How to Be a Fun Teacher Without Losing Control of Your Class [episode 170]

Emily  0:36

Hey there. Thanks for joining us today. In today’s episode, we’re sharing three ways to be the fun teacher in December without losing control of your class, and sharing a teacher approved tip for adding some seasonal surprise and delight to your class.

Heidi  0:51

We start our episodes with a morning message, just like we used to do at morning meeting in our classrooms. This week’s morning message is, what do you like to do for teammate gifts? Emily, do you have any good ideas?

Emily  1:02

Well, I don’t feel like I have anything revolutionary, but I think those cinnamon brooms from Trader Joe’s would be fun because they could use them at school if the scent wasn’t too strong, or just enjoy them at home.

Heidi  1:14

Yeah, those have such a perfect seasonal smell.

Emily  1:17

What about you Heidi? Any good ideas?

Heidi  1:19

Well, I kind of hate to admit it, but I tended to forget about team gifts, so what I came up with usually wasn’t very meaningful. My apologies to my former co workers.

Heidi  1:32

One year though, I bought a bunch of those little like tiny plastic teeth necklaces for kids who lost teeth at school, and I made and cut out like 100 little tags that said I lost a tooth today that could be strung on the necklace. And I was so proud of myself, because I thought it was just the perfect, useful gift for second grade teachers.

Heidi  1:49

But it turns out that the necklaces were complete junk, and they totally fell apart when the kids wore them like the strings would break the little plastic tooth part would wouldn’t stay shut. Then we had lost teeth all over the school in the playground. Yeah, extra apologies to those co workers.

Emily  2:07

Oh, sad. I do think it’s a really good idea. If they had worked that would have been probably like an awesome gift for your teammates.

Heidi  2:15

For a while, I used to try and like, use packing tape to really seal them shut. And I was like, this is not worth it.

Emily  2:20

No, oh, geez. Well, we do have some answers from our community. Anna said that she likes to do homemade cookies from her epic baking day, where she makes 10 different kinds of cookies. That is epic. Michelle said we always go out to dinner together instead of giving each other gifts. I love that.

Heidi  2:37

I love that too because you don’t get enough time together as a team to just like, be together where you’re not busy.

Emily  2:44

Yeah, plus you could be like, let’s do that in January, when we’re less busy and need something to look forward to.

Heidi  2:50

And probably none of us need any more stuff, if we’re being honest. So dinner out’s a win.

Emily  2:54

True story. Jennifer said, caramel popcorn. Donna said, flare pens and a notepad. Katie said, I give cookies and a lottery ticket.

Heidi  3:04

But do you have to split it with Katie if you win?

Emily  3:06

Yeah, that should cut. Yeah. Strings attached with that gift. We’d love to hear your ideas for your teammate gifts over in our teacher approved Facebook group.

Emily  3:16

As we slide into the holiday season, all of the fun seasonal activities you could do with your class are probably coming at you from every direction, calling your name.

Heidi  3:26

And I think it can be tempting to feel one of two extremes about this. Either you want to go hardcore, all in on all of the fun stuff because it’s so cute and it’s only one time a year, or you don’t want to do any of it because you don’t want to mess up your routines and classroom management, the kids are going to be hard enough to be hard enough to deal with.

Emily  3:43

But we are here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be either extreme. There is a way to invite more fun, whether it be seasonal or not, into your classroom without losing control of your class.

Heidi  3:55

The key is to treat holiday fun like a spice when you’re cooking. A little makes all the difference in how your dish tastes, but using too much and you will ruin everything that you make.

Emily  4:07

So we have three ideas for how to weave a little holiday magic into your teaching for the next few weeks without derailing your classroom management goals or getting behind in your curriculum.

Heidi  4:18

The first and easiest way to be the fun teacher during the holidays is by adding in seasonal themes to your regular lessons and routines.

Emily  4:27

I love doing this in December, especially because it increases the novelty just a bit without totally derailing your normal routines. A little bit of novelty really can go a long way.

