Fill My Bucket...Ron Clark Style!

This year, my class is going to be going all out to become "Bucket Fillers".  I can not wait to build classroom community along with the self-confidence of each student by using this strategy. Kudos to whoever came up with the "Fill My Bucket" idea...it is GENIUS.

As I began to think about how I wanted my bucket system to work, and what types of behaviors/skills I wanted to encourage/teach/reinforce, one person came to mind...RON CLARK! If you haven't heard about Ron Clark or his academy located in good ol' Georgia...OH MY, OH MY, OH MY!!!! Last year, our entire faculty was privileged enough to be able to go to the Ron Clark Academy and visit, observe, stand in amazement at the remarkable things that they are doing to amp up the learning and make it BEYOND fun and meaningful! I am telling you what...if any one person can motivate teachers to make every moment with our kids count THIS is your man! I am not going to babble on about Mr. Clark because I could seriously go on for HOU---RS!!!! Instead, I am going to link you to his website so you can see for yourself: The Ron Clark Academy...prepare to pick your jaw up off the floor! See...already babbling! Oh...BUT one more thing...if you have not seen the Ron Clark Story (movie) it is a must for any teacher! So incredibly motivating and will definitely hit home (many times) for any teacher!

OK...MOVING ON...back to bucket fillers! So, this year I have decided to implement some of Ron Clark's Essential 55 into my classroom (side note: This books is FANTASTIC). Although I think "friendship skills" are of great importance, I also think it is so empowering to teach young children how to treat others both inside and outside of the classroom.  Many people say, "that's the parents job!" and although there are some crazy amazing parents out there (I love my classroom parents too!)...let's face it...this is not reality for every child. So, it becomes the teachers job and I am more than happy :) to incorporate such powerful lessons into my classroom. Since 55 "rules" (I call them principles) are hard to remember, I have created " The Top Ten Essentials" (every bucket filler should know). These are ten of Ron Clark's Essentials that I think would best enhance the classroom atmosphere that my students and I work to create each day! Each rule is taken from Ron Clark's Essential 55 and some are slightly modified to appeal to a younger audience :). Of COURSE I had to make them cute for the classroom!  I plan to hang these essentials up around our buckets as they are put into practice! I highly recommend introducing each "rule" at separate times. All at once = BRAIN OVERLOAD! Once they have an understanding of the rule, have had time to practice inside and outside the classroom, or simply as the occasion arises...introduce the next rule. I also recommend allowing students to share how they are applying these principles in their life. The stories are so adorable and motivating...even for youngsters!

Whew...that was a lot! Click on the picture below to download the "The Top Ten Essentials" posters.