Create Your Dream Classroom: Save Your Sanity, Escape the Rut, Sharpen Your Skills

by Linda Kardamis

Create Your Dream Classroom, the perfect resource for Christian teachers, provides tips and strategies to help you do just what the title suggests: create the classroom you've always wanted. This book contains fifty daily readings designed to help new teachers conquer the learning curve and to bring fresh ideas to veterans. Included are hands-on activities, journal prompts, and an interactive experience with a growing community of Christian teachers.

Genres: Education, Teaching, Professional Development

186 pages, Paperback

First published November 28, 2013

About the author

Linda Kardamis is a teacher and writer who is passionate about helping teachers and parents impact the next generation. After teaching middle school math for four years, she chose to step away from the classroom to raise her new son. With her passion for education still burning strong, Linda wrote Create Your Dream Classroom to share the lessons she learned as a young teacher. A dedicated Christian, she finds strength, purpose, and joy in God and His Word. She makes her home in Cleveland, Ohio with her husband Tim and son Clayton.

Reviews

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent reminders!

• Every subject – from music and art to math and history – has opposing views that are either biblical or unbiblical. All of these areas have undergirding philosophies that can be traced back to a worldview. When I realized that the Bible speaks truth that can be applied to every area of life, a new world of insight opened up to me, and my life has never been the same. Since then, I have grown to realize how critical it is to have a strong biblical worldview to guide in all areas of life. One of the greatest gifts we can give to our students and parents is to teach them how to think biblically. We need to show them that the Bible is alive and relevant, not only in areas we think of as spiritual, but also in all aspects of life, academia, and society. Every time we get the chance, we must speak biblical truth and show students how the Bible relates to their lives. This should be done during class lessons as well as one-on-one in counseling or disciplining students.
• When the bell rings, calmly walk to the board and start writing down the names of everyone who is talking. When the students notice, tell them that each student whose name is on the board now had a warning for talking. If those students speak out of turn again during the class period, they will receive discipline. 337
• Kindness should always be a hallmark of a Christian teacher, especially when we have to discipline students. 371
• I love the phrase “speaking the truth in love” from Ephesians 4:15. Both parts are necessary – truth and love. We cannot claim to love our students without speaking truth to them; neither should we speak the truth without using a loving manner. When we put the two together, we can effectively disciple students and help them become the men and women God wants them to be. 381
• Listen carefully and try to understand what he is saying. You may find that there’s been a misunderstanding. Or, you may discover that the student has a very unbiblical view of the situation. Whatever you hear will help you frame your response and enable you to speak to the student’s heart instead of just giving the standard lecture. 392
• you realize you’re not going to learn what happened without conducting a long investigation that will put students in difficult situations. And you still probably won’t get to the bottom of it. When you have a situation like this, the investigation is probably not worth the time and will likely do more harm than good. 418
• Speak truth to the students but reserve punishment. This gray hill is not worth charging, but it is worth addressing. Speak to the students you think may be involved and explain to them the truth. Tell them that you don’t know exactly what happened but God does. If they weren’t involved, then they don’t have to worry about anything, but if they were, God saw and He knows. Explain to them again what the correct behavior should have been and what they should all do in the future if the situation arises again. 426
• Pause right now and pray for the administration at your school. Pray specifically regarding any areas about which you are frustrated or concerned. Allow God’s peace to fill you as you pray. 539
• There may be special situations that warrant your direct intervention and for which you may need to take the responsibility to send weekly or even daily reports. I would still, however, be careful about the promises I make. Something like “I’ll send you reports as often as possible” is a promise we know we can keep. 573
• well-managed classroom as a “predictable environment” in which the students know what is expected of them. As such, two of our greatest allies as teachers are procedures and routines. Build your predictable environment with procedures for every area of your classroom, from passing in papers to reviewing homework to conducting restroom breaks. 581
• ask them to raise their hand with the other hand over their nose as a signal so you can just nod permission without interrupting class. Think through what is the best method for your classroom, carefully weighing the pros and cons of each option. 588
• When determining a procedure for how you’ll grade papers in class, you can’t just think, “We’ll exchange and grade.” There are so many details to consider. How will the students exchange? What writing utensils will they use to grade? Will you take questions? Should students write in the correct answer? How will the assignments be scored? Should the grader sign his name? The more details you consider ahead of time, the smoother your first week of school will go. 594