Heidi  4:39

I feel like my classroom thrived on our educational routines like morning meeting and vocabulary and fluency practice and all of that. So I used to look for ways to add in the holiday magic to what we were already doing.

Heidi  4:51

So in morning meeting, for example, I would add a seasonal twist to our morning messages, not every day, but some days. So one day I might ask, would you rather question, like, would you rather string a mile of popcorn garland or wrap 100 presents? Oh, I don’t know Emily?

Emily  5:06

For sure a mile of popcorn garland. I hate, you know, I hate wrapping presents. Wrapping 100 presents would just do me in.

Heidi  5:15

But I think I’d go presents. I know I can wrap fast.

Emily  5:18

Okay well we’d be a good team if we ever had to complete both of these challenges.

Heidi  5:22

And on Fridays for a morning message, I like to use jokes. So I could use a holiday joke, like, who delivers holiday gifts to dogs?

Emily  5:29

Oh, and it’s Santa Paws, if you were wondering. We have seasonal morning messages available for first through fourth grade if you want an easy way to add in some holiday fun into your morning meetings without having to think of it all yourself. So we’ll link to that in the show notes.

Heidi  5:46

Our morning messages include a couple 100 non seasonal thinking questions so you can get everyone’s brains turning in the morning. But we also have a set of 60 seasonal questions for each grade level, and that gives you plenty of options to choose from.

Emily  6:01

You can also add holiday magic to your morning meetings by doing a holiday greeting like a snowball fight. You can use something soft, like a stuffed snowball, if you have one. I actually did, used to have a set of stuff snowballs that I use. It was really random how I ended up with them, too, but I had this funny set of stuff snowballs, and they were perfect for morning meeting games.

Emily  6:23

But you could also just use a balled up pair of socks. And then students can toss the snowball to someone in the circle and tell them good morning and say their name. And you can also make your morning meeting game seasonal by doing something like Simon Says, but make it Santa says.

Heidi  6:39

Oh, that sounds like fun. But morning meeting isn’t the only place to add holiday themes without derailing your class routines. One daily learning routine that is perfect to make seasonal is a Vocabulary Routine. Now we call our vocabulary teaching method the jargon journal.

Heidi  6:55

Each week we would read a book to the class and choose four tier two vocabulary words from the book, and then for the rest of the week, students would work on one of those words each day to build a deeper understanding of its meaning and use. Making this type of routine seasonal is just easy peasy. All you have to do is choose a holiday book. Many favorite holiday read aloud books have wonderful, rich vocabulary, and that is just perfect for this method.

Emily  7:21

And we have created grab and go units for you to use for holiday vocabulary lessons using books like The Polar Express, Santa Bruce, Pick a Pine Tree, The Night Before Christmas and more. So we will link to our Christmas jargon journal units in the show notes. So Heidi, where else can we add Christmas into our lessons?

Heidi  7:41

Well, I love to make our fluency practice holiday themed. Our fluency in a flash, daily digital mini lessons are perfect for this. The everyday lessons are non seasonal, but we do have seasonal lessons that you can mix in for a fun surprise. It’s kind of hard to describe what this is on the podcast, but it’s an interactive and engaging routine, and we will link to our fluency in a flash mini lessons in the show notes as well.

Emily  8:04

I’m still blown away every time I open up one of those to either do with my own kids or I’ve helped do them in their classes. The activities are just so well done and so fun for the kids. So each day has a meaningful activity that promotes the development of important fluency skills, but I promise that your kids will be having so much fun they will never even realize that it’s educational.

Heidi  8:29

Now, of course, you can also make your story problems about presents, or play a math game with Gingerbread Man, or learn about snowflakes and science and so many other fun ideas this time of year, but please know that you don’t have to add a seasonal twist to everything you do in class just because it’s a holiday.

Emily 8:46

Yeah, if every single activity and worksheet they see in December has a reindeer on it, it’s just not going to have the same impact on novelty and engagement as one reindeer themed writing activity would have. So look for big impact, low effort ways to make your lesson a little more fun, and remember that, like with seasoning, a little can go a long way.

