This year I have taken a new approach to my classroom management style. Many times throughout the year, teachers find themselves repeating the same expectations over and over until they get so tired they give up on classroom management all together. Instead of allowing myself to get to that point, I researched various methods and came upon the management style called "My Classroom Economy"®. This is owned and operated by The Vanguard Group, Inc., and all materials, concepts, and methods are owned by this group. I, Miss Geisendorfer, own none of this, but have only used the suggested method of The Vanguard Group.

The beautiful aspect of this technique is that it gives all of the responsibility to the students; meaning they functionally run the classroom through an economy we started together as a class. To better suit my students, adaptions were made and so far we are off to a wonderful start. This is the layout we use in my four different English classes.

Each student applies for a job, goes through an interview process, receives a job, is paid monthly according to the job level, pays monthly bills, and saves money. At the end of each quarter, students with money left in their account may participate in a classroom auction to bid on items to keep.

The great thing for teachers is all major forms and paper materials needed for the implementation of this are listed on the classroom economy website, myclassroomeconomy.org . If a teacher is not organized with this process it will be make it tougher, so I recommend turning a classroom bulletin board into the main hub for your classroom economy.




The brilliant aspect about this program is that the students keep themselves and others accountable. Fines and bonuses are displayed on our board, but the students also have their own individual copy of them for referral if needed.











































A pocket chart serves as a great organizing tool for all paperwork for the bankers, auctioneers, and fine officers.


Individual trays for each class period work well when fines need turned in. We also turn in loan applications in this tray. It is a quick and easy place for students to place their completed paper work. We also have our "bank" of money for each class period. The money is organized and has a total of $2,000 in it; however that total consistently fluctuates when students receive bonuses and pay off fines or bills. We also have an accordion folder that organizes all forms the students will need to complete their assigned job: fine tickets, loan applications, paychecks, desk deeds etc.



Possible jobs with pay level:
$850 Banker
$800 Clerk (1 for every 5 students)
$750 Auctioneer
$750 Fine Officer
$700 Librarian
$700 Vanna White
$750 Substitute
$750 Technology Coordinator
$700 Safety Coordinator
$700 Loan Officer
$750 Social Media Specialist
$700 Family Meeting Facilitator
$700 Family Meeting Secretary
$700 Family Meeting Time Keeper
$700 Family Meeting Focus Monitor
$750 Organizer
$750 Cleaner

Bills:
Electric Bill-$150 (Monthly)
Seat Rental- $1,000 (Monthly)
Seat Dead Purchase Possible for a one time payment of $3,000
Tax Day- April 16- $500

Weekly Finance Schedule:
Week 1- Pay Day & Deposits (Paychecks & Bonuses)
Week 2- Fine and Loan Collection
Week 3- Money Management (Balance bank log) & Bills
Week 4- Fine and Loan Collection

Auction Incentives
Each item donated to our auction must have a completed "Letter of Authenticity", to verify the item has parent approval, and to encourage item donation, each donator received $100 and 10% of the auction value. This is all organized and carried out by the auctioneer.

We are almost three weeks into school, and my classroom is running more efficiently than any other year of my teaching career. My Classroom Economy® has changed the atmosphere and student behaviors drastically. Students monitor their own behavior and learning, which has raised the personal expectations for every learner. All in all, I absolutely love this classroom management method!