Homeroom Ideas: Tips for Making the Most of That "Free" Time

Teachers' reasoning for the shift was that attendance was already being taken in each class period and daily announcements took care of the information or ... Home About Contact Topics BeyondtheClassroom ProfessionalDevelopment TeachingMoments ClassroomInnovation Poweredbyyourfriendsat SubscribeNow! StayuptodateonallthelatestfromHeyTeach:Getperiodicemailsthatincludeexclusivecontent,specialguides,andothergreatresourcesyouwon’tfindanywhereelse! Name* Email* BysubmittingyouwillreceiveemailsfromHeyTeach!andcanopt-outatanytime. × SHAREFOLLOW Classroominnovation studenthabits HomeroomIdeas:TipsforMakingtheMostofThat"Free"Time bySuzanneCapekTingley,VeteranEducator,M.A.Degree Newhomeroomideascantransformanoldtraditionintoawarmandwelcomingaspectofastudent'sday.Nolongerjustaplaceforstudentstocheckinandtalktofriends,homeroomhasevolvedintoaperiodwherestudentscanstart(orend)theirdayatasafe,supportivehomebase.Teacherscantakethetimetogettoknowtheirstudents,andtheycanofferguidanceandinformationtohelpthemnavigatetheday.Homeroomisalsotheperfectplacetocelebratestudentsuccess,welcomenewstudents,andmarkspecialoccasions.Hereareafewtipsonhowtousehomeroomtobuildaculturethat'sinclusive,supportive,andfun. GoBeyondTakingAttendance Homeroomcomesinmanyforms.Twiceaweek,thestudentsatmysmallhighschoolmeetbygradelevelfor10minutesfirstthinginthemorning.Twoofthestudents'regularteachersserveashomeroomadvisersandtakecareofthehousekeepingchoreslikecheckingattendance,passingoutreportcards,orremindingstudentsaboutupcomingeventslikeauditionsfortheschoolplay. FurtherReading: 4EnergizingBodyBreaksYourStudentsCouldUseToday Whenteachersaredone,studentshavethefloortowishpeersahappybirthdayorremindthemaboutactivitieslikeaFridaynightdanceoracannedfooddrivestartingupthefollowingweek.Somestudentsusethetimetoread,andsometimestherearejokes—wewentthroughaspateofawfulknockknockjokesonespring—orevenaskiteverynowandthen.Acoachmightevendropbytosingleoutastudentforspecialpraise.Sarita,ajunioratmyschooltoldmethatsheenjoysthetimebecauseshegetstoseestudentswhoaren'tinherregularclasses."Plus,welikebeingabletobringupourownissuesnowandthen,"shesaid. KnowtheProsandConsofaLaterHomeroomPeriod Anothermiddleschool/highschoolinourareasaveshomeroomperiodfortheendoftheschoolday.Teachers'reasoningfortheshiftwasthatattendancewasalreadybeingtakenineachclassperiodanddailyannouncementstookcareoftheinformationorremindersthatstudentsneeded.Bymovinghomeroomtotheafternoon,theycouldutilizethatprimetimeatthebeginningofthedayforteaching.However,whileteachersandstudentsfoundthatmuchofthecamaraderieremainedintactattheendoftheday,energywaslowerthaninthemorning.Itwaseventemptingforsomekidstoputtheirheadsdownontheirdesks. Inaddition,absenteeismbecameaproblem.Ifstudentshadappointmentsoutsideofschool,manyfigureditwasbettertomisshomeroomthanEnglishormath.Theyalsobegantoseetheend-of-the-dayperiodasanopportunitytogetahead-startonhomeworkormakeuptestsorquizzes.Sam,aneighthgraderattheschool,notedthathelikedseeinghisfriends,buthealsolikedhavingachancetostarthishomework,especiallywhenhehassportsafterschool.Butwhenhishomeroomteachersuggestedthattheyallreadabooktogether,hebalked."Itwaslikeanotherclass,"hesaid.Inshort,ifyourhomeroomperiodisattheendoftheday,oryourschoolisconsideringmovingit,rememberthatkeepingyourstudentsengaged(andinattendance)maybecomeachallenge. UseItasaTimetoBuildRapportwithStudents Inmyexperience,planninghomeroomcannotbelefttochanceorthediscretionofeachteacher.Ifteachersarefinishinguptheirownlessonplansanddon'tusethetimeefficiently,studentswon'tconsiderhomeroomtobeanimportantpartoftheirday.Inourschool,homeroomteachersmeetonceamonthtoreviewthecalendarandplanascheduleforeachgradelevel.Theguidanceofficealsoprovidesalistofmonthlybirthdaysandothernoteworthystudentaccomplishments.Thehomeroomprogramhasbecomeacrucialpartofourschool'sconcertedeffortstocelebrateourstudentsandmakeourschoolmorewelcomingandsupportive. FurtherReading: 4ThingsYouShouldn'tDoRightBeforetheEndofSummerBreak Asyoulooktooptimizeyourhomeroomperiod,keepinmindthatthesearejustafewideastoconsider.Forinstance,someschoolshavedecidedtogetridofhomeroomaltogether.Whilethemoveaddsteachingtimetotheschedule,itsacrificesthesafeandsupportivehomebasethathomeroomcanprovide.Italsocutsdownonpersonalrecognitionofeachstudent,whichisanimportantaspectofstudentsuccess.Homeroommaytake10–15preciousminutesoutofanalreadypackedacademicday,butwiththerightcreativehomeroomideas,theresultscancertainlybeworththetime.Weteachersjustneedtobecommittedtomakingitwork. SHAREFOLLOW   Beyondtheclassroom   Professionaldevelopment   Teachingmoments   Classroominnovation Recommended HowtoSilencetheNoise Learnmore› ExerciseandtheBrain:HowFitnessImpactsLearning Learnmore› ControllingYourClassroom:WhatOneTeacherLearnedbyStartingOver Learnmore› Related {{article.topic}} {{article.title}} SuzanneCapekTingley VeteranEducator M.A.Degree SuzanneCapekTingleystartedasahighschoolEnglish/Spanishteacher,transitionedtomiddleschool,andeventuallybecameaprincipal,superintendent,andadjunctprofessorineducationadministrationattheStateUniversityofNewYork.Sheistheauthorofthefunny,butpracticalbookforteachers,HowtoHandleDifficultParents(PrufrockPress).HerworkhasappearedinmanypublicationsincludingEducationWeek,andherblog,PracticalLeadership,wasfeaturedontheScholasticwebsite.Shehasbeenapresenterandconsultant,andwithMagnaPublicationsshedevelopedvideosondemandhighlightingsuccessfulstrategiesforclassroomteachers.AmongherhonorsisaWomanofDistinctionAwardfromtheNewYorkStateSenate.Sheisastrongbelieverthatallkidscanlearnandthatteachingrequiresart,skill,andagoodsenseofhumor. 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