Top products from r/Teacher

We found 8 product mentions on r/Teacher. We ranked the 7 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.

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Top comments that mention products on r/Teacher:

u/DayDreaminScreams · 1 pointr/Teacher

My life was changed because a teacher recognized that I wasn't just an overly emotional, distracted, loud, crazy kid. The very fact that you're recognizing that he may have ADHD, and that you're working in a positive light with his behavioral issues will mean more than just him going to the next grade successfully. I just had to say that, because it's incredibly important. Thank you.

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Alright moving on, I'm not sure how much it'll help, since my situation was so different than his, but I'll give you a list of what my teacher did for me that helped so much.

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First, the biggest thing that helped me was that I had a checklist taped to my desk that I went through every day. It listed things I needed, like having a pencil. eraser. paper. binder. backpack away. homework organized in folder. Folder in desk, etc. And let me tell you, checking off every box made me feel very good about myself. I was also younger (2nd grade) so I got a treat after I handed in my completed checklist, such as a small candy or a fancy pencil or a cool sticker. Even now, being a teacher today, I still keep checklists with detailed individual steps on my desk to keep me tuned in. It also turns big boring jobs (like planning the next dance technique testing day) into smaller more interesting jobs.

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I also would sometimes get overwhelmed- too much noise, too much to focus on, why can't I focus, oh look a bird. Sometimes it'd just bring me to tears because it was so hard to focus and it made me feel bad about myself. That's usually when I would run to the bathroom, just to get away from it. Once my teacher caught on, she started having me sit in her seat while she taught and had me hold a little angel stone. So in other words, she had me still be in class, but had me calm down in a way that would encourage me to jump back into learning. Also, that stone was incredibly important to her. Or, at least she said it was. But regardless, being allowed to hold something that someone else treasured made me feel a little more accepted. And knowing that someone cared that much about me made me want to listen to them.

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Moving on to middle school. Ugh middle school. I had some pretty unforgiving teachers, but still had some good things I'll share.

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So for one, this is when I started music and dance. If your student feels the need to move, perhaps you should encourage him and his family to enroll in some sort of sport or even dance? At least with my adhd, and my brother's adhd, we need that extra release of energy. Music also was a break from the hard thinking in a linear way like how my core classes required.

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This was also when I started coming into class early. Again, seeing that a teacher was willing to help me get through my struggles by coming in 30 minutes early and keeping an eye on me while I got ready for the day just made me feel seen and understood. Since my textbooks were getting bigger and I'm extremely forgetful, I was also allowed a second set of books for home when it was available. That way, "I forgot my textbook at school" was never an issue, and it taught me responsibility.

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Then high school. By this point I was mostly under control, but still struggled with sitting still.

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And I had the best Spanish teacher. She noticed I, and a few other students, were struggling to sit still in her classes. So, rather than get annoyed, she made it a game. She had us stand up from our desks at least once in a thirty minute time span and move while repeating words in Spanish. Of course it got us giggling, but I'll never forget the Spanish word for conservative after being in a class of high schoolers pretending to be elephants. This helped me a lot.

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This is also when I got a wiggle seat. This, by the way, may help the most. I guess my old elementary school got them for all the classrooms. Basically, it allows students to wiggle without falling or making too much of a distraction, and doesn't risk the disasters of having a full exercise ball as a seat (7 year old me would've definitely been rolling the exercise ball around). Here's one on amazon that I actually use for core training with my students, but could be used as a seat too. It hasn't popped yet, so I'd say it's good. https://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Life-Ideas-Wobble-Cushion/dp/B07HDLB42F/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=excersize+seat&qid=1554407810&s=gateway&sr=8-4

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Ultimately I'll say this. As a high functioning adult with severe ADHD, I owe a lot to my teachers who just took the time to try to help me. You may not see a huge change within the time you have with him. However, the fact that you are making sure he is seen and that you're working with him is so important and not everyone has the energy to keep at it. Eventually, he will see how much energy and effort you are giving him and will most likely appreciate it.

u/tuckthefox · 3 pointsr/Teacher

> I LITERALLY can't get total silence/attention from the class for more than 5 seconds. I wish I was exaggerating.

Once you have a rapport with your class, all it often takes is standing in front of the class and observing with a certain stance them until everyone gets the hint that it's time to move on.

>Even if I walk right up to a student and ask them to stop shouting across the room to their friend while I'm giving instructions, I'm totally ignored.

This is reactionary behavior correction. The students know they have you on a leash. I do and she reacts. It's a total mind game. Ideally, you are moving around the classroom preventatively once an assignment has been instructed in order to be there for them. Many behavior issues stem from first not knowing what to do/how to do it, which moves into a place of frustration, which then needs to be relieved through some action other than doing the work.

> They give each other titty twisters right in front of me, constantly use the desks as drums, and run with scissors regularly. One kid started playing Nintendo Switch during book work, as if I wouldn't notice??

