My very first job was in Mrs. Morris’ first grade classroom at Lindbergh Elementary School. Mrs. Morris gave me best job of all -cleaning the chalkboard erasers! I was thrilled to have the opportunity to go outside for two minutes, bang the erasers together, watch the cloud of dust go up in the air, and wait until it lessened to know when they were officially “clean”. Looking back, that probably was not the cleanest job, but it gave me a small sense of purpose and leadership that I longed for in the classroom. As a teacher, I want my students to have that same feeling of purpose and leadership in my classroom. When I was at an elementary school, I had the privilege to provide a group of students the opportunity to demonstrate leadership skills through running a school store. Students had to complete an application and complete an interview. Seeing these students feel empowered at their interview as they answered questions such as “what has been your proudest moment this year” or “how would working at the school store help you achieve your goals” made me smile. These interviews provided them a time to talk about themselves and let them dream of their future. Students received training in their job duties and then mentored the “new employees”. I witnessed these students transfer their leadership skills back into the classroom and with their peers. Creating student leadership opportunities in the classroom can also assist teachers in the daily struggle of juggling all the daily tasks. These opportunities provide students a sense of purpose, belonging, and leadership all while helping you maintain your sanity through the course of the day. Here are some leadership opportunities you may want to consider implementing into your classroom ![]()
Tips and Tricks to Help You Get Started:
To see student workers in action, check out these videos from The Teacher Toolkit.
If you would like more ideas or to help you implement some classroom leadership opportunities, please feel free to reach out to me anytime!
This post brought to you by Katie Miller, K-12 EL Implementation Associate
![]()
Our students will greet us this week with a few questions on their mind:
The first week of school is a critical time to set the foundation for the learning and dialogue that will happen the rest of year. Although it’s tempting to rush to the logistical (how to find the syllabus, online textbook codes, grading policies, etc.), what students really want to know is how you’ll connect as human beings in your classroom. Here are five ways to start building positive relationships within those first critical days in the classroom: | 1 |
|
Enjoy our Blog!Members of the Secondary C&I team weekly post useful tools, tips, and tricks to help you help students. Categories
All
Archives
May 2020
|