What is it?
One thing I had been interested in trying in my Year 2 classroom is a ‘Break Room’. It is a place where students can take a break if they need it. I think it is reasonable since even adults need a break from time to time.
My first attempt
At first, I didn’t scaffold it very well, breaks could be any amount of time and it just became confusing. I ended up basically never allowing them even though I had offered them, which is no way to build up trust… I needed a better strategy to make it work.
Current setup
During the holidays I thought it over and I made it work better. I got three-minute sand timers for the class. This is the amount of time students get on break. They can play with toys in a carpeted area. They must ask me first. They need to write down their name and why they need a break. This is for accountability.
How is it going?
So far it has been very positive. Students are happy with three minutes and I often find that students feel validated by it. Kind of like they may want a bandaid or an icepack for a physical problem (even if those remedies would do nothing). Students who were not working often came back ready to do more work.
@mrheading Should students be allowed to take breaks when they feel they need them? Let me know if you have tried it or if you have any thoughts.#teacher #teachertiktok #teacherhaul #teachersoftiktok #teachertok #gradetwo #secondgrade #primaryschool #elementaryschool #classroomideas #behaviourmanagement #australia #sydney #wellbeing #breaks ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys - Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey
@mrheading Here’s what i am adding to my class organisation this term! Let me know what ideas you have! #teaching #teachertok #teacher #teachers #teachersoftiktok #primaryschoolteaching #classroominspo #classroommanagement #classroomideas #behaviourmanagement #hack #teacherhack #teacherhacks ♬ Calm LoFi song(882353) - S_R
@mrheading Reasons students wrote for why they needed a break 😂 Take these with a grain of salt and know that I care about my students and their wellbeing. #teacher #teachertok #teach #teaching #teachers #teachersoftiktok #primaryschoolteaching #teachertiktok #classroommanagement #behaviormanagement #classroomideas #humor #humour #kid #kids #kidssaythedarnestthings ♬ animal crossing ~ new horizons lofi - Closed on Sunday