Since several people have asked... The It's Not Fair jar sits on my desk and contains slips of paper with tasks which are really not fair. After discussing what is fair and what is not fair (and giving lots of examples) the phrase "It's not fair" is banned from the classroom. Its derivatives are also banned; as far as I'm concerned if it sounded like it's not fair that was what was said. After that discussion if anyone says the magic words, they have to pull from the jar. Some of the tasks have been... -Everyone tears up a piece of paper and throws the scraps on the floor. The person who drew from the jar has to clean them up. -The offender stays in the office while I take everyone for donuts. -Give up free time and recess to write "I'm sorry I said it's not fair" 100 times. -Copy a page from the dictionary or encyclopedia. The kids also make up their own tasks which are added to the jar, and theirs are always more evil than mine are. The funny thing about the jar is that I usually only have to use it once during the year and I never hear the phrase again. It is also known far and wide around the school -- 3rd grade always asks about it on Move-up Morning and kids who have been in my class before always want to know who had to pick from the jar.
I teach 6 grades in my class and I always hear this! I am going to use this idea this year!! Gotta go find a jar now
If you have time, could you list the other tasks you have in there? My brain just doesn't work that way, but I love this idea. I would love more examples to use.
"Fair doesn't mean everyone gets the same- it means everyone gets what they each need"....Repeat mantra-like.
And then my husband would sing the theme song to Chase's commerical...I want it all, I want it all, I want it all and I want it now! I swear it's his theme song...
I love this idea the 8th graders I teach always find a way to say it is not fair and I have just the jar to get this started.
I love this idea! I have something similar called the "Telling Jar" - when a child feels the need to come up to me during class to "tell" on someone, I give them an index card and pencil and tell them to write to me about it, and we will discuss at a better time. Most of the time they cannot be bothered to write it down, and if they do take the time to write it down and tell me all the gory details, I figure an incident must be worth looking into! I like your idea because it can be used for multiple behavior problems!
Oh my gosh, this is such a GREAT idea!! I really have to try this idea out in my classroom this year. Thanks so much for sharing!
I love the "telling jar" idea. Sometimes I feel badly when I dismiss someone as tattling, and then find out that they had a legitimate concern. This would give everyone the chance to "vent" and then I could follow up later if it was something that I needed to intervene on! Would also be good for allowing anonymity for those students afraid of telling on someone......
What a great idea for the "it's not fair" phrase. I have had a journal that kids can write in for tattling and problems.
The kindergarten teacher tells her students "You get what you get and you don't have a fit" when they complain or whine about something not being fair. It is amazing how they remember this phrase. I have heard students in the upper grades say it to each other when the situation arises.
One of my responses to "it's not fair" is to say "You're right! It's NOT fair day! That's when you get to ride rides and eat cotton candy, and it only comes once a year!
Great idea! I have a sign on my desk that says: What's fair may not always be equal. What's equal may not always be fair. In my(our??) room, YOU get what YOU need. This ended the "Why does he get to stand instead of sit., etc....." so I wouldn't have to explain that the child has ADHD and can't sit! Teacher 333-that reminds me-At my son's old daycare, they had a picture of the president on the wall. When a kid would tattle, they would tell her to go talk to the president about it.
