Eyewitness

The older I get I have little patience for memories that take up needed space in my home. Just today (Monday, October 17, 2016) I went into the cabinet that stores all our family photographs (and yearbooks for Bobbi and me from high school, college, and church). [i]

I came across six copies of “The Mailbox: The Idea Magazine for Teachers” (Intermediate Edition) I’d kept since the late eighties when I was briefly a substitute teacher. In each publication, I had an article of mine published in the “Our Readers Write” section[ii].

Maybe I kept theses relics so long to validate my accomplishments as a writer (and educator). Who knows and who cares at this point in time? By now, I hope my readers have figured out that I am capable of crafting the written word adequately. Right, can someone give me an “Amen”! Please

I’ve decided once I record those ideas in this post that I am donating this material to the leaders of our church/school mentoring program, which concludes in May 2017.

Hopefully, new life can be breathed into these magazines that were always intended for use (and not storage). I hope teachers (and other creative people) reading this can use some of these ideas for their classrooms (and to aid their favorite children in learning). Do you need some kind of radical transformation in your life? Is a good “spring cleaning” needed?

1.     Quiet Corner – This management idea encourages quiet workers. Make a clock of student names to hang in a quiet corner of your room. Each day the hand of the clock indicates one student who may work there. This student may invite one classmate to join him. A day in the quiet corner is a special day for students. (October/November 1987)

2.     Substitute Saver – This little idea can save you next substitute teacher a lot of headaches. In your plans, suggest that [they] offer fifteen extra minutes of recess at the end of the day if students maintain a good behavior.  Students are usually motivated by the proposition, and will work hard for the opportunity to spend more time outside. (December 1987)

3.   That Special Valentine – Who could resist a personalized valentine? Provide red and pink markers, white paper, and an assortment of construction-paper scraps.  Valentine stickers and doilies can also be used.

To make, students use markers to write their valentine messages in heart (or other valentine) shapes. Inside the shapes, small heart cutouts tell who the valentines to and from. Students then add decorations to complete their one-of-a-kind valentines. (January/February 1988)

4.     Grammar Mistake Search – Before the students arrive in the morning, write the daily schedule or a story on the board, deliberately include capitalization, punctuation, and spelling errors. Keep this covered until everyone is seated, and then have the class correct your mistakes. An alternative would be to [copy] a story full of errors and have each student correct the individually. (March/April 1988)

5.     Chalk Shadows – Interesting chalk creatures are lurking in the shadows! Cut a simple pattern from [poster board] (heart, flower, plane, kite balloon) and lay it on a 9”x12” piece of white construction paper. Stroke colored chalk over the pattern while holding it in place.  Move the pattern, and repeat the process several times. Be sure to overlap the pattern, and use an assortment of colored chalks. Spray completed picture with hairspray to prevent smearing. Completed projects create a mystifying display! (May/June 1988)

6.   Behavior Contract – It is simple to make a behavior contract that will aid your students perform better in your classroom with the right attitude.  Leave writing space below each of the student’s answers to the following questions. (Choose the ones that work best for you as a teacher.):

o   Where and when did the problem happen?

o   Explain what happened during the incident?

o   Did your behavior break our class rules? Which one(s)?

o   Did your behavior help you or anyone else?

o   What steps do you think should be taken as a result of this problem?

o   How do you plan to change the problem and your behavior?

Below the questions/answers space should be provided for the signature and date of the student, parent(s), teacher, and principal.[iii] (January/February 1989)

It is important to realize that whether the profession of educator is a job for you (or you’ve been taught by one) that we are all teaching someone somewhere something (by our very existence). People (no matter the age) watch and learn from other people. (That’s the way it’s always been since the beginning of time.) So, what is someone learning from your life is it all good (or mostly bad)?

Psalm 25:4 (NLT) says this, “Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow.” If you need a great deal of help with the “lessons” others may be considering as a result of your lifestyle, I know a Life Coach that will never fail you. He’s just a prayer away. You know what to do.

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[i] The term”eyewitness” refers to someone a person who has personally seen someone (or something), and can bear witness to the fact. (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, New College Edition)

[ii] See posts “Substitutions Allowed” and “Forgetful Memories” for more information on this period of my life.

[iii] The followings teacher ideas have been adapted for use in this post.