The Best Advice Ever Linky!

I’m gonna make this one short and sweet.  I’m battling a cold and I refuse to lose…which means lots of hot tea and rest!

Traci over at Dragonflies in First is hosting a Linky where you share the best advice you’ve ever received. What a great idea right?

I am lucky enough to still work closely with my mentor teacher.  She is the Basic Skills instructor at our school, a position she happily took after teaching 3rd Grade for many years.  She is an incredibly gifted educator and always has the BEST ADVICE EVER.  Seriously, I can feel like my world is ending, and in one sentence she makes it better.  I am so lucky to have her just down the hall.

The best advice she gave me was during my first year of teaching.  Probably my first month of my first year teaching.

You’ve probably heard it before…

Document Everything.

Everything.

I document when I talk to a parent.  Behavior.  Signs of Neglect {unfortunately}  Successful/Unsuccessful Interventions.  Who can sit next to each other.  And who definitely can not.

I recently had a revelation in how I document.  I saw a pin or a post {can’t remember} that suggested using Post-Its to document information.  You write info on a Post-It and then move the Post-It to the student’s folder when it’s full.  I liked it but it seemed like I’d be going through a lot of Post-It’s.

So I came up with this little guy:

First off, this is obviously not my real sheet.  I can see just a few confidentiality issues with showcasing the real deal ;)

I keep this this sheet on a clipboard in a secret spot near my desk.  I like it because I can glance at recent notes/documentation without constantly pulling out a student folder.  I’m too busy for that!!!

I use sheets like this separately for different subjects like math and reading.  It’s important to document that stuff too.

12/14…#6: Difficulty counting coins above $1.00
2/11…#19: Not stopping at end marks

Get it?  Simple right?

So, my best advice is document everything {in an easy for you way}!  Go link up and share your advice, or read the advice other teachers have to offer.

 
Have a good night!

Halle