Things I Don't Do Anymore as a Year 7 Teacher

Being a teacher, does not mean you are no longer a student. We grow and learn as much as our kids! Here are some things that I have learned over the last few years.

 


No student numbers

When I was in college, I was an orientation counselor, meaning I showed new students around campus and got paid very little to be obnoxiously peppy at 7am. I was group 10. When we were working together, our boss would have us call off, number by number, to make sure we had everyone. The group 1 leader would say "one", the group 2 leader said "two", etc. When I then began student teaching and my cooperating teacher used a number system, I had them do a similar activity. We used these numbers for mailboxes, signing in and out of the classroom, and lining up. And when I was in charge of a field trip with a substitute when my cooperating teacher was absent, I had the kids sound off to make sure I didn't lose anyone. But then I started learning more about the school to prison pipeline. And I read about how prisoners were stripped of their identity and called by a number. Can you think of another group of people who were stripped of their identities and called by numbers? I'll give you a hint - it's groups that a lot of people don't want us to teach about. Now this may seem like a stretch for some of you, and almost every teacher blog out there recommends using a "magic number" or "address" to organize and manage your classroom, but for me this was something I could do to show students that their names were important to me. Is it annoying to change my student name labels every year rather than keeping numbers from one year to the next? Sure, but I would end up changing my labels anyways because we know they get destroyed by the end of the year. And my preschoolers are learning how to identify their names anyways, so it's good practice to have them around the room. And they connect much more to their name than a number they can't read yet. So I'll stick to name tags on our lockers and mailboxes.

No walking in single file lines 

The majority of schools I've worked in have had kids walk in single file lines in the hallway. And it makes sense, you need to learn how to wait in line for the real world - grocery stores, airports, there are lines of people everywhere. But again, this is something that also happens in prisons. I get it, some people are going to say I'm overreacting, so think of it this way. When your preschool students are out and about, do they walk behind Mom at the grocery store? Or behind grandpa at the library checkout counter? No. Typically, our little ones will walk next to their grownup, holding hands. So this is what I choose to do with my classes. I'll have the kids walk in partners in a line. That way we're not a blob and there is some order, but the students practice staying next to their partner rather than a perfect line. I always want to promote bodily autonomy, so I don't force the kids to hold hands, but I do encourage it. This also allows me to partner students who may need some guidance without singling them out from the crowd. Everyone walks with a partner. If you're going to use this method, I suggest looking for patterns of students who walk at different speeds or repeatedly show concern about holding hands with others. I find this method of lining up works even better than holding a rope - and we are not a "chain gang". This method also allows for (literal) wiggle room for our kids that have a harder time walking in the "perfect" line. Think about it this way - what is the point of lining up and walking in the hall? To get to our destination safely. Not to get there in an evenly spaced straight line.

No crisscross applesauce 

Walk into any elementary school and you're bound to hear someone say "sit crisscross applesauce". I even worked with teachers who still call it "Indian style". But why is this a common circle time rule? Because we want kids to be safe and pay attention. In general I'm a big fan of alternative seating because not everyone learns best while sitting in a chair or on the carpet. But even if you're needing to keep kiddos together on a rug, do they need to sit with their legs crossed like a pretzel? No. I encourage my kids to sit in a way that is "safe and comfortable for their body". We tend to offer visuals like these (I use these ones, but here are others... 1 and 2) and practice crisscross, mermaid, mountain and legs out. Some of my kids prefer to sit in chairs, so we talk about being in a spot that doesn't block others from seeing. Allowing different ways to be at circle teaches kids to pay attention to their own bodies' needs - which is most comfortable for me in this moment? It also makes your circle more accessible to students who are unable to sit crisscross. One time, I had a PT tell me to only have a student sit with his legs out because of the way his body physically worked. Rather than having him be the odd one out, allowing all students to sit their own way keeps the playing field even. Additionally, how many teachers do you know who joke about not being able to get back up after they sit on the floor? You can model for your students being aware of your body and doing what it needs. "I lifted a heavy box yesterday and now my back is hurting, so I'm going to sit in a grown up chair today. That makes my body feel comfortable." I encourage students to check in on their bodies if I see lots of wiggling, maybe mentioning to sit tall to strengthen their tummy and back muscles, or make sure they are in their carpet square. We talk about how sitting like a W might hurt their hips (though I've seen some studies say otherwise). We teach students to be aware of their bodies, which is a huge part of growing independent and self-sufficient. While we offer these different options, we still teach the main lessons of keeping our bodies to ourselves and being safe. (Confession: I am a furniture sitter so you might catch me sitting on a table or bookshelf, but I always point out that you can sit on the furniture if your feet touch the floor, otherwise it's not safe.)

And think about it - how many times have you sat in a PD session or staff meeting where you kept moving around in your seat? I can never sit still for those things!


I've learned a lot in my short time in the classroom and I have so many things I want to do differently each year. I may not be able to make systemic changes overnight, but I can make my classroom more inclusive and teach my students to go out into the world and make change, too. 

What are some things you've changed about your practice as you grew as an educator? 

 

Further reading: 

The following links lead to scholarly articles and opinion pieces. Inclusion of an article in this post does not mean I completely agree with or support the individual authors and simply acts as a first step for you to find more information on the topics addressed above. 

 

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