don't like open storage, as it's very dusty where I live. There are some things in open totes because I haven't found what I'm looking for to hold the bigger things.  My goal this year is to get all the ugly totes out of my room, and replace them with new, white ones.

Lit Centres

Math Centres

                                                                               I keep my groups in fours, when possible, so it's easy to move around the room and everyone has a bit of space.  Behind the book shelf is my desk and messy corner.  It's great to have that little divider when I have things that I don't want the kids to see right away (like treats) and I have a place that's out of the way.  It's a great place to observe from.  The kids almost forget that I'm there.  I spend most of my time at the rainbow table after instruction, calling small groups.  The shelves on the back wall hold math centers in clear shoe boxes on one half, and on the other, math supplies. My Literacy centers are also in clear shoe boxes as well as some open baskets as the materials are a little larger.  I label everything and go through taking supplies out and putting away properly.  It takes so much time at the beginning of the year, but sooo worth it.  The blue pocket chart on the back wall will show centre groups and their daily centres, once we've learned them all.  My student cupboard holds all of their supplies (we share in my class) and the shelves are labeled there too for easy organization. 

Student Supply Cupboard

So far my little ones are doing really well at getting things out and putting them away.  I'm lucky as the teacher next door has similar routines in his class, so half my class came in with some idea of how things work.  It helps the guy next door is my husband!

And here we go...

I am really excited to be teaching a straight grade 2 class again this year.  I have to admit, I was really preparing myself for a 1/2 this year.  I have been very lucky to have a straight grade for 3 years now, and I know that there is more than one staff member who is a little jealous. The downside, is that I have 24 little people this year.  That's 4 extra bodies and I don't think they are going to make the room any bigger.  I met them today during the last 20 minutes of our day, and whew!  They are soooo little!  I always forget how little they are and how much work I have to do to get the room going.  Well tomorrow it starts and we shall see!

Why I'm not that excited

I have been slowly looking into things for the new year.  Looking at teacher's blogs, pinning like crazy on Pinterest and doing some reading, but I'm just not that excited.  I thought about it for awhile and at first I thought it had to do with the fact that I'm not a new teacher anymore.  This is not the reason.  I realized that it's because I really don't know what I'm teaching this year.  I read other blogs and they talked about how many kids they have in their rooms, how they have all their name tags and furniture ready and how excited they from meeting their parents and students already.  I won't find out my assignment until the end of the first week and while I will be interacting with children they won't be mine for the year.  The district line is that having whole grade groups for the first few days and not putting them into classes is better for the students.  There are studies ( I haven't been able to find any, but I'm still looking) that say moving children around after placing them is bad.  We have to wait until we see the "whites of their eyes" to know class size and what our teaching assignments are.  With that being the case, I can't get too specific in planning or organization, so I have some ideas that I might like to try, maybe.

I am going to use some of this limbo time to get my class blog ready for the new year.  I thing a change in theme is in order as well as a few other additions.  I want to start the blogging instruction in September this year, and with my Smartboard that will make little lessons way easier.  At least the in the beginning.  I hope our computer lab is working a little better....