• Go through the list below and determine if there are any procedures you would like to change. Make one list of changes you want to make right away (We’ll discuss the best way to implement these new procedures in the next lesson). Add any changes that you want to make at the start of next year to your ongoing list. Areas to consider: 1. Restroom breaks (elementary) 2. Classroom helpers 3. Passing in papers 4. Grading papers 5. Hall passes 6. Getting a tissue 7. Starting class 8. Going over homework 9. Giving homework assignment 10. Turning in late work 11. Communicating work when a student is absent 12. Making up tests/quizzes when a student is absent 13. Taking notes 14. Lining up (elementary) 15. Ending class 16. Fire drills/other emergency drills 17. Coming into class late (teach students what to do when they’re tardy) 18. Preparing for tests/quizzes 19. Turning in tests/quizzes 20. Group projects 21. What to do if the teacher isn’t there 22. Anything else you do in your classroom 599
• When you implement a new procedure, it is not enough to simply tell your students what you expect of them. You have to practice – and practice everything. 627
• Give clear, specific directions. 630
• Have the students practice the procedure. After you give the directions, have the students actually complete the task. As they do, watch to see if they are doing everything correctly. 3. Kindly correct any piece of the process that is done incorrectly. This is the most crucial element in teaching procedures because practice doesn’t necessarily make perfect. 635
• Have the student(s) redo the part of the process that was incorrect. Yes, that’s right. Redo it. It may seem like you’re nit-picking at the time, but this is the step that will help your students remember how to follow the procedure correctly. 644
• Plan to cover less material the first week of school so that you have time to teach and practice procedures. 650
• train your students to find their homework when they first sit down, you will save a lot of time and stress. Otherwise, the whole class will be waiting as one student frantically searches through his overflowing book bag. 3. Clear their desks. We’ll discuss this in Lesson 33, but clear desks help prevent distractions. 4. Start the bellwork. 675
• Did you know that if you waste just five minutes of each class period, you’ll end up wasting an entire month of school? 738
• Use the magic words, “Ask me after class” 742
• Review tests at the end of the period 750
• deciding how long you want to spend reviewing a test and stopping class that many minutes early. If students have more questions than you have time, they can ask them after class. Once again, you weed out questions that students don’t really care about. 752
• Use question marks when grading in class. When students grade each other’s papers in class, don’t take questions. Instead, teach them to put a question mark next to any answers they’re not sure are correct. You’ll be amazed by the amount of time you save when you don’t have to consider every possible answer on the spot. 759
• Give directions or review while you pass out papers. 763
• The key is to make sure your students realize that everything they do in class could be taken for a grade, even though it won’t always be. Here are some tips to make this work: 1. “Randomly” collect worksheets, practice exercises, notes, and practice writings to take as a grade. I put randomly in quotes because you want the process to seem random to the students, even though you actually have it planned to your advantage. I typically grade classwork on days when the majority of the students are in class and most of the students finish the assignment. 824
• Have the students grade work in class and count it as a very small grade. Allow students to put a question mark on the top if they think their paper was graded incorrectly, and don’t take the time to regrade anything without a question mark. Just input the score into your gradebook. 831


