If you feel like class jobs are a pain in the butt…you might be doing them wrong!
Sorry if that stepped on your toes a bit-but it’s true! I’ll be the first to admit I’ve used some poor class job practices in the past. I know the struggle. Many other teachers feel this struggle too. I know this because jobs are one of the most frequently asked about topics in my messages!
It took me a few years to finesse and discover what truly works! I’m excited to share my finds with you below.
Keep in Mind…
Before we begin, keep in mind: this is what works best for me. What works for your will vary based on your preferences, class, school, and beyond. My hope is that through my epiphanies, you’ll be able to snag ideas to improve your own system. Take it and make it your own.
Why Class Jobs?
Let’s start by identifying the why behind class jobs. I see this as threefold:
1) Class jobs are helpful to me and my classroom.
2) They give students the opportunity to grow in leadership and responsibility.
3) Students gain enjoyment and ownership from them.
These are the three main pillars for why I make jobs a part of my classroom. They are such a positive opportunity for everyone!
Getting Started
So, you want to have class jobs in your room (or you are already doing so.) Next, you need to decide which jobs your class will have.
Though this will vary from room to room-my biggest advice? LESS IS MORE (at least to start!) Creating 25 unique jobs for each of your kiddos is not only exhausting-but wasteful. You have to get creative to think of 20+ jobs! By the end of it, each job is likely to be watered down in terms of responsibility. Kids end up doing their job rarely or never because its unneeded. And that’s no fun for them or for you to keep up with.
Aim for 8-12 jobs at first (you can have multiple students do the same job as long as there is enough work for them) and then add on/adapt if needed. It’s ok if not everyone gets a job (we’ll talk more on that later!)
So, which jobs do you pick?
Start by thinking of what things you constantly need help with or are already calling on students to do. For example-if you notice you often need a student to walk a paper to the office-BOOM-there’s a class job for that.
Choose your jobs purposefully, trying to pick jobs that will require students to do something daily. Make adjustments as the year continues. I revaluate my jobs yearly as my class size and needs change. Typically, I make at least two adjustments from year to year and at least one adjustment during the year!
First Year Lessons
I learned a lot about job selection from my first year of teaching. Our Class Job board changed multiple times the first quarter as I learned about my school and classroom needs. Below are some job selection pointers that came from that year:
#1: Ask your Coworkers!
I realized I should have conversed with others on this topic about 20 minutes into my first ever day as a teacher. It was time to get in line. Little did I know, my school had students walk in two adjacent lines instead of one! I was trying to line them up in number order when one of the girls told me this. Suddenly, I realized two-line leader spots would be needed!
In addition, I quickly learned that “door holders” would be a needed job for my school. Our classroom was located in a building separate from our gym, lunchroom, and specials classes. To get there we had to cross an outdoor breezeway with four doors that were heavy and could never be left open. There was a constant need for students to hold the door in order for us to smoothly transition during the day. The door holder job was an easy add for this. Had I asked my coworkers about their jobs, I would have been prepared for this role in advance!
#2 Admin Approval may be needed…
One of the jobs I was most excited to introduce to my students was the “Phone Monitor.” When the phone rang, they were to answer with a script and say “This is Mrs. Munch’s Room, (insert name) speaking. How may I help you?” The kids went ballistic over it. They giggled and paused each time the phone rang to observe how the phone monitor did.
Personally, I thought this job was very helpful. I could continue teaching, unless the caller asked for me specifically, and the student could relay simple messages back to me such as “Carter’s lunch is in the office.”
Then one day the phone monitor informed me the principal was on the line. When I went to answer, I was surprised by his words.
Principal: Hey Mrs. Munch, when someone calls your room, it needs to be you answering the phone.
Me: Oh, ok. I’m sorry! I didn’t know. Answering the phone is a class job for us.
Principal: I see, well, just for safety purposes, let’s make sure you are the only one answering the phone. This is important in case we really need to reach you.
Now, I’ll be honest-I really didn’t like this. The phone monitor was such a hit-I didn’t want to take it away! Though I obliged-I also followed up with my principal via email-explaining some benefits of the class job and ideas to make it work. He stayed pretty firm on not having the job for safety purposes, so there was no question-the job was out. I know other teachers that use this job and love it-but it wasn’t a fit for that particular school.
Thus, keep in mind, you may end up experiencing this if your admin doesn’t love one of your class jobs!
