Classroom Hacks That Can Save Your Sanity

Every teacher gets that brain-dead, uninspired feeling when reality sets in at the start of every new school year. You know that “why didn’t I think of that idea?” feeling? You know, the idea that would make your life in the classroom so much easier and make you feel that you are actually winning in life? Don’t worry, this is where Google, ancient advice from your older peers and vetted ideas become your best friend. Check out this rocking list of classroom hacks that you won’t believe you didn’t think of. Make your classroom awesome in 3,2,1…

1. Eliminate those incessant “Do I need to write this?” questions by color-coding your PowerPoints.

Red = write word for word.

Yellow = summarize/own words.

Green = just listen.

2. If there’s an awesome lesson plan online, copy it for your own class. You don’t always have to reinvent the wheel, especially when something already works well and the kids benefit in the end.

3. Elementary school classrooms are cringeworthy at the end of the day, so have your students clean up for you with a game – Magic piece of trash game. Choose an item as the magic item. Whoever picks up that piece throughout th “wins”. It is oddly motivating as far as classroom hacks

1. Sensory break bucket or basket filled with fidgets and other sensory tools for children seeking input (or output!)
2. For easy clean-up, tape a plastic garbage bag over the table during art projects.
3. The best time-out hack = a sparkle bottle. Give it to the troublemaker to shake and let them re-join class when the glitter settles at the bottom.
4. Take a photo of what the book shelf should look like in order and place it on the shelf for kids to reference to organise.
5. Tired of minor disruptions? Have students hold up a number of fingers to replace common questions (i.e., three fingers = “May I go to the bathroom?”)
6. To maintain a positive classroom environment, end the day with shout-outs, encouraging kids to give each other compliments and recognise hard work.
7. Keep a small ball on your desk to retain the class’s attention; simply pick it up
   when you need the students to calm down or refocus. Just avoid a cricket ball and the temptation of flinging it in one of your student’s direction!

Let’s face it teachers, these classroom hacks will work like a charm, but if you really feel like ‘killing’ your students at times we might have three ideas that can work and you will definitely get away with it…

• Nothing like a little library time… Today’s youth aren’t the biggest fans of classical music so grab your favourite Bach and Beethoven CD’s, turn the volume up and let them do some reading time – books of your choice of course. You might just need to step out for a minute to use the bathroom and accidentally lock them in the library at breaktime… Accidents happen.
• Dodgeball… Why not turn a PE lesson into something super FUN? A little game of dodgeball – with a very pumped, hard ball – never killed anyone did it?
• Dealing with impossible behaviour and tantrums in class? Whip out your phone and start ‘filming’ their clownish behaviour and threaten to put the video on YouTube. They will literally want to die of embarrassment. Of course you won’t post or film anything, but who will ever know?

Life has a great sense of humour, you just need to find the right hacks to stay sane!