• Give short quizzes. You can inspect students’ notes by giving a short open-notes quiz the day before a test. Most students will love this, as they should do very well. 840
• Use class time to grade when appropriate. I grade my students’ class notes while they take their test. All I do is flip through them quickly to make sure they have the main ideas. I can get through all of them in one period and thus avoid carting around stacks of notebooks. 844
• We need to teach them to analyze and evaluate information that they find, to take words and draw conclusions from them. Most importantly, we must teach them to filter everything through a biblical worldview. 872
• First, you should explain the concept to them, using an example and working through each step carefully. You may work one or many examples depending on the difficulty of the concept and how well the students seem to be comprehending the lesson. Next, practice the concept with the students. This is an extremely important piece of the lesson because now the students should be starting to think through the process with you. Every step of the way, you should be asking questions like, “What do we do next?” “What is 4 times 5?” “What do we need to remember to do with the second row?” Do a few problems (or grammar sentences or writing exercises) together, giving the students less and less help each time. The last step is for students to practice on their own, but don’t leave them on their own. Walk around answering questions, correcting misunderstandings, and guiding confused students. Don’t forget to go over the answers so students can see what they did wrong. (Practice questions can come from the book, a worksheet, or the chalkboard.) You don’t have to finish all three steps in one day as long as you follow the pattern. For example, you can teach and practice with the students one day and then have them practice on their own the next. 893
• One-on-one interaction during work times allows for personalized instruction and tutoring within the traditional classroom. 908
• During these work times, walk around the room and assist students as needed. Sometimes you'll stay busy with raised hands, but other times you'll be able to be more strategic. Focus on the students who are struggling, even if they don't ask for help. You can also stop to read students' work and offer suggestions for improvement. While the main purpose of walking around is helping students, you'll also be able to prevent and correct discipline 915
• At times, the schedule can be overwhelming. And we all react differently. My natural reaction is to put my head down, make a list, get focused, and get it done. But that’s not always the best reaction. I may get things crossed off my list, but I’m also likely to walk right by a hurting student without even noticing. I might grade papers while a student is trying to talk to me. My tasks get finished, but my true mission remains unfulfilled. 952
• Do what is important, not necessarily what’s urgent. When I first heard this phrase, I loved it so much that I laminated it and put it up on the wall right by my desk. What a great reminder that the stack of papers screaming at me can wait, but the student who acted out in class today needs a genuine, unrushed conversation, not just a one-liner and a detention slip. 960
• Slow is fast, and fast is slow. This principle is one that I have not even begun to master, but the more I contemplate it, the more I see its truth. When it comes to our relationships (which at school include students, parents, administrators, and fellow teachers), rushing through a conversation often backfires. We get to cross the task off our list, but since we didn’t take the time to really get to the root of the issue, the problem springs right back up like a weed that hasn’t been dug out by the roots. We think we’re saving time, but we’re really just wasting it. Fast is slow. On the other hand, when we take the time to have the in-depth conversation that’s really needed, we are much more effective. So if we can learn to turn off the panic alarms in our heads and truly counsel our students, we may actually find real solutions that will make a difference. Slow is fast. 963
• Focus is more valuable than multitasking. 971


