To actually be helpful, classroom jobs need to function a little more like real-world jobs - where qualified employees hold jobs for extended periods of time. Here's how I reduced turnover and used a job application to truly make classroom jobs work for me!
Do you know how many benefits there are from having student jobs in the classroom? Providing your students with leadership roles that your students care about will work wonders for your classroom organization, classroom community, and your teacher sanity! I used to be the teacher with just 2 helpers who did EVERYTHING for me. It […]
Kids love to be helpers, so give them some amazing classroom jobs for students that will build responsibility and make your life in the classroom easier.
These classroom job applications get your students thinking about classroom jobs and responsibilities that need to be done around the room.
About six years ago (has it really been that long?!) when I was starting my first year of teaching, I was so anxious trying to figure out beginning of the year activities, classroom management, and learning a new curriculum. A friend of mine introduced me to the idea of having a classroom economy system and I'm so glad I took her advice. Since then, my classroom economy system has evolved. A classroom economy system is where students are "paid" for performing regular classroom jobs (door holder, paper passer, etc.). Students keep track of their money by using a checkbook and they withdraw money from our classroom bank. Money can also be spent at our monthly classroom store. I really feel that having an economy system promotes a sense of community, teaches kids to be more responsible, and they learn money management along with many other important life skills. In this post, I am going to share with you how I run classroom jobs, bank, and store with my students. I will also be sharing with you some printables that I use, which you will be able to download for free. Setting up Jobs the First Week of School Before jumping right into my class jobs and economy system, I begin by introducing the jobs to my students over the first couple weeks of school. Each day I select students to volunteer to complete the jobs. This allows the students to practice performing the jobs, which allows all of my jobs to run seamlessly throughout the remainder of the year. After about 2-3 weeks (by this time the kids are really pumped up and are asking me daily, "When will we get to apply for jobs?"), the class helps determine how much each job is worth. By now, they know how each job operates, so they are able to come up with a weekly payment for the jobs. Each job is paid differently depending on the level of difficulty. The kids take a vote to determine how much each job should be paid. I love having the kiddos help make the decision about how much each job is worth. This is just another way to help them feel like they are part of a community. Below is a picture of the payroll I use to keep track of how much I will be paying each person for their job. I left the payment part blank so that you can determine how much you want to pay your students. The Application Process Once we have determined the payment for each job, it's time to apply! I walk the students through the application process the first time so they understand my expectations. My students keep their jobs for about one month. About a week before I change jobs, I announce that I am accepting applications. The students know that they can fill out an application in class as a "May Do" activity if their class work is completed. They are also welcome to take the application home or complete it at recess. Job Board I don't have a whole lot of wall space in my classroom, but I wanted a way to display the students' jobs. Since I love polka dots, I created a bulletin board called, "The Job Spot." I cut the circles and made a little pocket to slide each students' picture. How are students paid? When students are hired for a job, they can expect to receive a paycheck from me each once a week. In addition to earning money for their job, students may also receive money for other reasons such as a prize for a class game, a reward for a clean desk, or as an incentive for having positive behavior. I rarely, however, reward students with money for having good behavior. I want my students to know that it is expected of them to follow the rules, so I only give money as a very special treat. The students simply add whatever amount of money they've earned in their checkbook. If they've received money for something other than a class job, I will tell them how much to put into their checkbook. For example, if a student had an exceptionally clean desk after a random desk check, then I will tell that student to add $5.00 to their checkbook. The student will write the date, how much he/she earned, the reason they earned the money, and they will calculate their total. In the beginning of the school year, I show my students several times how to use the checkbook and calculate the total. If you have older students, however, you will probably only have to show them one or two times before they have it down. Losing Money In addition to earning money, students can also lose money for various reasons. Here are some things that they may have to pay for: Traffic Violation (running or talking loudly in the line): $15 Bathroom (within 30 minutes after a recess): $5 Janitorial Fees (messy desk area): $15 Overdue library book (from the school library): $10 Extra copy of a paper or assignment: $10 New whiteboard Marker: $5 Desk Rent: $10 per month The students deduct the money they have spent from the total in their checkbook. Students also receive dollar bills (play money) from the bank, so sometimes they just hand me the cash for the above fees. The Bank Each Friday the students get to visit the bank if they have competed all of their homework for the week. The students withdraw money from their checkbooks and receive cash from the banker. The banker makes note in the checkbook showing how much money was withdrawn. He/she also stamps the word PAID to show that the student has taken money out of the bank. The cash that I use for the bank is photocopied $1, $5, $10, and $20 bills that I found in a math resource book. The students keep their cash in this wallet. They can use their cash to buy items at the monthly classroom store. I purchased these "wallets" at the Dollar Store. The Classroom Store About once a month, the class can use their money to purchase items at my store. At the beginning of the school year, I ask the parents to donate small toys and school supplies for the store. I also find a ton of fun things at the Dollar Store and Target's Dollar Spot. Homework passes also make popular store items. I unfortunately could not find a picture of my store in action, however, I put my store items in containers with different price tags on the front instead of individually pricing each item. That way the kids know that all the items in the $10 basket are ten dollars, for instance. Other Fun Things Sometimes as a special treat, I surprise my kiddos with a gift certificate to the class store. Gift certificates also make excellent class gift ideas when you're on a budget! And of course, at the end of the month, it's always fun to recognize a hard working student with the honor of receiving "Employee of the Month!" The Employee of the Month always receives a bonus paycheck! I stick their picture in the middle frame and hang it up next to our job bulletin board. Download for Free You can download my classroom economy starter kit for free by clicking here. It includes many of the printables you read about in this post along with some others. I would be more than happy to make changes for you to fit your needs. Just email me or leave a comment below! The graphics used for this starter kit are from Ginger Snaps and Fancy Dog Studio. The fonts came from Kevin & Amanda.
