Have you ever had one of those years where you've tried literally every behavior management trick in the book and nothing would work with your class? Well, this is that year for me. It has been tough because behavior management has always been a strong area for me. My principals would always give me those tough kids that needed that extra structure and follow through, and I'm used to being able to handle it! You can imagine how frustrating it has been to have a class where nothing would work. Yes, I have a few students with some special needs and a few behavior problems, but overall, they are great kids…just the most chatty class in my 7 years of teaching. I found myself getting overwhelmed and exhausted. (Notice the lack of blog posts the last couple months).
I had heard about Class Dojo before but was hesitant to try something new after my students had already been in school for over a month. Well, I can say I'm SO glad I did! Class Dojo has literally changed my life this year. My students are focused, engaged, and always ready to learn. Now I'm thinking, why didn't I use this earlier?
My students loved creating their avatar and are obsessed with earning points! I thought for sure there would be a student or two who weren't motivated by it, but nope! ALL OF THEM ARE! The parents are thrilled that they can check their child's behavior daily, and they love the weekly reports. Right now I have my students cashing in their points when they would like to trade it in for something. They are always aware of their point total and know to tell me when they would like to cash in their points. I have a chart for prizes they can earn but I'm sure I will continue to add more.
Another thing I absolutely love about Class Dojo is that I can open the app on my phone to reward students with points when we leave the classroom for music, PE, assemblies, science, etc.
I'm sure many of you are already using Class Dojo but for those of you who aren't, I hope this gave you a little push to try it! I'm definitely glad I did, and so is my husband! :)
