Secrets to Classroom Success
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Secrets to Classroom Success

PSEA members are sharing their secrets to classroom success. What are yours? We want to know.

Tracy Richards
Seneca Valley EA

I have an A+ stamp I use to celebrate making errors (and learning from them) in my classes. Every student can earn one by taking risks in learning new things in my class. The one student who most cemented the value in this practice was one who said, “This is the first time I’ve ever gotten an A+!”

David Pastorkovich
Montour EA

Our elementary is the first school in the world to be officially affiliated with Lego. We use Legos in English Language Arts for story building. Students are given weekly vocabulary words and a story starter, then build a story from Legos using the vocabulary. After the students build their story, they write it out using all vocabulary terms.

Sarah Davit
Haverford EA

Recently, I’ve started doing quick mindfulness activities with my students about once a week. Sometimes it’s a breathing activity, other times a quick stretching or movement-based activity. My students have really taken a liking to it, so much so that they’ll remind me if I forget or request it if they’ve had a stressful day.

Janette Heil
Haverford EA

I perform “contraction surgery” with my first- and second-graders. I wear a white lab coat, and everyone gets gloves and masks from the nurse. I assemble our tools on a cafeteria tray – a “scalpel” (scissors), “bandages” (tape), and “stitches” (red Sharpie marker). We perform surgery to remove the extra letters, then “stitch” the word back together with an apostrophe and bandage the contraction with tape.

Susan Shpakovsky
Blue Mountain EA

My secret is the newsletter I send home every Friday, which lets families know what is coming the next week and includes a personal note of encouragement for each student. I always write at least one positive comment, and once in a while a note that asks parents to help me to correct any negative behaviors because we are a team!

Jennifer Sciacca
IU 15 Capital Area EA

During breaks on Mondays, I let my students choose a song to play in the class. We call it Music Mondays! They love picking their favorite songs, and it helps with transitions because they know that once the song is over, they must be seated and ready.

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