“Teacher’s on the phone” During his 35 years in the classroom, retired high school science teacher Thomas Hoolihan of New York learned the value of positive reinforcement—for parents as well as students. Each week, he would make “sunshine calls” in the evening to parents. They expected bad news about their child, but his purpose was to pass on good news from that day or week. He reports that when the student came to class the next day, he or she always said something about their parents’ positive reaction to the phone call. When other students heard about the calls, they asked how they could earn such a “reward.”

Paper or plastic? Rather than buy bulletin board paper, which is expensive and prone to fading, Chicago elementary school teacher Michelle Knight uses inexpensive plastic table cloths from a discount store instead. The table cloths are more durable, don’t fade and look great, she says. Big enough to cover even large bulletin boards, the cloths still cost much less than paper.

Classroom quilt Carissa Lee has students in her fourth-grade classroom in New York City make a quilt that incorporates planning and math as well as artistic skills. The students design the patterns, calculate dimensions and measure fabric. She says higher-level students calculate the cost of the materials, while lower-level students use math to figure out how many squares the quilt includes. The project also incorporates reading about quilts in addition to the obvious sewing involved. The result? A beautiful work of art to hang on the classroom wall.