• Use writing. When you ask your class to write down an answer, everyone must actively think. So make it a habit to ask students to write. For example, if you want to have a class discussion on a topic, first ask the students to get out a sheet of paper and give them a couple minutes to write down their thoughts. During the discussion, you can then ask the students what they wrote. 998
• Have the entire class answer. Ask a question and tell everyone to say the answer on the count of three. Not only does this provide variety, but it also gets more students involved without singling out the shy or less confident learners. This also provides a great opportunity for you to quickly gauge how well students are learning. Use this method to drill new concepts or help students memorize. 1009
• Group work: Assign a set of questions or problems to be answered by the group in a set amount of time. The group with the most correct wins. You're really just adding a contest to a regular assignment, but the students appreciate the twist, 1050
• Football: Draw a "football field" on your board like the one seen here. Create a football magnet and place it at one end. Divide the class into two teams. Ask a question to the first team. If they get it right, move the football one line towards their end zone and ask another question. If they miss it, that's a turnover, and the other team starts getting questions. The football then moves toward their end with every correct response. Whenever a team gets the football into their end zone, they score a touchdown. 1053
• Around the World: This classic individual game still works so well! The first two students pair off against each other. You ask a question, and whoever says the answer first wins. The winner stands up and moves to the next contestant. The goal is to move as many seats as possible before losing, at which point the losing student sits in the seat of the person who beat him. The game ideally continues until one student makes it “around the world” and gets all the way back to his own seat. Often, though, the game simply ends when time is up, and the person who travelled the farthest wins. 1064
• We need to pray for wisdom both intentionally and spontaneously. We should make a specific point to entreat God for wisdom every day, and we should also be ready to come before His throne when a specific situation arises for which we need His guidance. Then we must listen for His response. 1075
• Press pause. When you don’t immediately know how to handle a situation, wait. Tell the student that you will speak with him later in the day. Give God time to answer your prayer and provide you with clarity and direction. We all know that it’s not smart to put off dealing with problems, but giving yourself time to think and hear from God is a worthwhile reason to wait. 1082
• Ask advice. Proverbs 11:14 states, “In the multitude of counselors there is safety.” God often speaks to us through the advice of others. If you have fellow teachers who are wise and godly, seek their advice whenever a difficult question arises. 1086
• There will always be students who test the boundaries. Always. So when I lowered the bar to try to accommodate those students, they lowered their effort as well. 1100
• define reasonable, appropriate expectations and determine not to lower these standards just to avoid confrontation with disruptive students. 1109
• Generally, low standards that are causing problems in your class should be changed now, even though the process may be challenging. Start by telling the students what you expect of them. Then patiently and consistently remind them when they fall short. Determine consequences for repeat offenders. 1126
• Our procedures should help students make the right choices while making it as difficult as possible for them to do wrong. 1135
• Speak to the heart. If we don’t address the heart, we won’t accomplish anything of lasting value. We may be able to threaten or force students to obey our rules while they’re sitting in our classroom, but if that’s all we do, we’re missing the big picture. Our goal is not just to educate students, but also to disciple them and to instill character in them. The only way to do this is to get to the heart of the issue and speak God’s truth to their spirit. 1167


• Handle every student discipline issue calmly and in love. When we take the time to speak to a student after class in a quiet (but firm) voice, explaining what he did wrong and what the punishment will be, we are much more effective. Without distracting theatrics, both teacher and student are free to discuss the issue at hand. We also demonstrate to the student how to handle difficult situations effectively. 1226
• If you become angry easily, ask God for help. Memorize Scripture that you can remember in the heat of the moment such as Proverbs 15:18, which states, “A wrathful man stirreth up strife, but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.” As you pray and seek to deal with situations correctly, you will find yourself building good habits. However, as you grow, you may still fall into anger. Don’t be discouraged. God forgives and so will your students if you’re humble enough to ask their forgiveness. Asking students’ forgiveness for flying off the handle can be extremely powerful, because it shows them that you respect them and can admit when you are wrong. During these times, you have the powerful opportunity to teach by example. 1240
• Considering the encouraging power of rewards, why would we withhold them our students? While we need to be cautious of conditioning our students to expect and demand rewards (leading to an entitlement mentality), we also need to remember that God rewards us. 1255
• Discipling the hearts of your students is much more important than slavishly following every line of your discipline code in order to be fair. We shouldn’t deviate from our normal course of action all the time, but we should be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading in these areas. 1303
• In dealing with His chosen people, the Israelites, God first gave the law. Then grace and mercy came centuries later at the cross. I believe this was intentional and has applications for our classrooms today. 1331
• Our students need to understand the law of our classrooms before they can appreciate our mercy. 1337
• In our effort to curb complaints and back talk, we must be careful not to shut off all avenues of student appeal. Since we teachers make mistakes, students need to know that they can come to us with genuine concerns and that we will listen with respect. Ask God to give you wisdom to know when to hear an appeal and when 1392
• If you find you've made a mistake, make it right, and you will gain his respect. If, however, you must deny his request, take the time to speak with him respectfully and disciple him through the process. 1398
...

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I borrowed this book from Mrs. Monty & it was perfect to read OVER THE SUMMER! Even the author said that is the best time to read this book is during the summer so that you can journal your thoughts and ideas and make plans to implement new procedures for the next school year. This was full of good ideas!!

