Sheffield Elementary, a grade 3–6 school in Turners Falls, Massachusetts, faced a challenge familiar to many educators: how to develop a more consistent approach to discipline from classroom to classroom and in…
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JUN
30
2004
A Teacher’s Rules
July 2004In the school where I taught for many years, students and teachers worked together in the first weeks of school to create classroom rules that were based on everyone's hopes and…
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FEB
01
2004
What is Responsive Classroom Time-Out?
When used calmly, consistently, and respectfully, Responsive Classroom time-out can be a valuable strategy for helping students develop self-control while keeping the classroom calm, safe, and orderly.Santiago is at the interactive whiteboard,…
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JUL
31
2003
Everyday Rules That Work!
Scholastic published this article on the Responsive Classroom approach to rules and logical consequences for the August 2003 issue of Instructor magazine. It was reprinted with permission on the Responsive Classroom website,…
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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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AUG
01
2001
Hopes and Dreams in a Primary Classroom
I love the beginning of each school year with the coming of fresh new faces to excited to learn. Most of my students have been to kindergarten and come to first grade…
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APR
01
2001
Classroom Spaces That Work
Imagine spending every day in a physical space designed for people much bigger than you. To wash your hands or get a drink of water, you’d have to drag a Read More…
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MAR
11
2001
A Conflict Resolution Protocol for Elementary Classrooms
April 2000A basic belief underlying The Responsive Classroom approach to teaching is that how children learn to treat one another is as important as what they learn in reading, writing, and arithmetic.…
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OCT
24
2011
How We Want Our School to Be
Several years ago, teachers at Ironia Elementary, a suburban New Jersey school with 600 students in kindergarten through fifth grade, began working with their students each September to create classroom rules—simple but…
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NOV
01
2010
Keep Learning Going During Holiday & Vacation Times
Suddenly, it seems like the class is falling apart. Classroom routines that were going smoothly just a few weeks ago now seem rough around the edges. More and more children are forgetting…
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SEP
16
2010
Read-Alouds for Rule Creation
Classroom rules work best when students understand why rules exist and how rules will help them, as individuals and as a group. I have found several children's books over the years that…
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AUG
25
2010
Read-Alouds to Inspire Hopes and Dreams
By now you probably know how much I love children's books! Here are some that would be perfect for launching a discussion of hopes and dreams—the first step in the Responsive Classroom…
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FEB
12
2024
Strategies for Solving Thorny Behaviors
February is a good time to take stock of the strategies you use to address behavior issues in your classroom. The months you have already spent with your students have Read More…
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DEC
04
2023
Ways To Address Common Behavior Challenges That Pop Up Midyear
It’s a few months into the school year, and you may be noticing an increase in challenging student behaviors. Suddenly students are struggling to follow classroom rules that they learned Read More…
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SEP
28
2023
How to Support a Guest Teacher During a Teacher’s Absence
Throughout the school year, there will be times when you will be absent. Whether your absence is planned or unexpected, prepare for these instances at the beginning of the school Read More…
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JUL
21
2023
Three Ways to Welcome Students to a New School Year
The beginning of the school year is full of emotion for teachers and students alike. Some students embrace the new year with excitement and anticipation, while others cautiously enter it Read More…
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MAY
05
2023
Dear Teacher, I Want You to Know . . .
As an SEL coach, Amy Isenhart is constantly inspired by all the ways educators positively impact the lives of students each day. In her reflective piece below, Amy writes from Read More…
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FEB
03
2023
Inclusive Education: Boost Equity with Morning Meeting & Advisory
February is the shortest month of the year, but for educators it can feel like the longest. There is a lot to get done in the second half of the Read More…
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MAR
11
2022
What Kind of Teacher Are You? A Question Revisited
Nine years ago, I wrote a short article to explain to myself what it meant to be a Responsive Classroom teacher (which you can read in its entirety below). Here Read More…
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Resolve to Rewind, Replay, and Rejuvenate This January
Date & time: December 16, 2021 7:00–8:00 PM ET Description & Goals: January welcomes endless opportunities to refresh well-known classroom rules, revive everyday routines, and revisit and renew individual hopes Read More…
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OCT
29
2021
What Should I Do? Six Strategies to Use When You Notice Cyberbullying
You hear mean and unwelcome teasing as students do math activities on electronic devices. You see exclusion when a group of students are playing an online game. You suspect that Read More…
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Quick Coaching Guide: A Proactive Approach to Discipline
Order 10 or more of the same Quick Coaching Guide to receive a free Leader Guide to help coach educators in this topic!
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MAR
27
2020
Tips, Activity Ideas, and Resources for Virtual Learning
As you make the transition to online teaching, here are some tips, activity ideas, and resources to support your virtual classroom: Communicate to parents the supplies their children will need Read More…
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JAN
01
2020
Goal Setting: An Ongoing Method for Channeling New Energy
Every January 1st, we all receive a chance to start fresh. While many of us set a New Year’s resolution, often we only manage to stick with it for a week Read More…
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SEP
03
2019
Setting Goals, Hopes, and Dreams: Connecting Students to the Community
Watching a student show up to school each day excited to learn is one of the great joys of teaching. We give our students that spark when we help them Read More…
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NOV
05
2018
The Challenge of Kindness
National Bullying Prevention month may have ended last week, but the work of stopping bullying in our classrooms and schools continues throughout the year. By committing to The Challenge of Read More…
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Building an Academic Community
Bring order and organization to the start of the school year while maintaining the enthusiasm and curiosity students bring with them as they come back from summer vacation!
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