Scissors and titty twisters: Why are there scissors if they don't know how to use them? If I were the principal of your school, I would remove scissors from your classroom. That behavior could cause major injuries and you would be liable, not the students. Same goes for hands on each other. That student is touching another student inappropriately? He's out. Principal. If it's both of them, send them separately. As for the NS, confiscate if he/she won't put it away.

> My local coworkers have told me that in elementary school (8th grade is considered the first year of middle school) they basically have very few rules and very little structure, and most of the kids have probably had maids their entire life and don't get much structure at home, and that this behavior is typical and I just have to get used to it. Maybe because I'm American but I just can't??

Who are you local coworkers and do they have similar issues? My suggestion would be to seek advice from professionals in similar situations who seem to have it under control. Confirming your bias with inexperienced people may make your situation worse.

> It makes going to work very stressful and it's frustrating because a lot of these kids are really smart and could be leagues ahead of where they are now if they just listened to FIVE MINUTES OF INSTRUCTION PER DAY, THAT'S ALL I ASK.

Your standard is too low, and it's destroying your self-esteem. You do not get paid for 5 minutes of instruction every day. If you think that's all you're teaching, you're going to think you're not doing the best you can. You are instructing the entire time you are in the classroom, and outside of it. The work you do outside of the classroom, including this post for help, constitutes work. You are doing an excellent job, but much of the "magic" you see in other classrooms by experienced teachers is the result of years of practice and refinement or acquisition of those skills in previous jobs/experiences. You can't be too hard on yourself; you just have to learn!

> This lack of disciplinary foundation is making things very difficult. All the internet research I've done gives strategies that assume students basically know what constitutes misbehavior, and that they're not supposed to do it (give them a pointed look, walk over to their desk subtly while you're talking, don't interrupt class to address the misbehavior and take the student to the side later, etc),

This means you need to show them what behavior is correct. Brush up on your psychology, learn about positive and negative rewards, how punishment is a tool too often used, how kids are encouraged by challenge and by comradery. They answer well to interests in their interests and love to share stories about their lives. Your challenge is to listen and to use their interests and lives to leverage their learning. Some kids like some famous pop singer? Turn an assignment into a contest where the winner gets to choose what music they listen to during project time. Another kid loves Minecraft? Show them some interesting Minecraft creations that relate to the topic for the day.

Using this kind of positive reinforcement will also help you with that pesky

>legally required to get a second chance to redo any and all assignments/tests/quizzes (including finals) that they get below a 70% on

rule. Unfortunately, we as educators often get stuck in the number game and forget the real learning is in the process. How many times did your math teacher say "show the work or it's wrong." That's because there are so many ways to get the end result through disingenuous means. But when you show the work, it proves you have a deep understanding of the problem AND the solution and how they are intricately related. (P.S. if you don't get paid super well, try looking up intangible classroom rewards.

> Additionally, it's not just one or two students goofing off - it's the entire class, including the "quiet" kids, so not drawing attention/interrupting class is not really an option since class is in a constant state of disruption.

Final thoughts: is this your only class? Do you have other similar classes to compare this one to that don't have this kind of behavioral disruption? Terrible metaphor time: when cutting a tomato, if the slice isn't fine, you don't get a new tomato. You sharpen the knife.

  • Teach Like a Champion 2.0 by Doug Lemov - this book helped me tremendously in terms of sprinkling in techniques to make my life and the lives of my students easier, as well as gave me a better overall picture of what teaching should be.
  • Any Intro Psychology books or lessons will do you well too.
  • Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman - A book about the way the emotional and logical systems of the brain work. Includes lots of applicable information for teaching.
  • Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It by Chris Voss, Michael Kramer, et al. - A book on negotiation and how meeting halfway is often a lose-lose situation. It describes various ways to get a win-win-win out of "negotiations" (another word for everyday interpersonal interactions).
  • https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/ - a fantastic site with resources, direct help, videos, and my all-time favorite teaching podcast. It has a variety of subjects, some you'd never even think of, where she talks to experts and professionals to get the real good good advice.

    I see teachers in your situation a lot, and you are one of the few who comes to ask for help instead of just grinning and bearing it. You are making an effort to improve the education and lives of your students. Keep it up!
u/PocketMotherMonster · 1 pointr/Teacher

My School is a bit different. Because we're in Hawaii all of our classrooms are open air all year round. But it's already getting to be unbearable and will be unbearable in like August.

I'm not sure where they sell these other than hardware stores and amazon. But these fans are STRONG and amazingly quiet. I have two in my classroom, soon to be three for the next upcoming school year. If there's anyone else that has a better solution I would love that as well. Our buildings are so old we can't get an AC because it would short circuit the building.

u/toscarthearmada · 2 pointsr/Teacher

When you start your job start asking around about your mentor! Try and meet with your mentor and other people down your hallway as much as possible. Ask questions and never feel like you’re a bother. You’re all in it together!

If you’re nervous about student behavior, start asking around about their PBIS procedures. Do they have a bounce system? In school suspension?

Also read The First Days Of School as well as Teach Like A Champion .

You’re going to do find! Students respond to teachers who genuinely love what they do and care about them.