[Cindy Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book offers some really good advice for beginning or struggling teachers. If you are a veteran teacher it probably will not tell you anything you don't already know or do.

[Erinn Dimond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great resource for Christian teachers who want to incorporate Biblical truth into their teaching!

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Teacher Book

This book allows you to think about what you would want your classroom to ideally be like and then walks you through how to get there.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for new teachers! Very helpful.

[Roseanne Cheng · Rating 5 out of 5]

Create Your Dream Classroom is a workbook, journal, and inspirational guide for teachers. Though Linda seems to focus primarily on new teachers, I read it thinking it would be great for a teacher who might have been “in the trenches” for awhile and needs to take a step back and re-evaluate their teaching philosophy. This would also be a fantastic gift for a teacher mentor, who might be looking for ways to help guide new teachers in their school.

What I loved about the book:

Practical advice for teachers-- Linda often refers to the challenges of her first year of teaching, which all of us in the classroom can relate to. She also talks about the changes she made the summer between year one and year two, and the degree of their success. Lesson 30- “Can we play a game?” is a perfect example of this. She has an easily replicated lesson there, one that can be adapted for any subject or grade level. Love that!

Journaling and Reflection-- I was certified in California, where after a year of schooling you must complete another two years of mentorship before earning your “clear” credential. I scoffed at this at the time, because as a new teacher you simply don’t want to make the time to talk to a mentor when you’re up to your eyeballs in work. My mentor, however, was incredible. She “made” me journal, even when I didn’t want to, and I am 100% confident that my teaching improved as a result. Linda has journal prompts in every chapter, which is fantastic.

Interaction-- Create Your Dream Classroom has all kinds of links in it, directing teachers to discussion groups and other resources. When I was in the classroom, I never wanted to make time for something like that. Now I know how invaluable that time really is. Linda focuses on the importance of this in her book, and hopefully will encourage other teachers to do the same.

My only hesitation in giving this book to every teacher I know (seriously- $4.99 on Amazon is a steal!) is that the teaching strategies are supported by Bible references throughout the book. I am only familiar with teaching in public school, so this would be a no-no in my world. However, I believe that the strategies in Create Your Dream Classroom are fantastic for all teachers, so as long as the teacher in your life isn’t off-put by its Christian undertones, then it is a truly fantastic resource.

Note: I was given a copy of Create Your Dream Classroom for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

[Eric Reenders · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has the clearest framework for creating a grace-filled classroom I’ve ever read… even though grace isn’t specifically mentioned.

Create Your Dream Classroom contains fifty four short lessons aimed at helping teachers take control of their classrooms and turn it into a place where grace abounds. The lessons are very clear and concise and each provides the reader a time to stop and reflect about what they have been doing in their classroom. It has encouraging tips for applying the lessons in your classroom and for connecting with a community of like-hearted peers. Reading Create Your Dream Classroom is much like sitting down with a great master teacher and listening to them give you their hard-earned wisdom one day at a time.

Create Your Dream Classroom is a must read for new teachers… if I were an administrator it would be required reading for all staff. The insights it provides are priceless for new teachers and much needed refreshment for seasoned veterans.

If you’re looking to improve your teaching, to disciple your students faith, to make a lasting impact or their lives (or even just to survive this year), this is a book you must read.

[Stephanie Jacques Powell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not what I expected. It was a decent read for reflection on teaching practices, but I felt it offered very little tips to try. Also, author teaches in a private school so some practices are different than a public. Good as a type of daily devotional for teachers.

[Theresa Wade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful resource!

Great book with a plethora of advice. I enjoyed it, and it was very good about giving practical solutions that will actually work in the classroom. It can help both new and veteran teachers. It is best for christian teachers, but anyone can benefit.

[Linda Kardamis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the perfect book for Christian teachers.

It will help new teachers conquer the learning curve and will bring fresh ideas to veterans.

[Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read. I like the mix of spirituality with teaching strategies. Even useful for public schools.