newbucks

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Home : 2004 : January : 3

newbucks
By tia

sorry! i referenced one of my personal incentive programs--my last name is newell--i made up dollars (with my picture on them--yes, a bit narcissitic, i am!), and they're called Newbucks. i pass them out to my students
if they bring paperwork (registration forms, field trip notices, mid-term grade parent signature forms) back early. i usually give Newbucks the first 2 days after i send something home, then i give a couple days with no consequences, and then i give a date that the papers need to be returned by or else they receive negative consequences (loss of recess). this really helps to get stuff

in early/on time so i can pass whatever it is on to the person who requested that i pass it out to begin with. anyway, my students can buy a prize out of the prize box if they save 5 Newbucks; they can also use a Newbuck as a bathroom pass (otherwise they have to go before or after school or at a recess--i teach 6th).

so, sorry again to confuse you! but that is another point--most teachers have some sort of behavior/incentive program in place; if you use it, that will help maintain good behavior in the classroom, as well as endear you to the teacher. i have lots of things that i leave for the sub to use to make things go smoothly for her/him. it's annoying when i see that nothing has been used.

besides the Newbucks, i leave a stamp to stamp their cards on their desk when they are being on-task. i also leave "caughtya's"--school-wide system that many schools have. (caughtya being good) for when a teacher sees a student going above and beyond--or just being on-task. students put their name on the little slip of paper and their classroom--different schools do the next part differently--and then they put the slips in a box by the office. at the end of the week, someone in the office draws a few names and those students earn a small prize (pencil, eraser, toy, gift certificate.) and i leave my treat jar available for the sub to give aout a small candy to someone (or the whole class) if deserved--i ask that this one be used sparingly.

so you might want to find out what kind of incentives a teacher uses with his/her class--and make sure it's okay for you to use them; you wouldn't want to go digging around in the teacher's desk to find it!