Heidi  9:08

The second way to be a fun teacher during the holidays is by planning a holiday twist to your classroom management plan.

Heidi  9:15

We have shared several times here on the podcast that we are normally not big fans of classroom reward systems. They can be overused, and they tend to lose their effectiveness quickly, which is why we would never suggest using a reward system year round. But it turns out that reward systems can be incredibly effective short term. So the holidays are the perfect time to bust one of those out.

Emily  9:39

Plus it’s a wise idea to enter a chaotic time in the classroom like December with a game plan for keeping your classroom management under control. Being the fun teacher is not so fun when you have to spend a lot of extra time and energy dealing with student behavior issues.

Heidi  9:56

Yeah, I used to be so embarrassed that I needed a reward system in December to save my sanity, because I had read all the books and they said that I should be able to manage my students without one. But the reality is that a reward system is just a tool.

Heidi  10:11

Using one doesn’t make you a good teacher or a bad teacher, and sometimes we need different tools to solve different problems. In this case, a reward system is a tool that can counter the high excitement and the mixed up routines that come with the holiday ramp up season.

Emily  10:27

You can have your holiday reward system ready to go the first day back after Thanksgiving, or you can have it prepared and ready for whatever day you find you really need it. Either way, you’ll be very glad you planned ahead.

Heidi  10:41

There are lots of different styles that you can use for reward systems. You could go for a whole class reward system, like having the class earn letters to a secret word, like gingerbread that’s a nice one with lots of letters.

Heidi  10:45

Once they have earned all the letters with their good behavior, the class gets their reward like making graham cracker gingerbread houses. Oh, no, no, scratch that. Sounds like a nightmare. Maybe you could do the ones where you like hot glue it to a milk carton. Maybe, I don’t know, something less sticky.

Emily  11:13

Something less sticky, something that would be fun for you too. Don’t pick a reward for the kids that’s going to be fun for them and miserable for you. Oh, absolutely.

Emily  11:22

Or you could go for a small group reward system. This is great for having your rows or tables competing for a reward. You could have a little seasonal board game on the board where each team’s piece is moving across the board when their behavior is good, then the team that gets to the end first gets the reward.

Heidi  11:41

Or you could even make it so that each team eventually gets the reward whenever they get to the end of the board.

Emily  11:46

Oh yeah, I love that. And you’d be surprised how motivated students can be for the simplest rewards. You could have something like getting to use Christmas themed pens during a writing activity, and the kids would be totally psyched for that.

Heidi  12:00

And they do have really cute Christmas themed pens this time of year, especially like fun scented ones. Yes.

Heidi  12:08

Another option for a reward system is to do an individual system. If your class is particularly competitive in a way that might cause contention, rewarding students individually may be the way to go. You can hand out cute caught you being good cards, and then the students can save up their cards until they have enough for a set reward, or their cards could be entries into a drawing for a prize.

Emily  12:32

No matter what reward system you decide to try, the most important step is to begin with a discussion. You want to talk about what choices constitute good behavior, and what following directions looks like, sounds like, feels like, yes, it seems like common sense. Yes, kids should probably already know what behavior is right and wrong.

Emily  12:51

But you can’t assume that they do, and it’s hard to hit an invisible target. So your reward system will be extra effective if you take the time to discuss the expectations before you begin.

Heidi  12:51

Now it’s probably no surprise that we do have a resource that can help you with your holiday classroom management as well. Our holiday behavior helps bundle has six different reward systems that you can choose from to be a fun teacher while also keeping your students in line.

Emily  13:18

There are reward systems for the whole class, groups and individuals. So you can choose the system or combination of systems that works best for you. Just be sure not to have too much going on at once with your reward systems, or it can kind of turn into a big headache for the teacher.

Heidi  13:34

Yeah, that’s the real downside of reward systems, is having to manage it. Yep, and we talk all about seasonal behavior management in episodes 37 and 104 so make sure to check those out if you want more of our tips and tricks.

