Classroom management is a major part of teaching, and I feel that my CT does an excellent job with this. The way we manage the classroom is with a credit and debit system. This works well because it actually aligns with the course of study. Economics is a part of the 3rd grade curriculum and this is where my CT got the idea for this credit/debit system. The kids in my class have a chart on their desks where they can tally up their credits/debits. If my CT catches the children doing something good she will positively notice that behavior and mark on the child’s desk that they received a credit. The opposite is also true. If a child is doing something they should not, my CT will say “Johnny that’s a debit. I already told you to not get out of your seat.” At the end of the week, the children will count up their credits and debits and see how much money they will get to spend at the classroom store on Friday.
I believe that this system works well because it motivates the children to follow the rules, and it teaches them how to handle money. Plus, on a side note, they love getting credits which helps us as teachers!!
Amanda's Blog 
Amanda –
I love how you mention that this system aligns with the standard course of study – economics. This is a great way for children to make a tangible connection between the theories that they are learning about and the real-life effects of them.
I was in a classroom once that had a “class bank” and the students would lose or recieve money based on their behavior. At the end of the end, the teacher will open the “class store” and students could buy from the store. The teacher even had checkbooks for each of the kids so that they could write checks – they had to fill them out properly (with numeric and standard form of the amount) or else they couldn’t purchase what they wanted. Really cool activity.
Good post –
Melissa