Is End of the School Year Behavior Getting You Down?

Here's my trick for great behavior during the Spring when it seems like every kid in every grade has Senioritis! I don't give candy as a reward ALL YEAR! I give a "salary" that they can spend in the treasure box and I will post about that in a later post. Then, when things get really, really, really crazy at the end of the year, I start walking around with one M&M or one Skittle....you would think I had given them GOLD! It's all in the presentation, I will walk around during Daily Five/Centers and say, "Look how this group is living up to their expectations." Plunk, one teeny, tiny M&M...cheap for me, but THEY LOVE IT! So far my Spring is going well! :) Then closer to the end it might be 2 M&Ms or even if they stop saying Thank You, the first person who says Thank You might "Hit the Jackpot" and get 10!! Yes 10 Skittles!! 10 whole, cheap as dirt Skittles ~ their behavior will be amazing! :) What's wonderful now is that by using coupons, I have been able to get a lot of M&Ms and Skittles for next to nothing during the after Easter sales! :)
This did not work for my 2 1/2 years in Texas because we couldn't give food, so I just used glitter stickers....just find something your students like and then save it for the end of the year only!
At the end of the school day, your children should go home exhausted because they've worked so hard, you should not be exhausted! I hope this helps!

1 comment

  1. Great advice! This time of year is the time when self-control and procedures go out the window so we teachers have to get creative with our rewards and consequences! Unfortunately, I live in Texas where M&M's and Skittles are not allowed ;-( I give out tickets when I see students behaving appropriately and then do random drawings (mini treasure box with pencils, pens, markers, stickers, and sticky things). This is where shopping at Walgreen's after a holiday comes in handy. All of the little Easter items were already cheap and then I went back and got more on clearance! The kids don't really care if Easter is over...they're getting a prize. Ohhh! I almost forgot. Every week, each table tries to earn the most tally marks for quick transitions, staying on task, no talking, etc... the winners at the end of the week get to choose either a "no homework pass" or a "computer pass". The computer pass can be used in the morning instead of doing morning work...This is a HIGH VALUE COUPON and highly coveted. My table teams work really hard to earn their points. Have a wonderful next few weeks. I have added a countdown to the end of the year on my blog. I vow to NOT just throw stuff in boxes this year!!!! http://www.frugalteacher.com/p/countdown-to.html

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