Only One?

This week I began a new rule in my class. And, the kids are HATING it! I actually got the idea from a friend of mine at church that is teaching at a school not far from here. I'm such a mean teacher now...

My kids LOVE candy! I tell ya, candy is magic in the world of my little kiddos! But, there was only one little problem...the kids started EXPECTING candy. For every little thing they would say, "Can I have candy for this?" I was getting testy.

I mean, I'm all for rewarding kids...but, there's a limit.

My rule for about a year has been that if you ask, you don't get one. And, it applies to THE WHOLE GROUP! So if one student asks, noone in the group gets anything! This has caused quite the drama over the past year. But, overall, it has worked pretty well.

So, last time I was home, my Mom got a me a HUGE bag of M&M's. Plain M&M's are my favorite candy! And, the kids know it!

So, I decided at the beginning of this week to start a new rule:
You only get ONE M&M if I give out candy!

And the response has been HILARIOUS! We had marker board races on Tuesday for the first time all year, and if a student got a problem right, they got ONE M&M! You can imagine the responses:

"Just one?"
"That's mean!"
"Don't you like us anymore?"

Kids are amazing. They say what they think, and they also know how to try to manipulate their way into getting what they want...

My response:
"Okay, if you don't want this one, I do!"
And I would eat it!

Then I would say:
"If you can't appreciate what you get, than you will not get any!"

As the week progressed, the kids accepted it..sort of...

Next week, I begin the "Thank You" rule.

It's something a fellow colleague of mine does, and I'm going to implement it into my own classroom...

If they don't say "Thank You" in 3 seconds, they lose whatever they just got!

:-)
Yes, I am a mean, rotten, horrible teacher!

I love my job!