When Bristol Elementary School, a public school in a small Vermont town, started its journey of Responsive Classroom implementation a few years ago, it took a two-pronged approach, focusing simultaneously on classroom…
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FEB
01
2009
A Welcoming Routine for Arrival Time
Each morning at the University School of Nashville's lower school begins with a simple routine that welcomes students out of their cars and into the building. As children spill out of the…
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NOV
01
2008
A Fresh Start Leads to Learning
Last year's class, my twenty-third, was the most challenging of my teaching career. Most of the students were quite young for fifth grade, and several had a history of severe behavior problems.…
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AUG
01
2008
Solving the Space Crunch
What’s something you’ve done to make better use of space in your classroom? A: I let go of my teacher desk. It was hard to do. Even though I rarely Read More…
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NOV
01
2007
Teaching Transitions
In many classrooms, it's during transition times that things get a little chaotic, possibly resulting in behavior problems that frustrate in the moment and spill over into the rest of the day.…
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APR
01
2007
What Teaching Matthew Taught Me
"Matthew! Get away. You're not sitting with us!" Libby hissed the words, her voice oozing with contempt as she stuck her leg out to keep Matthew from joining the small group gathered…
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APR
01
2007
The Last Six Weeks of School
The school year is drawing to a close. It’s been a year filled with many learning experiences for the children and for you. Though learning doesn’t end just because school does, it’s…
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APR
01
2007
Rebuilding Community by Reuniting School Staff
“We used to have pictures like these going back for years,” says Peter Harrison, principal of Young School, indicating a pair of large framed photos by the school’s entrance. Each picture shows…
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FEB
01
2007
Words That Encourage Positive Behavior
Question: What's one way you use language to encourage positive behavior?
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FEB
01
2007
Bullying in Schools
Bullying is a top issue on educators’ minds.Those using or exploring the Responsive Classroom approach frequently ask, “Is this approach a bullying prevention program? If not, how does it relate to bullying…
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FEB
01
2007
Reaching Out to Parents
For many families at Sarasota Suncoast Academy, the school day begins in the parking lot with a friendly personal welcome from principal Steve Crump. He and the rest of the office staff…
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NOV
01
2006
Cooperative Games Children Love
Question: What's one way you've refashioned a competitive game to make it more cooperative and still fun?
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NOV
01
2006
Boosting Literacy While Building Community
When test scores indicated that students at the Lawrence Barnes School needed more work on vocabulary and reading comprehension, staff at the K–5 school devised a way to build skills and community…
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NOV
01
2006
Taking the Responsive Classroom Approach Schoolwide
At a time when many policy makers are concerned primarily with children's cognitive development and how they do on standardized tests, educators from around the country gathered in Amherst, Massachusetts, to reaffirm…
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APR
01
2006
Ending the Year on a Positive Note
Question: What's something you do with students to end the year on a positive note?A: A few years ago I decided to make sure my class would have time for saying goodbye…
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APR
01
2006
Collaboration and Consistency Ease Moving Pains
“You can see our school from the bridge,” a fifth grader proudly points out about the recently renovated Regional Multicultural Magnet School (RMMS). Built into a hill overlooking the New London waterfront,…
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APR
01
2006
Bulletin Board Highlights Responsive Classroom Approach
Early this school year, our director, an enthusiastic supporter of the Responsive Classroom approach, suggested that I create a display in our school’s main entryway to introduce the approach’s core ideas. I…
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FEB
01
2006
Hopes, Goals, and Classroom Rules
On a winter afternoon, a group of third graders has settled down for a class discussion. Their teacher, Nancy Kovacic, holds the book the children made last fall—pictures and words embodying their…
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FEB
01
2006
Teachers Become a Community of Learners
When each school in her district was required to convene a literacy team, Karen Casto, then principal of Penn Valley Elementary School, saw it as an opportunity for the whole school to…
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NOV
01
2005
Working with “Specials” Teachers
Q: "Specials" teachers often see each child for only one hour a week. What's one way that you and a special area teacher have worked together to help him/her get to know…
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AUG
01
2005
Investing in Parents During the First Six Weeks of School
Teachers work hard during the first six weeks of school to get to know their students and to establish a safe and welcoming classroom environment. This early investment makes the Read More…
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NOV
01
2004
Problem-Solving Conferences That Worked
Question: Think of an instance in which you used a teacher-child problem-solving conference. Why did you choose that strategy? A: Edward often clowned around during work times, keeping everyone from getting work…
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FEB
01
2004
Child Development
Question:What are your goals in sharing knowledge about child development with students’ families, and how do you go about it?
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NOV
01
2003
What Did You Say?
Joey, a second grader, returns from a doctor's appointment in the middle of a math lesson. "Welcome back, Joey," his teacher says with a smile. "We're working together to solve the problem…
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AUG
01
2003
Welcoming All Families
Question:I know that it's important to have a good working relationship with the parents and care-takers of the children in my classroom. The children come from diverse backgrounds, with differences in ethnicity,…
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APR
01
2003
Traveling Rules
Q: The classroom environment is calmer and friendlier when I work with the children to create classroom rules. But I still get reports from lunch, recess, and special area teachers about problematic…
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FEB
01
2003
In Just a Minute
The classroom day is filled with times when children need to wait. They wait in line until everyone cleans up. They wait their turn at the drinking fountain. They wait in the…
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