Emily  13:48

We also have our December teacher survival kit that can guide you through how to plan your seasonal reward system. That’s my favorite part of this survival kit.

Emily  13:58

There are pages in there to help you prep for December and the start of January. But there’s also a page of guiding questions to help you dial into exactly what you need your reward system to do for you. So there is a link to the December teacher survival kit, you guessed it, in the show notes.

Heidi  14:14

Definitely check out the show notes on this one.

Heidi  14:18

The third and final suggestion for being the fun teacher in December is to sprinkle in some just for fun magic. Of course, we need to maximize our time at school, and we don’t want to waste a whole month doing fun and forgetting the learning, but most teachers will be able to find a little time to add in a few short activities that are just for the pure enjoyment of it.

Emily  14:39

There are some legitimate reasons to do this too. Doing some just for fun activities, build your classroom community and class identity. Your students will look back fondly on those happy times together.

Heidi  14:52

And plus, it makes teaching fun for you. I’m not going to beat around the bush. Teaching is hard. Some days it’s hard to remember why you entered this profession at all, but incorporating some short holiday activities that are just for the joy of it can help your job become more enjoyable.

Emily  15:10

That should not be underestimated, because a teacher who enjoys teaching will be more equipped to engage their students, teach with more energy and help their students soar. And more than that, enjoying teaching is good for your mental health, and that is true self care, right there.

Heidi  15:28

A great way to sprinkle in this, just for fun holiday magic is with brain breaks. I tended to not use brain breaks every day. I kind of saved them for just when we needed them, but in December, I probably needed them every single day. Because, let’s be honest, students need a break every day, especially in December.

Emily  15:47

You can use brain breaks to laugh, get out wiggles, warm students up for thinking, or get more grounded. And we have printable brain breaks that are perfect for this. You can choose the type of brain break you need in the moment and just read it off the card. You don’t have to fuss with your projector or try and get a video to load or anything like that.

Heidi  16:06

These can really be so helpful, especially at a time of year when focus is short and you need more breaks. Just in our December brain break pack, we have 60 brain breaks in three different categories. So if you need to boost that focus, choose one of the refocus activities, like the calming cocoa mindful movement activity.

Heidi  16:26

So you get the kids settled, and then you tell them, pretend you’re standing at the stove stirring a big pot of hot chocolate. The liquid is hot and bubbly. Use a large spoon to slowly stir. Now stir with the other hand, feel the warm steam on your face, take in a big, deep breath and spoon some into your mug. Now sprinkle some marshmallows on top and take a big drink, yum.

Emily  16:53

I feel calmer already. We also have refresh brain breaks to help get everyone back on track and recharge brain breaks to help get the wiggles out. These can be a huge lifesaver. So we’ll link to our Christmas brain breaks in the show notes if you want to take a look.

Heidi  17:09

Another way we love to add in fun is with festive breaks. These are short seasonal activities that you can pull out whenever you want without requiring any prep. They’re print and go activities like holiday Tic Tac Toe, roll and draw a gingerbread house and so many more. Having these copied and ready to just grab at a moment’s notice will be a huge relief when you need them.

Emily  17:32

All you have to do is decide which activities you want to do and decide how you want students to choose the activities. Then when it’s time for some festive fun, have a student pick one of the picture cards, turn it over and see what activity to do. So it’s easy peasy, and also a sneaky way to get in a little pocket of prep if you listen to last week’s episode.

Heidi  17:51

So definitely check the show notes for a link to our Christmas festive breaks and find the link to Episode 169 where we talk all about the pockets of prep.

Emily  18:00

It’s easier than you think to be the fun teacher in December without losing control of your class or getting behind in your curriculum. The ways to be the fun teacher are make your learning seasonal, add a holiday twist to your reward system, and sprinkle in some just for fun holiday activities.

Heidi  18:16

We would love to hear how you plan for fun in December. Come fill us in on all of the details in our teacher approved Facebook group.

Emily  18:25

Now let’s talk about this week’s teacher approved tip. Each week we leave you with a small, actionable tip that you can apply in your classroom today. This week’s teacher approved tip is, get those lucky ducks. What is this all about Heidi?

