Tired of cleaning up after your students? Finding moldy plastic pudding cups in the desk? Or strewn supplies on the ground? 
Follow this weekly cleaning schedule and you’ll feel like you’ve got a magic wand!

First, write these cheesy phrases on the board for each day of the week, and briefly explain to students. The phrases work really well to remind students what to do when they have finished early or during designated cleanup time.
 
Teacher’s Assistants- designated students who pass out pencils, collect papers, get to stand in line first, go first to lunch, etc. (even eighth graders want to be teacher’s assistant)
 
Monday- Maturity Monday Act extra mature and behave supremely with impeccable manners. No eyerolling or back talking (EVER but especially on Monday).

Tuesday- Toss ‘Em Tuesday Recycle loose and extra papers you don’t need. Declutter. Go through old files, shred, purge. A little bit every Tuesday goes a long way!

Wednesday- Wipe Down Wednesday Have students wipe down ALL surfaces, bookshelves, desks, chairs, counters, etc. Most of them actually like it. Great for early finishers and kinesthetic kiddos.

Thursday- Throw OUT (not up) Thursday Clean out pencil sharpeners, desks, continue Tuesday recycling binge

Friday- Clean Freak Friday General Clean Up, clean boards, make classroom sparkling for Monday. Have students clean overheads, clean off boards, tidy shelves (just as if an important guest were visiting)
 
Magic Scrap- Each student picks up 10 items off the ground. You have your eye on a designated scrap or area you want clean. First student who picks it up gets a piece of candy. I also tell them they are disqualified if they show me what they’ve picked up, just like puppy dogs. I have tested on kids in grades 3-8- they love it!  You can always have more than 1 magic scrap. Announce if you have more than 1, especially if the classroom floor is really covered with paper scraps, etc. after a science/art project. 

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Is There Such a Thing as Social Media Asperger Syndrome?

by Nancy Carroll on November 23, 2011

During my career as a teacher, I have met and taught many wonderful people with Asperger Syndrome, which is a form of high-functioning autism. I have enjoyed their humor, their quirky wit, and their unique observations of the world.
There’s an old saying that if you know one person with autism, you know one person with autism. WebMd states “because of the wide variety of symptoms, no two children with Asperger’s are alike.”
One common characteristic with Asperger’s, however; is difficulty with social cues.
The U.S National Library of Medicine states, “People with Asperger syndrome become over-focused or obsessed on a single object or topic, ignoring all others. They want to know everything about this topic, and often talk about little else.

    Some people act just like this on social media! They get so hyperfocused about their business that they turn into spaminators with Asperger syndrome, perseverating about their businesses over and over, vomiting too much unwanted information on facebook walls. In fact, they may have dynamite social skills in real life, but stick them online, and they immediately acquire Social Media Asperger Syndrome (SMAS)!

    For example, these social media challenged people have DMed me in twitter telling me to look at their glitzy business or download their free ebook. Sometimes I write back to them and they throw another opportunity at me.
    There are a couple of guys on twitter who update every 3.14 seconds on this opportunity or that opportunity or urgent update. I replied to one guy who claims to be a social media expert and he just kept shouting about nothing, not listening, and never replied back or has commented on anything I have posted, or anyone else for that matter. Another so-called “social media guru” has DMed me several times about his dynamite company; made feeble attempts to get to know me, and has vomited all over my inbox.

    Do any of those behaviors sound like anyone you’ve ever spotted on social media?

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Are You Being Ripped Off By Your Wireless Provider?

by Nancy Carroll September 13, 2011

You know how everybody is tired of big kahuna wireless bills and most people are sick of being locked in a contract? There’s an old saying that that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The fact is the big wireless companies are scamming folks and sucking their wallets dry, month after month. You probably already [...]

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One of the Biggest Mistakes I See

by Nancy Carroll September 12, 2011

A few years ago we lived in southern California in a gated community, supposedly sequestered from the outside gang shootings and riff raff that could invade our homes at any minute. One balmy evening, as my husband and I sat on the porch, we heard a guttural scream. “Bubba,” our neighbor’s boyfriend, ran shirtless down [...]

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Is the Internet Dead?

by Nancy Carroll August 6, 2011

If so, what does the autopsy report say? What was the official time of death? Was it murdered? Any witnesses on the scene?

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Seriously.. Easy work? (just saw on craigslist)

by Nancy Carroll June 1, 2011

I’ve changed/deleted identifying information to protect innocent ice cream truck owners everywhere. ————————————————————————————————————————————— Teachers Great summer job (town’s name deleted to protect the unknown) Date: 2011-06-01, 7:55PM PDT Reply to: Own your own ICE CREAM TRUCK business. Great money, easy work*, low hours. Teachers, great summer job. Each year the clients build as they keep [...]

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Reveal, Remove, Renew

by Nancy Carroll December 14, 2010

“Reveal, remove, renew” (TM) (copyright 2010 Nancy Carroll LOL)

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A System that Works

by Nancy Carroll November 10, 2010

So if your company leaders are suggesting a system, or your team has one, consider following it instead of trying to start your own McDonald’s with a Coleman Stove.

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Get a Clue!

by Nancy Carroll September 29, 2010

If you aren’t getting the results you want, get a clue!

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Just Go!

by Nancy Carroll September 6, 2010

Conviction and belief will carry you farther than knowledge of every single minutiae of the comp plan and knowing answers to every single “what if” question that a prospect could ask. Besides, if you’re getting into the Land of What If , then you’re not showing your business to enough people.

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