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| Not my classroom, (I'm not that organized) I found the picture here. |
The thing that has been driving me crazy the most this year is this:
How does this happen? I don't remember it ever being this bad before. This class did start with a student teacher who struggled, but I had them by myself for a long time before my latest round of absences (another round of dr visits AND tonsilitis just this past week). I'm not sure, maybe the kids are sitting at their desks more than they have in the past because of our new technology. I am trying to do a better job of monitoring student engagement, I think it is helping.
What do you do to keep this from happening? Someone told me that a teacher (in our district I think) tells the kids at the beginning of the year that if they have a name tag that looks new at the end of the year they will get a full size candy bar. I don't normally bribe the kids with candy, but with about 30 students next year that could get to be a bit cost prohibitive. Then what do you do for the student who moves in during February? Only give them half a candy bar? I can see some problems.
I could use some help. I have thought about purchasing the heavier nametags, cost has always deterred me - it isn't going to help me be a better teacher, and I noticed that some of the corners of Chari's heavier name tags were curled up as well. The vinyl ones I have been getting clean up really well at the end of the year, but obviously they aren't lasting the school year.
Suggestions?
16 comments:
Hi Becca,
I so relate to the disappearing pencils this year! The name tags I used this year have held up well, save for a couple who tore them up. However, next year, just for a change I am going back to the thick plastic ones from Really Good Stuff. Good luck with whatever you decide. :)
Lory
OMGosh, I looked at that picture a couple of times trying to figure out what you did to your room because I knew it looked different and then I read the part where you said it wasn't your room!! So funny, since I see it everyyyy day.
Lory
I laminate my name tags each year and then use packaging tape on each end to attach them to the desks. They seem to hold up pretty well. I do need to replace the tape on some that starts peeling up, but they don't curl at all.
Ali
I know exactly how you feel about the name tags. I couldn't stand it any longer. So I don't put them on the desks anymore. I hang a cute like name tag above each desk. Then for each holiday we do a cute craft and attach it to the name tag. And it decorates the room too. It works for me!
Petersons-Pad
Last year I didn't have nametags on the desks at all! We hung them on the sides with magnets (i have groups of 4) Previously I had laminated and used packing tape, but I just couldn't stand replacing the tape either cause those little hands LOVE to pick!!!! :)
This year we switch kiddos for Reading and Math, so I see over 30 kids at different times, and I needed their names on the desks.... so I have a pocket on the sides of the desks to hold all the name tags of kids who sit at that desk throughout the day. On the desk is a blank sentence strip that is small, with a velcro dot in the middle. The kiddos stick their name tags to it when they come in. I'm using the smaller name tags this year, that do not have all the bells and whistles. Surprisingly, they are all pretty much intact! (compared to when I used the big ones that have the ABCs, numberline, etc, etc...
And, the rule in my room is that they only get 1 name tag. If theirs gets ruined, it's a boring old sentence strip for them.
I would LOVE to know where all of our pencils AND erasers go!!! I swear I've given out over 100 pencils this year, and more erasers! Right now there's about 2 erasers left in the room....
Angie
Rulin' the Roost
CONTACT PAPER! I love to put clear contact paper on the desks. It pulls off so easily but holds up well. Be careful to check the kind you get- I picked up a roll on clearance this summer and wasn't sticky enough at all. But if you get the right kind, it sticks! I let the contact paper overlap and go well over the edges of the nametag.
I usually replace nametags for the winter semester too, and that works well!
As for pencils... well, one year we used masking tape to put students' initials on a brand new pencil. Every two weeks, anyone who still had the pencil got a small reward. It helped a little, but I still wonder why they seem to EAT pencils sometimes!
Jenny
Luckeyfrog's Lilypad
Oh name tags... For the last couple of years I have purchased the card-stock versions and laminated them. Then I use heavy duty clear packaging tape to keep them to the desks. The kids eventually pull at the tape, but I just take the whole tag from the desk, trim the icky peeled tape from the edges and re-tape it to the desk. So far so good, just invest in several rolls of packaging tape :)
Melissa
todayinfirstgrade.blogspot.com
Ali, I laminated my name tags and taped them down my first year. The goo at the end of the year and each time I had to clean the desks each time a student moved out nearly drove me nuts! I'm glad that works for you.
Sheree, your idea intrigues me. I think that getting them off of the desk is a great idea. I had never thought about hanging them from the ceiling. My question is, what do you do when the kids move spots?
Angie, I like your sentence strip idea. I think I am going to start that next year. I think a sentence strip would look better than a curled up one anyway. Thanks for the idea!
Jenny, if you are using contact paper then you must be using regular card stock name tags. Maybe I could use the sentence strip idea from Angie and adhere it with contact paper since I just don't think I can do packing tape one more time. Thanks!
Melissa, wow! I wish I had your patience. When I take their name tag off their desk, it is for good. It is a good idea to just trim tape though, if you have enough edge that definitely could work. I will have to mull that one over, I still don't think I can be convinced to try packing tape again.
Becca, here is what I do. I get the thick name tags from really good stuff. I love that they are sticky so, no contact paper or tape. At the beginning of the year I tell the kiddos that everyone at the end of the year with a nice name tag gets a candy bar. This year I have only had to replace three name tags. The only problem I have encountered is... Instead of picking at the name tags. The kiddos are drawing and writing on them instead. At least their name tags are not peeling off. :)
Packing tape is a solution to the name tags. I put that down sometimes on some that have trouble staying down. If you are worried about the sticky part messing up the desk, it comes off with Goo Gone.
Elizabeth
Fun in Room 4B
I am trying paint sticks this year. I spray painted them black, then stamped lines (wheel from stampin' up) in white and I will write their names with a white paint stick. I will put velcro dots on the table/stick. The problem is that if the name has a letter that goes down (g,p,etc.) I can not make the letter correctly.
Trish
This past year I got so annoyed with torn up name tags that I just wrote their names on their desks with permanent marker. At the end of the year, you can take it off with alcohol.
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