Heidi  18:38

Well as we mentioned, sprinkling seasonal fun into your class is a great way to make things festive without having to lose complete control. One way to add a little festive surprise and delay is to choose a lucky duck for the day.

Heidi  18:44

We have talked about this idea before, but I saw the cute Christmas duckies at Target, and I just wanted to make sure everyone had a good reminder if they wanted to do this. So if there are enough school days between now and winter break that you could spotlight each of your students on one day, you may want to give this a try.

Heidi  19:08

All you need is a duck and then a few fun ideas. So each morning, the deck arrives on a new student’s desk, and that student is the lucky duck of the day. Maybe they get to have a holiday decoration on their desk, or they get to use a fancy pen for their work that day. You could add as many fun privileges as you can manage. And with all the fun seasonal stuff out there, you could really go wild with this one.

Emily  19:30

Oh yeah, I’m thinking of, like, all the different Christmasy things that they could get to do on their lucky duck day. Or, like, maybe they could wear a Santa hat. Like, it could be so fun.

Heidi  19:40

That’s so cute. And if you don’t have enough school days to do one a day, you could get two cute ducks from Target and do two kids a day.

Emily  19:47

That’s true, Lucky ducks, plural. I’ve seen some teachers online who do a lucky duck of the day all year, and there’s nothing wrong with that, if it works for you. But if you don’t need this as part of your regular classroom management, adding a special activity like this once or twice a year makes school feel magical. The rarity of the experience makes it feel like such a treat, which is why surprise and delight is so powerful.

Heidi  20:12

To wrap up the show, we’re sharing what we’re giving extra credit to this week. Emily, what gets your extra credit?

Emily  20:18

I’m giving extra credit to holiday rom com books. So last year, you and I put together a list of our favorite holiday rom com books to share, and I wanted to do this as my extra credit again, just so I could share that link again, so I’ll link it in the show notes. Remember, show notes are gonna be crazy this week. You gotta check them out.

Emily  20:37

I’m just getting into my holiday rom com reading this year, so I don’t have a new one to recommend yet, but I did just download Christmas With a Crank by Courtney Walsh, and it’s free on Kindle Unlimited. I’ve read another one of her, so I think I will like it. I’ve got high hopes for it anyway. So if I like it, I will add it to the list.

Heidi  20:56

Well, that has been on my TV read list, so now I can just wait for you to tell me if it’s worthwhile.

Emily  21:01

I’ll be the guinea pig. What’s your extra credit Heidi?

Heidi  21:04

Well my extra credit is also going to a book this week. I just finished the audiobook of Miranda Hearts I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest With You, and it was so good.

Heidi  21:14

I know Miranda from her sitcom on the BBC, which was also called Miranda. Oh, it was so good. I loved it. And she played Chummy on Call the Midwife, which maybe more people know, and I loved her on both of those. But then she just kind of disappeared for a long time. And I thought, well, maybe she’s doing more behind the scenes stuff. I, you know, just didn’t hear from her.

Heidi  21:33

And sadly, it turns out that she was basically house bound because of a chronic illness, and that is kind of the topic of the book. But it’s more than just a memoir of her illness, though it’s it’s more like a deep discussion about how to be a human in spite of the horrors that keep persisting in all of their forms.

Heidi  21:51

In the book, she shares 10 key lessons. She calls them her treasures that she learned and how they helped her heal, not just physically, but also mentally and spiritually and in all facets of her life. This is one of the few books that I have finished, and then wanted to restart right away. I listened to the audiobook because Miranda is so fun, but I think I need to get the print version now, because there were just so many aha moments that I want to be able to reference. So I will put a link to that with everything else in the show notes.

Emily  22:19

Show gotes gonna be popping this week.

Heidi  22:23

That is it for today’s episode. Try our three ways to be the fun teacher in December without losing control of your class. And don’t forget our teacher approved tip for adding some seasonal surprise and delight to your class.