Over my 24 years in the classroom (update - 30 years as of 2024!), I have tweaked and re-tweaked my behavior management system for middle school, and I have found that using tickets works best nearly every time.
I give a ticket to students who follow our beginning of the class routine and have their planner filled out and bell work ready before the song ends. I also give 2 tickets for every 100 on a test or assignment and 1 ticket for every 90. When I call on a student, I give tickets for answering questions as I pick their name out of my cup. I give out tickets for someone caught being kind. I will give out tickets for it. Well, you get the idea. Then, the students write their names on the back of their tickets and place them in the correct bucket.
 |
This also connects nicely to "filling buckets"
On Fridays, I draw tickets for prizes. Students can choose the "sure thing" - a piece of candy from my jar...
  I used to draw a random number of tickets every Friday. Now, I keep a Scoreboard on the whiteboard. The class gets points when they behave according to our class agreements (see this post for more on that), and I earn points when they don't—a take on the Whole-Brain Teaching method. The difference between the two is the number of tickets I draw.
What do I do when students are not following directions (other than not giving them a ticket)?
First, students receive a warning.
Then, a parent phone call home.
Next is a Behavior Reflection - Read more here
Finally, a referral. I hope this helps you establish your own "brand" of classroom management. Save time with these templates: .png) 
*2024 update: Tickets are incredible, but in recent years, I have found that Teams might work even better! Click here to learn more!
There are more great tips where these came from! Sign up below to get all the best tips, tricks, and free resources in the resource library!
|
