Keeping Safety First!

When I was in grade-school, post 9/11, I remember I would sometimes feel like being at school was a safer place to be than being at home. I would watch scary movies and TV shows like CSI with my mother, and I would notice how every time someone was attacked or died, it was around their house. I knew that at school someone would have to get past the entire officer at the door, the front office system, and then my teacher to get to me. School was my safety zone. I knew that even if I wasn't protected at home, I would be safe at school.

As educators, we have to keep in mind, that for most of our students, school is the safest place for them. We need to make sure that at all times they feel as if they can come talk to you about anything. They must feel like school is the safest place for them to be. Dr. Linda Dusenbury wrote about classroom safety in an article in Education World. Dusenbury writes how the first step to having a safe classroom is having an organized classroom. As well as being prepared for the class with all materials, so you don't have to leave the class for anything. I also read in the article a great classroom tip: placing mirrors on/against the dry erase so that if you are writing on the board, you can still see behind you when you are writing on the board. This tip would help any grade level educator. 

                                    Photo From: wordpress.com

http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr

Why the YMCA?

Most parents of elementary school chldren need a place where they can send their child that is safe, fun, and educational for them. Finally, their is a program that does just that. In the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District, in most of the elementary schools and some middle schools, their is a before and after school program called Club Rewind. This program is sort of like the YMCA or the Boys and Girls Club, except better, because you don't have to travel far. The program is at your childs school. The students love it because to them they are having fun, they still get to hang with their friends, and since they do homework here, they will have freetime once they do get home. Parents love the program because it is educational, structured, and avaalable when they need it Monday-Friday. This program is perfect for parents who have to get to work early and get off late, but make sure their child is safe and having fun. It would be huge benefit if this program were available at every elementary school, because programs like these are what children need to help them get excited about going to school.

Photo From: cfisd-connect.blogspot.com



Checkout their facebook page and see how the parents review the program.

Doing What THEY Like To Do

Educators always want to know, "What can I do to make my classroom more educational yet fun to my students?" Students in the 4th grade are at that age where they need something interesting to them to keep their attention. It is always a good thing to find games to incorporate into a lesson in order to keep a child's attention. Students, at a young age, LOVE activities in the classroom where they feel like they aren't doing classwork. A great idea that I saw that any student would love was this "Cracking the Code" activity on the education.com website. This activity could be used and modified in many different ways from Reading to a Math assignment. Children are always trying to out-do one another, so activities such as these really catch the attention of students if presented correctly, and this is something they would enjoy until they get finished.


When reviewing for a test, Jeopardy used to be a favorite of mine, also, trashcan ball. These are games that could be played for math, using math problems, or even subjects such as Reading, by having the answers be questions that they would only be able to answer if they have read the class book. On teachhub.com they have a whole list of different classroom activities, you just have to modify them to fit your class. In a classroom of 25-30 students, where some of them are already having problems focusing and paying attention, you need activities like these to keep the students focused for a long period of time. We have to care enough to want to change up our teaching style to accommodate their learning styles.

                                       Photo From: tumblr.com

http://www.education.com/activity

http://www.teachhub.com/engaging