Don't just recycle those markers!

Crayola markers. Love them. Love the smell, love the crispness of the first thick line drawn on bright white paper, love the perfect little "click" of the cap being replaced every time a student uses a marker. 

WAIT. What!? The cover is lost? Oh, try to find another one you could borrow for now so the marker doesn't dry up. It's already dried up? Ok. That's cool. 

Yes, it's true. I have a love/hate relationship with markers. Whether or not kids are putting the caps back on markers or they are truly dried up from use, markers will fill our landfills and must be recycled. I'm sure you've seen the cool things people do to make the most of every marker ever made... Like this or this or even this!  I will never do this. I'm not pinterest-worthy, BUUUUUUUT, I will do this every time I need to weed out my markers.  I will recycle our classroom markers, but I will also make each of these minutes count by including the students in on the chore AND practicing writing our sight words! 

Here was my issue: It was the end of the semester and we needed to switch out the markers from our table spots and centers. Many were dried up and had caps missing. This would take me an eternity to complete on my own, but can I waste teaching time to have the students help me complete this task? These are 5 and 6 year-old kids. Can they handle it or should I just do it? 

I thought, "Why not? I've wasted time in our classroom doing worse things." As it turns out, this was an awesome activity! Halfway through I decided to video what we were doing to show you here. I will never do this chore on my own again! 

Here's what we did: 

First, the kids labeled their paper on one side with the word 'yes' and on the other side with the word 'no.'  I used construction paper for this because it's big and we don't use this size of paper as often as letter-size paper. This small change already makes this activity a little more engaging. Plus, construction paper is not smooth like copy paper. This very slight roughness creates a resistance when writing and forces the child to strengthen his/her pencil grip. 

Next, I asked the kids to find a certain color of marker, for example, "Get out your fat orange marker." Each child had to locate this marker within their marker cup. For those that didn't have that specific color, they checked the centers around the room for one. 

Then, I called out a sight word. If the child knew how to write the sight word I called out, he/she would record it on the 'yes' side of his paper. If it was an unknown word, the child would copy it from the document camera onto the 'no' side of the paper. While doing this, the child was also asked to check if the marker he/she was using was still full of ink or was beginning to dry up and needed to be recycled. After writing and reading the word, the child then put the marker into our 'keep' box or recycle tub. 

Watch a short clip of this activity here:  How to recycle markers AND make every minute count!

This activity took about 15 minutes. In the end, the kids each had a current list of known and unknown sight words to take home and I had markers ready for recycling or additional classroom use.  The kids thought it was great and were very proud of how many words they could write without any help. For some kids, the words that ended up on the 'no' side of the paper became their challenge list...not a challenge I gave them, but one they put upon themselves. 
Another benefit that occurred during this activity is that I had one young man say to me, "Mrs. Pelka, I need to keep better track of my markers. I had to go over to the center table a million times to get the color you wanted." Another student remarked on how she needed to do a better job ensuring her marker clicked, meaning it was closed. She said, "All of my markers were dried up because I don't close them right." We have had these discussions many times in our classroom, but up until this point, I'm not sure the students actually took it to heart until they saw the effects of the way they take care of their markers. 

Teaching our students well requires us to find extra minutes in the day where there aren't any.  With the lack of time and resources, we as teachers must use both in the smartest ways we can.  Including students in the management of the classroom can be seen as wasting time by some, but if we include the students in these responsibilities, provide academic skill practice, AND make it engaging how can anyone argue with that? 

Making Every Minute Count!

Do you ever just sit back and wonder why we do what we do? Why do we teach? Why do we invest so much of our heart into our profession, when it can feel like there are more lows at times than highs? Why, why, why do we do what we do and then keep coming back for more? I'm know there's a hugely profound answer for this for each of us and for me, it changes all the time. The fact of the matter is, I still keep coming back. I love what I do and want to get better and better at it. My classroom, my kids, and my profession are never far from my thoughts. If you're reading this now, it's July. Why are we thinking about school in July!?!?! Because that's who we are and what we do. I have no other explanation for it. Welcome to my crazy. 

I’ve studied the theory at Ohio State University and Lesley University and have immersed myself in the work of the experts in education. I’ve trained and coached countless teachers and have provided professional development to numerous groups. I’m a teacher, reading specialist, literacy coach, and author.

The most difficult part of the profession that I love is understanding the theory AND making it practical in the classroom. Teachers work hard and create small miracles in children’s lives on a daily basis, but many are at a breaking point. Too many initiatives, too many new programs, and too many unrealistic expectations are placed on teachers everyday, every year.

As a literacy leader, trying to weed out the bad from the good, my head was spinning! I would hear the same question over and over again.  This sounds great, but…

“What does this really look like in a classroom with real kids?” 

“Students are not developmentally ready for the rigor and expectations

that 21st century learning calls for.”

“I’ll wait until this goes away. Until then, I’ll do what I want.”

After several years of hearing comments such as these, I felt I needed to gain a better understanding of how drastically the landscape of teaching and learning had changed. I needed to do my own action research, right where the rubber meets the road.  I needed to clear my head and get back to the business of kids. I needed to return to the classroom. Currently, I am teaching kindergarten…and yes, I have learned a lot! Hey, if kindergartners can do it, then imagine the possibilities for 1st grade, 2nd grade, and beyond! 

What was my biggest epiphany upon returning to the classroom? Kids are still amazing and once a fire for learning has been lit, it cannot be extinguished. When they feel good about what they are doing at school, children behave better. Given the opportunity and support for learning, most students will meet, if not surpass, grade level expectations. When I returned to the classroom with theory-backed, evidence-based instruction, the expectations that I set for myself and my students were quickly met, raised, and met again.

I have been very lucky to have been given the opportunity to learn, train, and be coached by the best of the best and this is where I feel I can now make a difference. I understand best practices in teaching and learning. I embed these practices in research-based theory and design instruction that works in REAL classrooms with REAL students.

I feel it is my duty to share my learning with you. I do think I have figured out a way to make teaching fun again. Of course, it's not all about fun, but I want to feel good about what I'm doing. When I feel good about what I'm doing, then professionally, I'm having fun. If I'm having fun, then I know my kids are going to be engaged, enthusiastic, and in love with learning.  This makes us unstoppable. 

I’m a regular teacher, just like you and if I can do it, so can you. I truly believe that “Teaching children will change their lives; inspiring children will change the world.” Please join me as we change the world one classroom at a time.  Click here to view my free video series and together, let’s make every minute count!