Classroom Jobs are a great way to give your students more responsibility, help them to take ownership in the classroom, and to free you up from easy tasks that take up too much time. I am totally a fan of classroom jobs! Last year was the first year I was a classroom teacher- I had never had students in my classroom all day or even for a long enough time period to make classroom jobs worthwhile. When I was able to use them, however, they rocked! It was wonderful to have students help me do the jobs that take up so much of our precious time! So here's what I did: I thought of all of the jobs I wanted students to take care of in my classroom. Then I got some Library Pockets from the local teacher store and created a little chart area under my SMARTboard. I labeled each Pocket with a specific job title. Then, I wrote all of my student's names on index cards. I let them keep their job for one week, then I would rotate all of the cards down the list one spot each, and I had an extra pocket for the extra students who didn't have jobs. I would pull a card from the front of the extra pocket to put in the very first spot on the list after I'd moved all the cards down one spot. Looking back on this system, it was ok...it worked fine... but it wasn't GREAT. So I researched what other teachers did. I really liked the idea I found on one blog where the teacher had a job for EVERY student. This way no one feels left out AND it gives them a sense of purpose when everyone is doing a classroom job. Another thing that didn't work GREAT for me was having to switch out the jobs every week. You would think that it takes seconds (which it doesn't take long), however, at the end of the week sometimes I would forget or just think I would do it Monday morning.... it kind of became a thorn in my side... and it was annoying. Several teachers blogs I've read use a Classroom Job Application. Students apply for the job they want (and add 2 back up choices) and tell WHY they want that job. Then the teacher decides which student would be best for that job. The students keep this job for a whole MONTH. No switching of cards every week- just once a month. Then the next month they apply again for another job. I really like this idea because it gives them more choice in the matter and I feel like they would take it more seriously if they actually had a say in what job they got. If you are doing this type of system with your class, I would suggest having jobs for EVERYONE- just because it would be a whole month before a student could get a job if they didn't have one. This year I will be teaching 5th Grade Language Arts... so I will see 3 classes of 5th grade instead of just having one class all day. I still plan to have classroom jobs, but I think I am going to just split the jobs up between the classes. That means not all students will have jobs. I am also going to use the Classroom Job application system, and only change out the jobs once a month. I wish I could have jobs for everyone- but sometimes it just doesn't work out that way. (I mean, I could probably create jobs for everyone, but I don't want to keep track of 90 jobs!! ;) Also, instead of just writing names on index cards, this year I am going to use my classroom numbers- I picked up an awesome set from Clutter Free Classroom's Flash Freebie one day... and they rock!! If you have the money, I would definitely suggest getting them! If not, check out the links below for some other great FREE classroom numbers! I couldn't find any Classroom Job Applications that I liked for my older students, so I ended up creating one... you can download it for FREE below! :) **Update 8/25/14- I have uploaded an EDITABLE version of this Classroom Job Application at my Teachers Pay Teachers store. FREE Version EDITABLE Version Below are some awesome links to FREE Classroom Job Applications and Job Posters & Cards for your classroom: Cute & Customizable Classroom Jobs AND Classroom Job Application (from A Year of Many Firsts) Owl Themed Classroom Jobs (from Middle Grades Maven) Hollywood Themed Classroom Jobs (from First Grade Parade) Red & Light Blue Background Classroom Job Labels Plain Background Classroom Jobs (from What the Teacher Wants) FREE Classroom Numbers for your Library Pockets (simply print and then glue on an index card & laminate) Brightly Colored Class Number Circles Yellow Stars w/ Red Background Class Number Circles Zebra & Lime Green Class Number Circles Dr. Seuss-like Red and Teal Blue Class Number Circles Do you have any tips or suggestions for classroom jobs? What works in your classroom? Rawr, ------------------------------------- P.S. Did you know that I started my own company, Camp Partridge? ⛺️ Camp Partridge offers online camps for children and teens ages 10-16 who want to be digital creators and authors! ⛺️ Camp Partridge offers online courses for parents struggling with remote learning. ⛺️ Camp Partridge offers resources for your classroom! I would be honored if you would share Camp Partridge with people you know who need or would enjoy our camps and courses! 🧡
A free printable blank application is an essential tool for individuals or businesses looking to streamline their hiring or registration process. Whether you are a small business owner, an HR professional, or a parent organizing a school event, having a blank application readily available can save you time and effort. This versatile document can be customized to suit your specific needs, enabling you to collect the necessary information from potential applicants or participants efficiently and effectively.
