Class Jobs

 Class Jobs- Saving Teacher's Time Every Year

    One of the best kept secrets to classroom management (and teacher sanity) is student jobs. Something taking you too much time? Make it a student job. Don't have the patience to do something trivial? Make it a student job. Can't ever remember to do something? Make it a student job. The best part is... students LOVE it! They feel a sense of ownership over the classroom and gain experience with real life situations.

Logistics

    We have students fill out job applications at the beginning of every quarter. Check out the job applications we use by clicking here! We go over all of the jobs and job descriptions so students know what they're applying for. They apply for three jobs at a time, in order of preference, and give reasons why they'd be good at those jobs. They are allowed to put down one job that they absolutely DO NOT want as well. 

    We try our best to fulfill everyone's wants, and take their reasons and job performance history into consideration. If someone doesn't get one of their top three job choices one quarter, we jot their names down to make sure they get one of their top three choices the next quarter. We also like for students to reflect on the last job they had, while applying for a new one. It helps us get to know their likes/dislikes and also helps us form better job descriptions for the future. 

Display

    Display your class jobs in an easy to find location in your classroom. I have the job titles on my cabinet doors, and the student names taped underneath their job. When I announce jobs the next quarter, we switch them around accordingly. As partner teachers, we use the same jobs in each classroom- so we have one student from each homeroom assigned to each job. Therefor, there is always someone trained in my classroom to do their job.

What should my classroom jobs be?

    I'll list here the jobs that we use in our classrooms so it can help to inspire your own classroom jobs. The truth is, you just need to figure out which jobs work best for your classroom! If you don't have enough jobs for everyone in the class, we'd recommend having a "cleaning crew" that has a group of students assigned to it.

• Homework Checker- In our district, homework cannot be counted for a grade, but I still like to keep track of who does it for accountability/records purposes. My homework checker uses a simple spreadsheet with student names on it. They put the date at the top of a column, and put an X beside anyone's name who hasn't finished or completed their homework. This is the procedure as soon as students walk in, and my checker knows where the clipboard is and gets started right away without having to be asked. I assign a few math problems for homework, but if they choose to do all of the problems in the set my checker gives them a "leaderbuck." We also keep track of absences on the spreadsheet, which can be helpful at a glance.

• Teacher's Assistant- This person does it all- pretty much anything that doesn't fall under one of the other jobs. They change the calendar date each day.

• Filer- The filer files away all of our signed papers each week into folders with student names on them. We just use hanging file folders in a crate for this. We are required to keep these records throughout the year. 

• Tech Expert- The tech expert is the first person who gets questioned when there is a Chromebook, internet, or other technical issue. They also put away everyone's Chromebook in the charging cart at the end of each day. 

• Cafeteria Manager- The cafeteria manager dismisses the class from the lunch table and stays after to wipe the table clean.

• Security Guard- The security guard hands out IDs each morning, and picks them up every afternoon. 

• Absent Manager- The absent manager catches students up on anything they missed while they were out. They also take fill in for the job of anyone who is absent on any given day.

• Messenger- Self explanatory; The messenger brings things to the office, other teachers, etc. 

• Librarian- The librarian keeps the book shelves organized and tidy. 

• Class Ambassador- In our district, we're required to keep the doors locked at all times. The class ambassador sits near the door and opens it for anyone who knocks. 

• Materials Manager- This person passes out papers, handouts, or anything else we need. 

• Pencil Sharpener- We keep a "dull" pencil bucket and a "sharp" pencil bucket by our pencil sharpener. When students need a new pencil, they put their dull one in the bucket and pick up a sharp one. When the pencil sharpener has free time, they sharpen all the pencils in the dull bucket. They are the only student allowed to use the electric pencil sharpener. 

• Electrician- The electrician turns on/off/down the lights as needed. We also each have colored LED lights in our room and they are in charge of turning them on and off each day and picking what color they should be. 

• Veterinarian- The veterinarian keeps an eye on the class pet and feeds them as needed.

• Kindness Detective- This student catches people being kind and gives them leaderbucks for it!

• Desk Inspector- This student checks to make sure desks are tidy before switching classes. 

• Clean Up Crew- This crew can have as many students on it as you want/need. At any given time, they are cleaning up around the room. sweeping at the end of the day, dusting as needed, etc.