Classroom Management

Best ideas I picked up from this breakout session at the 2008 Catechist Retreat:

1-ALWAYS have a backup activity for those 5-10 minutes of "extra" time at the end of class that we worry about; that way, I'm a better planner for the activities that I really want to accomplish & I don't have to worry about dead time

2-ALWAYS have an quick activity that you can pull out when you see glazed over eyes and need to wake everyone up

3-When you use something like a hand held in the air or clapping to get attention, make sure you wait until EVERYONE is quiet before continuing...sets up a precedent & will work faster each time once everyone knows the routine

4-If you have a child in class who likes to go off topic, it's OK to tell him/her "You need to wait for after class" to talk to me about that; if it's a continual problem, you might try asking before you call on him/her "Are you on topic?"

5-This idea was from my hubby :) Keep the parents busy...give them jobs, too & be sure to remind them that you need a table leader before you get tables started on discussions - it works!

Apparations of Mary

http://www.apparitions.org/

Praying All Ways

How fun! I bought this book from Jo after our catechist retreat. It is "A Multiple Intelligences Approach to Prayer" and has tons of ideas for different, fun ways to incorporate prayer in the classroom (or at home) in different styles that appeal to the way folks' brains process information.

I'm happy to share it with whoever might like to check it out