Included in this file are two separate pages outlining jobs that may be held in a classroom, and in one of the files, a "salary" that could be awarded for the job. Also included are two job applications that align with each of the job description pages, asking for optional letters of recommendation...
High school students who are seeking part-time employment can benefit from printable job application forms. These forms provide an opportunity for students to practice filling out important information such as personal details, education background, and work experience.
*NOW UPDATED WITH A VERSION WITHOUT "VIRTUAL" IN THE TITLE FOR IN-CLASS LEARNING! Digital classroom jobs can help to create a positive classroom community and help your classroom run smoothly. These digital classroom jobs are available on Google Slides so you can link it in your learning platforms (i.e., Google Classroom, Google sites, etc.). Share the link with students as "view only" so they can access it whenever they need! Here is what is included in this resource: Digital job application form in Google Forms (editable) 16 regular classroom jobs (editable and available with or without clipart so you can add your own Bitmoji, gif, picture, or clipart) 6 or 4 virtual classroom jobs for breakout rooms/small groups (also editable) Editable job descriptions for each classroom job Here are the virtual classroom jobs included: Teacher's Assistant Substitute Tech Support Attendance Tracker Timekeeper Flipgrid Monitor Class Meeting Lead Chat Monitor Peer Supporter Weather Reporter Morale Booster Calendar Helper Participation Checker Banker Noise Manager Materials Manager *Remember, all jobs are editable so you can add or modify the jobs included! Feel free to download the classroom job display as an image to be included in your virtual classrooms, then link it back to your classroom jobs! For more tips and tricks, check out my Instagram page saved highlight titled, "Virtual Jobs." You can find my Instagram here. If you like this resource, check out the matching resources: Digital Classroom Spinner for Classroom Rewards Virtual classroom expectations. I am not affiliated or associated with Google, nor do they endorse this resource. Follow my TPT store to get notified of new products! I offer 50% off for the first 48 hours - Follow Me Here You can also follow me on social media --> @atrailblazingteacher Don't forget to leave feedback! :) TPT offers credits that can be applied to future purchases! To earn credits, simply rate and comment on the product. This product is for personal use in a single classroom only. No part of this download may be copied, sold, distributed, or edited without the permission of the author. Additional licenses may be purchased from my TPT store. Please do not post this document online; however, feel free to blog or post on social media about the use of this product as long as you credit back to my TPT store with a link.
This classroom job application is perfect for your upper elementary students! Not only will it help you decide which students to hire for your different classroom jobs, but it also gives them the opportunity to learn how to fill out an application and how to position themselves as a great candidate ...
Kids love to be helpers, so give them some amazing classroom jobs for students that will build responsibility and make your life in the classroom easier.
Do you know how many benefits there are from having student jobs in the classroom? Providing your students with leadership roles that your students care about will work wonders for your classroom organization, classroom community, and your teacher sanity! I used to be the teacher with just 2 helpers who did EVERYTHING for me. It […]
Improve your classroom management with this simple and effective Classroom Jobs Chart! Teach your students responsibility and build community.
The life of a creative, and sometimes hectic, teacher. Get ideas and inspiration to enhance your classroom - maybe even your life. = )
Improve your classroom management with this simple and effective Classroom Jobs Chart! Teach your students responsibility and build community.
Having your students perform a classroom job can be a great way to foster responsibility and create a sense of community. Here is a two page...
