Classroom Careers: A Hassle Free Alternative to Classroom Jobs

Like many of you, I'm very active on various Facebook groups geared specifically to teachers. Time and again, I see other educators post the same question: "What do you do for classroom jobs?" This seemingly simple classroom staple has educators all over the globe stumped, and for good reason. Which jobs are appropriate for my students? How often should I rotate? What if I keep forgetting to assign new jobs? What if a kid isn't able to do his/her job? How do I keep things fair? Early in my career, I even found myself wondering, Is all this effort even worth it?

Mike Kemp, Getty Images

Of course, you know the answer is a resounding YES! Classroom jobs build a community of learners and teach valuable traits like responsibility, leadership, and independence. Even though I realized this, my traditional, weekly-rotating classroom jobs set up was flat out not working for me. Some jobs were too boring; there weren't enough roles for each student every week; I couldn't keep track of who held which job; and of course...I never remembered to rotate, leaving kids in the same job for weeks on end! I needed a change. In the middle of a Pat Quinn RTI seminar, it finally hit me...my classroom didn't need jobs. It needed careers!

One of the most important things we do as teachers is prepare our students for the "real world." I'm always trying to keep this in mind as I plan my lessons, and in this case, my classroom structure. As an adult, I don't rotate to a new job each week...I chose to become a teacher because it's a career I fell in love with. More than that, I was trained to be an educator, and had the natural skills to make a pretty darn good one (if I do say so myself!). I wanted to apply this same idea to my classroom jobs. Assigning littles to a job they are best fit for - rather than rotating - allows students to realize that each of us has specific skills, interests, and talents.

During the first week of school, I introduce our Classroom Careers with a brief PowerPoint. We talk about the traits of each career person and start to recognize those skills in ourselves. In the meantime, I keep an eye out for each of my babes' special talents, characteristics, and interests. I'm sure to compliment them, too: "I love how you greet everyone each morning with a smile, Jacinta! Have you thought about applying to be our classroom door person?" Sparks begin to fly as students hurry to apply to their dream job.

Caution: Too-big-for-your-face grins ahead

You know that goofy face kids make when they're way too excited? Yep, that's exactly what you'll see once you start the hiring process! Over the span of a week or two, each student is hired and presented with a certificate at morning meeting. Their name is very ceremoniously added to our Classroom Career bulletin board. As you can imagine, this is a Very Big Deal in Room 11. I hire the kids one, two, sometimes three at a time. This builds the anticipation! Who will be hired next? What will my job be? How can I show my teacher that I'm ready to start my career?

 

My animal lover trains to be our Veterinarian. One of my tidy friends becomes the Custodian. The child obsessed with our computers and tablets is named our Technician. Each student is matched to a job that fits their special skills and must complete (very informal) job training. I use morning work time or the few minutes before dismissal to show students how to correctly complete their job each day by modeling the job myself or simply showing them where certain supplies are kept. This is a simple task that usually only needs done once or twice at the start of the year. Remember, we keep these jobs all year...after all, they reflect each child's special skill!

I've found that my students take more pride in their job knowing they were picked especially for it. They also come to rely upon themselves and each other more quickly. Instead of asking me how to draw a cat, my students consult the Artist. When we turn on our projector, the Electrician silently gets up to turn out the lights. In the chaos of a child falling and scraping their knee, my Doctor knows to quickly fetch a band-aid or ice pack from my desk. If the ringing classroom phone interrupts my lesson, my Secretary knows to answer and direct the call, allowing me to continue teaching. And yes...this all happened with six and seven year olds in my first grade classroom...this year, I'm making a few tweaks, but expect the same results with my fifth graders!

With their roles established and permanent, my classroom runs more smoothly. No longer do I waste time picking an eager volunteer to run a paper across the hall, for this is the job of my Delivery Person. My standard end-of-the-day chores, like shutting the windows, emptying my under-the-desk garbage can, and passing out papers are now taken care of by my Widow Specialist, Garbage Person, and Mail Distributor. These minutes saved give me more time to work one-on-one with students or plan for the next day, while also instilling a sense of responsibility in my students. Better yet, subs absolutely love having assistants to help guide the daily routines without being prompted. My classroom runs so smoothly, and it's thanks to Classroom Careers! 

Back in 2015, I said 'tootle lou' to traditional, rotating classroom jobs and I haven't looked back since! Interested in trying Classroom Careers for yourself? Check out my Classroom Careers starter kit on TpT! In addition to learning about 20 Classroom Careers, you'll be able to download the four sets of job cards with matching name cards and headers to make your Classroom Career bulletin board. You'll also earn access to pre-made, editable certificates for your newly hired students. The entire set is editable, and includes various sizes of print outs in color and B&W. 

Do you have a larger class size? I've expanded my Classroom Careers set and added 18 new jobs with three different expansion packs! I will continue to add more expansion packs (featuring six new careers each) as more clip art becomes available. More careers means more customized jobs to fit YOUR classroom needs. 

Want to snag everything at a lower price? If the starter pack, job applications, expansion packs, and intro PowerPoint are all calling your name, you'll want to snag my Classroom Career growing bundle. It will be updated annually with new CC products. Buying early ensures the lowest price on this bundle, so click HERE to get started!

Not quite ready to take the plunge yet? Download my Getting Started Guide for FREE on TpT. You'll get to check out a full list of the careers and two sample student applications!

⇢ Shop Classroom Careers on TpT by clicking here ⇠

What do your classroom jobs look like? Is there a career I've missed? Sound off in the comments below. I always love to hear from YOU!