document everything

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document everything
By Kathy

I don't necessarily have a "program" to suggest. Last year was my first year to teach 7th grade. I had taught 5th grade for 3 years. I really enjoy 7th graders. I would suggest that you document everything. I have a
sheet with each student's name on it, and keep it in a 3 ring binder. One side is for conduct, and the other for work habits (late work/no supplies etc.) It sometimes gets time consuming to write everything down i.e. talking, blurting out, etc., but when you have a parent conference or have to assign d-hall, you will have all the proof you need. I have found it useful when parents are

upset or irrate. I can just pull out their child's sheet and show them dates and descriptions of their child's behavior or late/missing work. I also use it as a reward system too. For example, I used tickets in my room. Students got so many tickets for not having their name taken or for just 1 or 2 infractions. Then I would draw tickets for prizes such as cokes or candy. That works well. I found a great place on proteacher in the forms and letters section that has some similar documents I use, like the one I mentioned above.