Submitted by Stephanie Menefee, Tacoma, Washington

Idea posted June 13, 2003

I use a point system in my room. For a job well done (or at least good effort if success is low but everyone is focused and trying their best), the class gets a point. If there are problems due to non-effort (talking by a bunch of people, general not following directions, et cetera), I get a point. The students begin earning points the second they walk into the room. If the students can come in and sit down silently, the class gets the "entrance point". The last point is the "line up point." To get this, the students have to: one, stand up SILENTLY, two, face their rows SILENTLY (This means turning so that there is one big line. I have my numbers set up in a spiral, seven chairs in the three outer teams and then three chairs in the front row and four in the middle, making up the fourth team), and three, walk to the door without making a single sound. I have some sounds that I forgive but 99.9% of the time, voices are unacceptable, even whispering.

If, by the end of class, the students have more points than I do, the class gets a sticker. If I have no points at all, the class has had a "perfect day" and gets two stickers. Three perfect days in a row earns the class one day of choosing where they sit. My record this year was 8 perfect days in a row.

I also have a 1/2 sheet of paper that is a daily class report from music, letting the teachers know what went on. I have spaces at the top for class points and my points (kept by tally marks) then four yes/no questions to be answered: Did the class enter quietly, follow all directions, do their very best, and line up quietly? Under that, I have a space where I mark down the names and offenses of students I had to talk with more than once about his/her behavior during class. This is useful come conference time because the teachers keep the papers and can show the parents what was going on and why their child got a lower grade in music. Then, I have a space for "other notes" where I can jot notes to the teacher on any subject.

The teachers love it because it provides communication. It also makes my job easier. When the students see me grab my clipboard and start writing, they know that someone is getting his/her name written down. The other thing that work well is saying, "I'm watching/listening for points." This usually gets them quiet very quickly.