Search results matching tags 'education', 'classroom', 'safety', and 'teaching'

Fire Drill Fix

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 19:31:15 GMT

I recently wrote about my Fire Drill Failure but today I’m going to focus on Fire Drill Fixes. Every year there’s always one teacher frantically trying to get his or her students to behave or during a fire drill. Then there’s the entire class that was caught off guard and is crying hysterically. The bottom line is that fire drills can be confusing and even terrifying for young children and as educators we need to make sure our students are prepared for them.

The following are some simple things you can do to ensure a successful fire drill experience for your preschool or kindergarten students.

Discuss: Have a monthly discussion about fire drills and why they are important.
Read books about fire drills: There are several books written for this age group about fire drills. Often a story will help a child relate to the real life events of fire drills.
Role Play: Act out appropriate and inappropriate fire drill behaviors. Hold “mock fire drills” in the classroom.
Wear a brightly colored hat: When the hallways are crowded with small children and adults it’s difficult for little ones to follow you; a brightly colored hat will make you stand out from the crowd and prevent your students from getting lost. I have my eye on the cool monkey hats pictured below. You can also find cheap, colorful foam visors at your local craft store. Hang your hat on the wall next to your classroom door and grab it on your way out.
Provide incentive: Anybody who has been a long-time visitor of my website or blog knows that I am dead set against extrinsic rewards. However, I do make an exception for fire drills. My favorite type of reward is a “smelly” because in addition to smelling great they are super cheap when compared to stickers or trinkets. Buy a package of scented lip balm at your local Dollar Store and after a successful fire drill have your students place one hand on their head, then rub a small circle of scented lip balm on the back of each student’s hand.

Image Source: Retro Toys

Stay tuned to the blog for a new giveaway that will be posted this weekend!

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Fire Drill Fail

Anonymous — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 11:06:21 GMT

Have you ever had a fire drill failure? Fire drills in any early childhood classroom are so chaotic it’s difficult not to fail. Getting the kids out of the building at lightning speed is next to impossible, especially in the beginning of the year when all they want to do is cry or wander aimlessly into the street. Have you ever tried to get an entire class of 4 and 5 year olds anywhere quickly? Don’t get me wrong, I think fire drills are necessary safeguards against disaster, but that doesn’t make them any less stressful for teachers and kids.

Many years ago I worked for a Head Start program in New England. Those of you who live in colder climates know there is a law mandating that you open any and all windows whenever the temperature rises above 60 degrees. You also know that along with nice weather in the north comes the dreaded “construction season”. So, one fine day in May there I was in my classroom with the windows open serving lunch with my assistant to our sixteen students. The ancient building that housed our Head Start program was in the process of having a new wing constructed- right outside my classroom window. The new wing would house the administrators of course, not the classrooms- that would make too much sense! Picture the classroom windows open and the delightful sounds of backhoes and earthmovers doing their thing outside.

Suddenly, the school nurse burst into the classroom red-faced and ringing a miniature dinner bell. The only reason I knew it was ringing is because I saw her hand moving, the noise coming from outside the window masked the delicate tinkling of the tiny bell. She was screaming “We’re having a fire drill and you’re just sitting here! I’ve been ringing this bell for five minutes!” Now, you’re probably wondering a few things, 1) why is the nurse ringing a miniature dinner bell to signal a fire drill? and 2) why is she the one in charge of the fire drill? The reason she was using a dinner bell is because the building we were housed in was so old it didn’t have a real fire alarm (yes, I’m aware that’s 8 kinds of crazy and dangerous). She was in charge of the fire drill because she was in charge of everything and that’s the way she liked it uh-huh uh-huh.

Despite my explanations and the fact that the assistant didn’t hear the bell either Nurse Ratched insisted on writing me up for “failure to follow school policy”, making this an official Fire Drill Fail. Do you have a Fire Drill Fail story? Stay tuned for a “Fire Drill Fix” post later this week and find out how to tame the fire drill monster.

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Mobile Devices in the Classroom (Thinking Out Loud #4)

Anonymous — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 17:00:46 GMT

THINKING OUT LOUD Episode 004 Related PostsAudioBoo in the Classroom (Thinking Out Loud #3) Announcing “Thinking Out Loud” Advice for Future Teachers Graduating This Month Kids Get Creative with AudioBoo