I wanted to share my new blog with all of you! Add it to your reader or follow it on google.  http://samcooltoolsfortheclassroom.blogspot.com/ Its all about cool and techy tools to use in the classroom. 

I agree that there needs to be a good rapport between the student and the teacher. Colleagues have said to me, ''...how did you get him to do that?...''   A psychiatrist working with the program I taught in once said, ''bypass the behaviors and see where they are coming from''. Change the antecedent or what the child reacts to, ...

The very first day that I taught my elementary class was probably the worst 40 minutes of my teaching career. There were five behavioral students, all about third grade or so. When they walked in, I really thought that they would sit still while I went over rules and expectations. Boy, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Within five minutes they ...

I’ve been thinking a lot about the little ones I worked with for my observation hours. I really miss the time in the classroom. What is sticking with me at the moment, however, are some particular moments with specific children. I guess the reason is because I have been catching up with some reading and one of the blogs I read has some very ...

Today was a pretty good day in the multi-needs room. It left me a little time to reflect on what important things I am learning by being there (besides triage!) I feel like I should really be absorbing the lessons I am learning about behavior management and engaging students. Behavioral management is something that I have had much anxiety over and ...

Today Amelia Bedelia was gone again (she had planned a trip before she got this job), so we had last Friday and today without her.  And…Leo was once again just fine.  So was Edward, for that matter. I treated Leo like I would any other child, so when he refused to clean up I took him over to the timeout chair for a brief timeout.  He ...

Last Monday when Amelia Bedelia (our new special ed assistant) was in the room, Leo was fine.  He didn’t want to do his work, and she wouldn’t take no for an answer — in the nicest way possible — so he sat down, and with her help, he did some of the work.  On Tuesday when Miss Nelson was in the room, Leo ran away from Art ...

This is my first blog on this website. I will be offering solutions to common problem behaviors both in the classroom and at home relating to common school issues. I will also entertain any questions that you might have.So far I have been having quite good success with managing and changing children's behavior by using positive methods. I will ...