More Classroom Tips and Tricks

This is such a help! But I have a comment to add to that- what if the kids have braces and are not allowed to have even sugar free gum? Or what if the kids are too little and might choke on the gum? Anyhow, this has been really helpful! Thanks!

  Kindest Regards,

   -Ashley Herrington

Hi Ashley,

Glad it helped! Oh, and about that, they can have mints instead. If they are too little and might choke, perhaps maybe let them chew on their favorite candy rather then gum, as long as there is no risk of choking, or their age is or is above the choking hazard states

Thankyou for the tips! They are great! If a child is too little they shouldn't be having too much candy/gum. Mints are a great idea!

Hi Ramon,

1. I agree about no homework, provided that we are discussing early elementary students.  Studies have shown that there is no benefit to students.  Instead, having the students read each evening and then show some proof of what they've read (small group discussion for 3-5 minutes suffices) sets them up with good habits for the future.  By late elementary and into middle school, I do think that reading the assignments for the next day is a good idea, that way classroom time can be devoted to worked examples and discussion.  By high school, students are doing essays, projects and other long-term assignments, as well as studying, reading ahead and adding in extra reading.  Students who take their high school courses seriously don't complain too loudly about having homework; instead, they want homework that is effective at helping them achieve their goals.

2. 20 minute breaks between every subject are ludicrous (in my opinion) and not practical.  Most states have a set number of days, hours and minutes that must be used for teaching each year, and the number of minutes increases from elementary to middle to high school.  If schools set aside 20 minutes between each subject, the schools would then be required to lengthen the school day.  While I agree that a brain break and movement are helpful, I find that 1-3 minutes are quite sufficient, and those breaks can occur between or during a lesson.

3. I don't want to deal with children swallowing gum, candy or mints, and then needing intervention. Lollipop sticks are accidents waiting to happen.  Hair and gum do not mix well, and young children invariably try to blow bubbles. I've seen plenty of students who needed rubber bands on braces replaced, cracked or lost a filling, or had a bracket pop off their braces.  Sugar-free gum and candy have chemicals that can cause diarrhea and other stomach and intestinal issues when consumed in large enough quantities, and sugar in gum and candy also causes issues with children's teeth, stomach and pancreas.  Perhaps the most obvious reasons to avoid gum, candy and mints in class are that there are allergies, conditions like diabetes, and parents who won't be happy. Do you happen to have a study that shows that chewing gum in class raises grades?  If so, I'm sure there are plenty of teachers who might be willing 

Your first post was full of good, practical advice.  I think you might be a little more idealistic here, but I hope you keep contributing ideas.  The only way we improve is by listening, assessing, taking in what works and discussing ways to do better.