Day 13: Desk Fairy

On the first day of school, I go over all of the books with my class.  We also go over folders, and because I'm slightly neurotic, how to organize our desks.  The students keep the hard-backed books and their daily edit binder in one side of their desks, and all of their soft-sided items (folders, journals, workbooks) in the the other side of their desks.  Keeping track of things this way makes it easier for me to find items if I need to get them together for an absent student, but it also cuts down on transition time.  You're not stuck waiting for the student who is trying to locate the folder or journal that has been swallowed up by the abyss within.

In order to keep the desks and students organized, I call on the "Desk Fairy."  The Desk Fairy randomly appears (when the students are out of the room, of course) and does a desk check.  If the desk is clean and organized, the fairy leaves a little note on the desk and a prize of some sort.  If the desk is not neat and organized, then the fairy leaves a little reminder note that she knows the student can do better for next time.

I've not had much of a problem with students not getting prizes.  The ones that don't always try a bit harder for next time and end up earning their prize.  It's pretty funny because the kids can't wait until the next desk check.  I keep it interesting by changing the times the fairy comes.  Sometimes she will come after school, sometimes she will come during special, and sometimes she will come during recess.

The other thing that keeps it interesting is the fact that she never announces exactly when she is coming.  I'll tell the class something vague, like "She'll be in next week."  That's it. When she comes, she comes.

Today was the first visit from the desk fairy.  The prize today was a trading card from one of the local university football teams.  You would have thought the students were given gold!  Next time, the prize may be a new pencil, stickers, squishy pencil grips, or any little thing that catches me eye.  The kids appreciate it and work toward the next time.  They learn to be more responsible for their things and you have neat desks.

Not a bad deal at all.