BTS Blog Hop | Happy Days in First Grade

Hi, there! Today I’m linking with The Owl Teacher to bring to you the Back-to-School Blog Hop! I hope you find some helpful tips here in starting the school year on the right foot, and then hop on over to The Owl Teacher’s blog to find more tips, tricks, and even FREEBIES!

One of the first things that I do at the beginning of the year is assign classroom jobs. Some of these jobs last the entire year and some are weekly. No matter what job it is, I make sure to go through each of them thoroughly to make sure my students understand what each job entails and how important it is for them to be take that job seriously if they are chosen. By assigning these jobs, I have saved a lot of time and my students also take ownership and pride in being part of our classroom community! Below are my 5 Classroom Job Must-Haves!

1. Every set of tables/desks needs to have an assigned leader to pick up or pass out papers to the kids in their group. Instead of having 20+ students come to me to pick up papers, I simply ask the table captains, which are at most 5 students to collect and pass out the papers to their group. As they are doing this, the other students are getting their supplies (pencil, eraser, crayons, etc.) to get ready to complete their assignment.

2. As every group of desks has a table captain, it also needs a table buddy, someone to help the table captains with jobs that require two people. For instance, when table captains are coming to me to pick up assignments for their group, the table buddy can be picking up privacy folders or supplies to be passed out. I have also had table buddies be promoted to table captains if their table captain has lost his/her job due to behavior. Also, if the table captain is absent, the table buddy can seamlessly take the job for the day and another student can be a temporary table buddy.

3. Every week I assign a girl and a boy to be the bathroom monitors. Their job is simply to use the restroom first, wash and dry their hands, pass out paper towels to the other kids, and report any incidents to me when needed. As I send two students into the restroom at a time, I also need to monitor the rest of the class in the hallway. Therefore, bathroom monitors are my eyes are ears and also help avoid misbehavior in the restroom.

4. Small Group Leaders- As students travel through various reading and math centers in small groups, there is also a permanent leader in each group. Similar to a table captain, the group leader picks, collects, and passes out papers and supplies when needed. They are also the leader in the group to help make sure everyone stays on task and receives help when needed.

5. Line Leader, Door Holder, & Caboose- These familiar jobs are just as important as the other jobs in the classroom, as they can be reassigned weekly and also give students a sense of accountability and ownership in the classroom. Whatever it is about first graders and being first in line, I have found that being the line leader is the most sought after position to have in the classroom! lol… Therefore, I try to make this a very big deal and explain to the class why certain students deserve and are chosen for this position. Next to the first person in line is the door holder, who holds the door for us when needed. It is also the second sought-after position and one that students love to take upon as they are second in line! hahaha…. As important as the line leader and door holder are, the caboose who makes sure that our lights are turned off, our door is closed, and there are no wanders left when we leave the classroom.

Thank you for reading along, and I hope I shared some ideas that are applicable for your classroom! If you have other jobs in the classroom that are must-haves, please feel free to share below! And… Now a FREEBIE from my Meet the Teacher Packet!!!

Special thanks to Teacher Karma for the cute clipart!