Keeping a Journal in the Classroom

My students each have their own “Classroom Journal.” Every morning for 10 minutes, I ask them to write about anything they want. They can write about what they have learned in class, what they want to learn, a personal experience, their thoughts – the list goes on and on. The reason I ask my students to do this is to make sure I am constantly connected to them. Also, when they write about something they want to learn or are curious about, I find a way to satisfy their curiosity during class. If they are having a hard time, I take it into consideration and try to help. If the story was a funny one, I ask them to share it with the class if they wish, and so on. In addition, my students won’t be just a group of kids whom I teach, but with time the class grows into a nurturing environment full of trust and comfort.

Sawsan, Lebanon

Let Students Take Care of their Second Home

Prepare a chart with the names of all the students as well as classroommaintenance “jobs” for them to do. Each week 10 or more students (depending on the number of tasks) will have a job to take care of in the classroom. For example, “Tom” can be the class “librarian” straightening books, “Stacey” can be the “ math director” during math and hand out papers or organize the material, “Fred” can be the “room inspector” and make sure the floor is clean at all times. The students will feel proud that they are helping take care of their “Second Home.”

Salam, Qatar

Get Caught … Being Good

Most teachers focus on how students misbehave during class, but what I do is reward those “being good.” I prepare slips of paper that say, “Got Caught Being Good,” with a blank space underneath. Whenever a student behaves well or does something good, I give them a slip of paper on which they write their names and place it in a jar. At the end of the day, I pick out a name from the jar and the student gets a little treat!

Aya, Lebanon

By John Joseph

John Joseph has an inspiring story to tell. He left school at the age of 14 to undertake an apprenticeship as a solid plasterer. After 11 years of contributing to the family business, he resumed his formal education, graduating with a Master’s degree in Mathematics and Science Education. 

John taught across all year levels before working in teacher education at the University of South Austrailia. In 1998, he formed his own company, Focus Education Austrailia, and has enjoyed phenomenal success as a presenter, writer and coach. In just nine years John has worked with over 350,000 delegates across 16 countries. He has published six books, three CDRoms and over 100 articles. John’s website attracts over 1 million visitors annually. 

Today, John is affectionately known as the Brain Man. He facilitates workshops each year for about 12,000 school students and speaks at national and international conferences for educators, parents and the corporate world. John has featured in hundreds of newspaper articles for his work with kids, parents and teachers.