"How do I make the time for a Closing Circle at the end of the school day?" That is definitely the question I hear most from people who want to start using Closing Circles. It's addressed in detail in a section of the Closing Circles book called "Seven Ways to Find 5–10 Minutes," but here's the main idea underlying what you'll read there: If you manage the end of the day efficiently, you can find the time.
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AUG
29
2012
Classroom Display Ideas
Last spring, I encouraged you to take a good, hard look at your classroom displays and think about how, in the future, you might increase the emphasis on displaying student work and…
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AUG
23
2012
Classroom Jobs
Monday mornings were especially exciting in my classroom because that’s when students discovered what their weekly jobs would be. They would go straight to the classroom job chart and search for their…
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AUG
01
2012
Why Does Interactive Modeling Work?
When it's done effectively, Interactive Modeling helps students achieve greater, faster, and longer-lasting success in meeting expectations and mastering skills. My new book, Interactive Modeling, provides step-by-step guidance on using this powerful…
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AUG
01
2012
When the Teacher Is Away
For years, I had wanted to travel with my father to India, his native country. Finally, I had the opportunity—but the trip meant I would miss five days of school right after…
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JUL
26
2012
Time to Change the Routine?
Which parts of your school day just don't seem to work as well as you'd like? Now's a great time to do some problem-solving, imagine new possibilities, and plan to make changes…
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MAY
24
2012
If Classroom Walls Could Talk
Take a look at your classroom walls and displays. What do they say about you, your relationship with your class, and your view of teaching? Are your students guests in your room,…
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MAY
14
2012
I Didn’t Do It!
What do you do when a student flat-out denies doing something you know (or are at least pretty sure) she did? Are consequences ever appropriate in this situation? Do you just give…
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APR
10
2012
Wrapping Up the School Year
You can do this one in conjunction with packing up the classroom library: each child chooses a favorite book and tries to convince classmates to read it over the summer. There are…
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FEB
28
2012
Lining Up
"Mr. Anderson! Kelsey cut in line!" calls out Nicole."No I didn't! I was here a second ago. I just had to get my lunch ticket!" Kelsey retorts.The fourth grade girls glare at…
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JAN
27
2012
Bringing Rules to Life
Do you think that without looking, your students could name your classroom's rules? Most teachers establish classroom rules at the beginning of the year, and many devote time to modeling and practicing…
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JAN
24
2012
Asking the Right Questions
Three years ago, I noticed my first grade class having real difficulty putting away the materials for one of our workstations. Although these students usually followed the cleanup routines we'd developed and…
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JAN
05
2012
Try This: Y-Charts for Revisiting Rules
Are you looking for a strategy to help your students navigate particularly tricky times of day, such as transitions, recess, lunch, or dismissal time? Try making a "looks like/sounds like" chart (often…
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NOV
16
2011
Need a New Mattress?
At this time of year, people who work in schools often start feeling a bit frayed. Now that the school year is well underway, the "honeymoon period" of the first weeks is…
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OCT
24
2011
Three Types of Logical Consequences
Teachers who use the Responsive Classroom approach learn a variety of strategies for responding to misbehavior; logical consequences are one of those strategies. Depending on the child and the situation, teachers might…
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OCT
24
2011
Responding to Misbehavior
No matter how carefully we teach positive behavior, students will still sometimes misbehave. They'll forget the rules, their impulses will win out over their self-control, or they'll just need to test where…
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SEP
02
2011
Punishment vs. Logical Consequences
The use of logical consequences is one part of an approach to discipline used in the Responsive Classroom. It’s a powerful way of responding to children’s misbehavior that not only is effective…
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JUL
25
2011
Downtime
By mid-July, my two children had finally settled into summer. I knew when I got downstairs one morning and saw my nine-year-old son, Ethan, coming through the back door in his bathrobe…
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JUL
01
2011
Mudge
How can you create a powerful sense of community in your classroom? With the leisure of summer, we can ponder questions like this and plan ahead for next year.
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JUN
15
2011
Decluttering Starts Now!
How much of the stuff that’s cluttering your classroom could be gone before school starts up again? Teachers keep all kinds of stuff we never use. Why do we keep these things?…
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MAY
20
2011
Celebrating Friendship
Take time at the end of the school year to help children reflect on how they have worked to get to know each other, efforts they have made to be kind, and…
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MAY
18
2011
Reflecting on Hopes and Goals
As the school year winds down, how will your students reflect on the hopes, dreams, and goals they set for this year? Many books could inspire this sort of reflection, including those…
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MAY
18
2011
Read-Alouds for Remembering
How has your class grown this year? What acts of kindness have they done for each other? What have they learned? What do you hope they will remember? Children's books can be…
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APR
01
2011
Bringing the School Year to a Strong Finish
The end of the school year is an emotional time. By this time, many students (and teachers!) are eager for summer vacation, yet many children have mixed feelings about leaving the comforting…
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FEB
23
2011
Time-Out: Avoiding the Punishment Trap
May 2002Question:I have a dilemma about time-out. I tell my students that time-out is not a punishment, but I know it can feel like punishment when I send them to time-out for…
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FEB
14
2011
A Real-Life Rules Story
I was sitting stock-still on the interstate in a rental car I needed to return before catching my flight home. As minutes ticked by the on the dashboard clock, I became increasingly…
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JAN
01
2011
Starting Over at Mid-Year
Last week on Facebook we asked, "What's your advice for someone who's taking over for another teacher in the middle of the year?" and you shared so many great ideas! Several people…
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