Is dimissal in your classroom a time for quiet reflection upon a wonderful day? Are your learners quietly discussing all of the new knowledge filling their brains? Do you feel calm and happy? If so, I’m terribly sorry, but this post is not for you…
This post is for the teacher who is writing notes, checking folders, following through on behavior plans, asking who dropped their mail on the floor (and asking again), tying shoes, holding up forgotten lunchboxes, and checking for a lost sparkly blue pencil, and listening for bus numbers….
After 8 years of frustration and many failed attempts, I think I may have finally found a solution to help ease the stress of dismissal. Meet my new best friend at dismissal– Bus Buddy! He has been working wonders in my classroom, and you can bring him into your room too!
dismissal procedures. I know it’s the end of the day, and both kids and teachers are running on fumes, but it’s important to establish a plan. Here are a couple charts like those used for Daily Five to teach
your expectations.
so you can work with your learners to establish routines. Maybe your class is
silently reading or finishing undone work. Maybe you are working with a small
group for extra practice or performing classroom duties- – that part is totally
up to you!
of being the Bus Boss (or you could call it Bus Buddy if boss is too “bossy”
for you). The Bosses are from one of the last groups to be dismissed. You can even give them little name tags to make their duty more official.
desk of a kiddo who is following the dismissal routine. In my room, that means
someone who is quietly working on undone work at their desk and listening to
the dismissal announcements. If that kiddo stops following the dismissal
routine (shouting, getting out of her seat, etc) the Boss moves Bus Buddy sign to another
desk. If that kiddo continues working
quietly until her van/bus/car is called, she gets a small reward left on her
desk for the next day.
the Boss moves the sign to a new desk, and the activity continues. You can continue
playing until all of the students have been dismissed. This makes it fair for everyone regardless of long they wait for their group to be dismissed.
responsibility, you can pull a few kiddos for extra practice or perform
classroom duties without any extra stress! I hope the Bus Buddy becomes one of
your best friends in the classroom!
If you find a different way to use the Bus Buddy in your classroom, I would love to hear all about it!
One Response
LOVE this idea!! My room is chaotic for sure at dismissal no matter what I do! My
problem is we only have 2 buses , small school, and they each run 2 loads. My 2nd load
consists of 4 boys. Suggestions? do you think rotating them would work or do you forsee its the not fair from the others coming into play.
Karen
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