Ann Radefeld, OFLA Technology Integration Chair
French Teacher, Shaker Heights City School District

Spring is one of my favorite times of the year.  It is no longer dark when I leave for school, the weather begins to get better, flowers and trees bloom, and birds sing.  It is not only birds singing; my students sing, talk, move and argue. You are in a classroom now.  I’m sure you can relate.  My students are very energized and enthusiastic.   Now is the time that my classroom management skills and my patience are truly put to the test.

To improve my classroom management this school year, I introduced to my students a website called classequity.com .  I am a huge fan of jobs in the classroom.  I believe that jobs promote responsibility, leadership, and a shared sense of belonging to a learning community.  In past years, I have assigned these jobs on paper, and I posted these jobs in the classroom.  In my classroom, we change jobs quarterly.  Some students are very good at their jobs however some still need to improve.  Yet, every student still has a job.

When I found classequity.com last summer, I decided to try integrating it into my classroom.  At first, I was skeptical because I had a system with my jobs that had worked in the past, and I did not want to create any extra work for myself.  Classequity.com allowed me to create a job board for my students; in turn, my students had to apply for the job they wanted.  They had to explain to me why they believed they were qualified for that particular job.  I was then able to look at all the students interested in a job and pick a student who I thought would be the best fit for that job.

Each job is associated with a salary, and, at the beginning of the year, I decided to give the same salary for each job. As the year went on, I decided to offer different salaries depending on what the job entailed.  Some of my jobs involve students speaking in front of the class; these jobs are worth more.  Students take pride in these positions!  They are always the most requested on the job board, even before I started offering a higher salary.  I pay students every two weeks, which disappointed them at the beginning of the year.  I explained to them how I get paid every two weeks so that they will get paid every two weeks: a life lesson! 

In addition to salaries, the website allows students to receive bonuses, fines, or expenses.  In my class, I only use the “bonus” feature so that I can focus solely on positive behaviors.  Recently, one of my classes became particularly forgetful that Chromebooks only come out once there is work to do on the Chromebook.  So, I began jotting down the names of those forgetful students.  Then, I gave a bonus to any student following my Chromebook expectation: “Chromebook Control.”  After one week, students realized what was happening and stopped using their Chromebook once they entered the classroom.

Students collect coins from their salary and bonuses and are permitted to shop in my class store.   

Throughout the school year, I have had a variety of items in my store.   I like the fact that I can change my store when I want.  For example, I realized that Ring Pops were among the most popular items, so I increased the price.  Students still purchase the Ring Pops, but saving up their “money” takes them longer.

At the beginning of the year, I was the person in charge of the Class Store. My being in charge was becoming too much for me to manage.  After doing some research, I found that other teachers created a class job for “Storekeeper.”  I added this to my job board and was very careful in who I placed in that job.  Using a student “Storekeeper” has been very successful, and now I am completely hands off from the store.  The storekeeper can even write me a note if I am running low on stock.  If a student tells me that they have purchased candy, I reply that I am not in charge of the store; I advise them to talk to the storekeeper.  As the storekeeper fulfills purchases, I can address any students who have been absent, have missing assignments or simply have questions.  Meanwhile, I also have another student who takes attendance and leaves the attendance sheet on my desk.  These are just some examples of other jobs I have around my classroom.

Overall, having class jobs helps my classroom function smoothly.  With some classes, there is a learning curve for fulfilling the responsibilities of a job; however, with other classes, they take charge right away.  In each case, I want my students to take ownership of their learning environment.  I emphasize to them that we are in a learning community and we need each other to be successful.  Classroom jobs are a chance for students to take on a leadership role in their classroom.  I enjoy seeing their leadership skills grow over the course of the year, and I feel proud to know that these skills will follow them throughout their lives.