Rewards in 3L

Each year that I teach, I try out different reward systems. I've found that the best ones are the simplest ones. With too many systems you can end up tripping over yourself to keep them straight and they start to lose their meaning. When I taught in England I started using the behaviour chart that you see all over Pinterest and I really loved it. Of course, the one I created needed some serious amendments (each tiny, laminated name attached with sticky tac and often got lost), but it worked really well. When I moved to Bermuda, I packed away each of my handmade pieces but was soon introduced to Rick Morris: Creator of New Management. If nothing else, this sturdy chart will last up to lots of wear and tear. 

Check out my awesome Time Timer (purchased from Amazon) and my punctuation popcorn from here.

Good behaviour= clip up

Poor behaviour= clip down

You can see here that the kids' pegs have tallies on them. Students clip up until they are 'on top of the chart', then they clip off the chart. We chant "He/She's OFF THE CHAAAAARRRRTTTT!!!" and celebrate their achievement. These students will get a tally on their peg. Once students in my class get 5 tallies, they get to choose from my reward catalogue. "Fluffy Friend" and "Best Seat in Town" are two of the most popular prizes. I LOVE my reward catalogue because, once I've made it, I never have to think about it again! There is no running-to-the-dollar-store-to-top-up-my-treasure-chest business. This is not a school-wide thing, but I highly recommend it to everyone. You can also see a green peg with a butterfly on it. This is rewarded to students who get clipped off the chart 10 times. a HUGE achievement in our school. Once they are off the chart, the child or the teacher get to wear the peg on their shirt.

Another special reward I give in my class is these little postcards. I ordered them a long time ago from Vistaprint and paid next to nothing for them. For the last few years, I sent them out randomly throughout the year when I felt that a child deserved it. However, this year they ended up buried at the bottom of my desk drawer and I totally forgot about them. I just dug them up and have decided to send out an entire class set in one go. We send out 'Welcome' postcards in August and they are always a huge hit. Aren't they so cute!? What I love most about my reward systems are that they are pretty self-sufficient. I don't have to worry about staying on top of things or doing a certain something each week (because I always forget).
Good luck tackling all that tricky behaviour in your classes and remember...YOU TOTALLY ROCK!