April 20, 2005
I am in a team teaching situation with three other teachers. Two of us teach math and science and two of us teach language arts and social studies. In order to keep up with the behavior and work ethics of our students we use a punch card system. We simply use a 3x5 index card for each student, and the lines on the cards are color coded by homeroom. (One homeroom might use blue ink, another green and so on). The card has the child's name at the top and is divided into ten sections, five on the left side and five on the right side. These sections are for 2 weeks, Monday through Friday (holidays and workdays are noted on the card in the appropriate day). The cards go with the child to each new class, and the teacher collects them at the beginning of the class (you could have a drop box by your door). Each time a child breaks a classroom rule or doesn't have their homework, their card is punched and the teacher jots a quick reason beside the punch (HW for homework, T for talking out of turn or excessively, etc). Each punch is paid by a consequence for the student. For example, one punch is a warning, but two punches is silent lunch, three is walking instead of playing at recess. The team decides the classroom rules and the consequences for the infractions. Each week students start over on their punch cards and at the end of two weeks these cards are filed under their names. I can't tell you the number of times the documentation on these cards have helped with placement of students in programs, parent/teacher conferences, and office referrals. It is so easy and the best way in my twenty years of experience to keep up with what the children are doing. You can also look for patterns in their homework or behaviors that might prove beneficial.