Teacher Uses Cheap Erasers To Encourage Positive Behavior In The Classroom

Teachers are notoriously overworked and underpaid. While it shouldn’t be allowed, they often pay for classroom supplies out of pocket, including classroom decor, rewards, and treats.

Despite their low pay and long hours, it’s not uncommon for teachers to spend hundreds of dollars each year on out-of-pocket classroom expenses that are not reimbursed by the school district.

While teachers are generally allowed budgets for things like curriculum, the same isn’t usually true for other “unnecessary” categories, like positive reinforcements and rewards.

To boost classroom morale and encourage students to work hard and behave well, many teachers set up systems that reward students with little prizes when they reach a certain milestone. For example, a preschooler might get to put a sticker on a sticker chart for picking up their toys, or a 5th grader might get to select a prize from a treasure box for completing a book marathon.

Each classroom and teacher is different, but there are a lot of things they share in common and coming up with creative ways to reward students without breaking the bank is something many teachers are constantly working on.

It seems one teacher may have found the perfect solution for her first-grade classroom. Marissa Begay, AKA @theycallmemrsb, shared about her hack on TikTok in 2020 and it grabbed the attention of people around the world.

Her genius idea? To fill the classroom treasure box with cheap mini erasers from Target.

Now, you might be wondering. Why would kids find erasers all that exciting? Well, the mini erasers she found were shaped like little animals, which Marissa dubbed “desk pets.” The students wanted to collect all of the desk pets which made the rewards enticing!

One of the best parts is that a 60 pack of erasers was selling for just $1! Prizes can’t get much cheaper than that.

Go to target before they sell out! ? #teacher #teachersoftiktok #fyp #foryou #FanEdit #STEMLife

♬ original sound – Mrs.Begay (Marissa)

After the hack went viral, teachers around the world began implementing the idea.

A teacher who goes by @kaylaraenelson on TikTok revealed how she uses desk pets to “watch” students while thy work. The desk pets see if the students are staying on desk and working hard on their studies, and if they are, then they get to take the pets home at the end of the week!

Desk Pets! #teachertok #fyp #deskpets #firstgradeteacher #tiktokteacher

♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys – Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey

Other teachers have taken a more in-depth approach to the desk pets and have created fun houses and full living arrangements for the little erasers. Some people use cardboard boxes or shoe boxes to create full homes for the pets, and students are loving it.

Mrs. Amelia Bennett shared photos of some desk pet houses on Twitter, saying, “I just can’t get over the cuteness of these desk pet homes! What have you guys been using this year as a positive reward system?”

What do you think of the desk pets? Let us know!

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