Routine Not Working? Try, Try, Again!

 Now that we've been in school for a few weeks, I've been thinking about some of my classroom routines, and perhaps some of you are too! I took time and consideration to each routine for the classroom, and conferred with my co-teacher about them so we were on the same page. As Harry Wong suggests, establishing routines is critical in the beginning of the school year so students feel successful and can carry out the routines with ease for the rest of the year. Not to mention it establishes the climate of the classroom and sets the tone for the rest of the year what the expectations are. 

There are times you'll find as a teacher that no matter how hard you try, your routine is not working. Don't get me wrong, I am not one to give up right away but I've even had times when I had to reconsider a routine. In fact, this just happened to me this past month. I realized that my students needed a different system to use the bathroom throughout the day to maximize their class time, yet have appropriate time designated to use the bathroom when needed. I altered the routine from using their clip to indicate they are out to scheduling breaks where everyone can go while they have an independent assignment to work on. I can monitor the hallway for safety, and then we can transition back to whole or small group work. 

This week our schedule flowed smoothly because of these breaks. Besides it offering a designated time to use the bathroom, it also gave students a brain break as well. I integrated our stretch and snack break into these times so two things would happen at once, and although we stopped more frequently, it actually saved time overall. 

I'm going to monitor this routine and see how it continues to work. I know that flexibility is key with my students and although I want to establish consistency, I have to first figure out what routine will work best and how to make it fit our needs. Then practice makes consistent! 

It doesn't matter how long you've been teaching, routines need adjusting and reconsidered at times. The more experience you have with them, the better you will grow in your skill of altering them to fit the needs of your class. I suggest you make notes about your routines somewhere to reflect on at the end of the year and again at the start of next year to figure out what you would like to keep, and what you want to adjust even more. 

Final thoughts: Keep thinking about your routines as the year progress. Keep asking yourself how you can adjust a routine to make it more effective. Keep trying these small adjustments to see what works. Always remember that all teachers, no matter how long they have been teaching have to rethink routines and find new ones. It's not a negative reflection on your practice. Keep up your confidence and use your best judgement, you know your students the best!