Write It in the
Behavior Book

On the first day of school, many teachers provide questionnaires for students to complete. The questionnaires collect important information -- such as phone numbers and addresses, as well as information about hobbies and other interests.

Some teachers keep the questionnaires in a binder. Teachers who have multiple classes use simple notebook dividers to separate one class from another. When a student disrupts the class, breaks a class rule, or does something positive, the teacher jots a note on the back of that student's questionnaire. Those notes serve as a record for grading or planning parent conferences.

One teacher we know buys three-holed plastic sleeves and inserts each student's questionnaire into a sleeve. She also keeps a pile of scrap paper on her desk. Whenever a student does anything notable -- negative or positive -- she scribbles a dated note on a piece of the scrap paper. At the end of the class period, she drops those notes into the students' plastic sleeves. The notes serve as a record of the student's year.

09/14/2010