#3 Unneeded Jobs Must Go
A few of the jobs I created (in effort to give every student a job) basically did nothing. They required such minimal help-we often forgot about them all together. One was our “Paper Passer” (papers were already passed out for the day in stacks) and another was our “Calendar Leader” (we didn’t do calendar time in 2nd grade.) After a while the class and I realized these jobs were pretty much worthless, so I got rid of them! I’ve always found jobs with the clearest tasks get done with less reminders, so I try to make them all this way.
Job Ideas
Here are some common jobs I have used in the past.
*Pledge Leader: leads the class in the pledges every morning.
*Pencil Sharpener: collects and sharpens all dull pencils at the end of each day.
*Clean Team: uses Clorox wipes to disinfect desks at the end of the day.
*Library Helper: puts away books in the class library return at the end of the day.
*Tech Team: Plugs in all devices and wraps headphones/cords neatly.
*Messenger: delivers notes or items to other teachers/staff.
*Teacher’s Helper: does any miscellaneous task needed for the teacher! From erasing the board to grabbing a print off the copier.
Introducing the Jobs
Now that you’ve got purposeful jobs in place, its time to start the introduce them to your students! Tell students you will be looking to hire helpers for the classroom. Explain each job and its responsibilities briefly. If you will be paying students for their class jobs, determine how much each job will make. Let students know the pay for each job (might influence them to select less popular choices!)
Payroll
I pay each job a specific amount of class money (earned weekly) based on its demands. My students are paid using Class Dojo aka “Dojo Dollars” in our class.
This is optional, but something my class enjoys. Other than class jobs, my students also earn money for turning in homework, The Great Pencil Challenge (explained in this post,) and being the Student of the Week. With their money, students can buy simple rewards such as Stinky Feet (no shoes in the classroom for the day,) Show and Tell, First to Flex (picking their spot in the room first for the day,) Fluffy Friend (bringing a stuffed animal from home,) Lunch with Teacher, etc.
Though these rewards are fun, I know even without them my class would still enjoy doing their jobs. Thus, if starting a reward system sounds overwhelming to you-I’d recommend doing jobs without it.
The Application Process
Have students “apply” for jobs by filling out a paper or digital form. Not only do kids love this-it will help you decide who should get what job! My students pick their top 3 choices using the form shown above. I do not let students keep the same job twice.
We switch jobs quarterly so they really get to know their job, take ownership of it, and can do it well. This also helps me recall who is doing what job, so I know who to call on when I need them! My class applies for new jobs before each switch. When we switch, we have a “training day”, where kids can “job shadow” one another and learn their new roles. Depending on the job, I will sometimes have 2-3 students in the same role (such as with my “teacher helpers.”)
The Hiring Process
Make “hiring” a big deal! The day following job applications always brings me such joy. Kids speed in and immediately jet to the job board to check out their new role. They get so excited to see what they’ll be doing! I also place a “You’re Hired!” slip on their desk with their new job title.
I make hiring decisions by making a list on notebook paper. At the top I list each job and underneath each title, any student who selected that job as one of their top three choices. From there I work backwards starting with the jobs who had the fewest interested students and gradually moving to the job with the most interested students. This helps eliminate candidates, making the selection for the most coveted roles a little easier. I tell students to rank the tops in order (#1 being the job they want most, #2 being their second pick, and #3 being their third choice.) This also helps me determine who to give which job to.
Remember-if you have a larger class, not everyone HAS to get a job! Some teachers may struggle with this because they don’t want anyone to feel left out. I totally relate to that sentiment, so I work hard to counteract that feeling in a few ways.
For those who don’t get Hired…
Explain to students that anyone not hired is considered “on vacation.” Make this an expected time by telling students everyone (or most all of them) will go “on vacation” once during the school year. This is a time they can take a break from their job. Ensure students they will never be on vacation twice-they will get a job in the next round if they don’t currently have one.
When a student who has a job is absent, consider letting a student on vacation take over their roles for the day. This will give them a sense of what the job is like and keep responsibilities covered for the day.
Rehiring
As mentioned earlier, I have my students keep their jobs for a full quarter of school. You find what works for you! My first year, I had students swap weekly…you can imagine my challenge in recalling who had which job! My second through third years students swapped every two weeks. The fourth year I started doing once a month. And FINALLY in my fifth year I began swapping once per quarter. I have loved the benefits of swapping less and never plan to go back!
Resources
You now have all the info to make class jobs a success in your classroom-hooray! Want to make your life easier? Check out some of the resources I have to support you in Class Jobs below!
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