Six years ago, I decided to implement classroom jobs as part of my classroom management. You would think that middle school students would be against it, but the truth is they enjoy having an important responsibility. Whether it was for a nine weeks or a month, it gave them something to do and they felt important and their talents validated.
To make sure that it was fair, they even had to complete an application to take on the classroom job. They could even be fired from their job if they did not take it seriously. One of my jobs was a classroom greeter. This person stood at the doorway with me and greeted those entering. They even answered the door when someone came to the classroom while I was teaching. Another job was errand person. This is the person who took things to other classes/teachers or even the front office.
I actually started this because I taught The Giver, and the students had to decide what each person would do based on their personality and what they knew about them. This gave me the idea that some are qualified to do more. I felt that as a teacher, I should nurture these natural abilities.
No one had to take a job if they did not want it. I didn’t push it. I did have a rotation in place. Plus, it was nice not to have 20 hands shooting up in the air when I needed something done. That person had already been assigned. It was fair. I even had substitutes to fill in when someone was out sick. When Covid came into play, I stopped my classroom jobs and just never went back to them.
Some jobs to consider:
- Classroom Greeter
- Plant caretaker
- Errand Runner
- Paper/Supply Handler
- Technical Assistant
- Peer Tutor/Helper
- Clean up Crew
This is not an absolute list. Some years, depending on the activities that I had planned, things may be added or changed.
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