Submitted by Martha Stanley, Tallahassee, Florida
Idea posted March 14, 2008
The other great rule I discovered/developed is, "Look at the person who is supposed to be talking." Not listen, LOOK. If your eyes are where they're supposed to be, you're not playing with your shoes, or your neighbor, or looking out in space. By looking at the person who is supposed to be talking, your ears are pointed in the same direction. If you look, you listen, and if you're looking and listening, your brain is paying attention, too. I just stop what I'm doing or stop a kid from responding until everybody follows the rule, then we go on. This saves huge amounts of time and hassle.