Submitted by Louise Eddington, Muncie, Indiana

Idea posted March 15, 2005

I used to assume kids knew what "listen" meant. Wrong. Then I saw a poster that a very effective first grade teacher in our building had in her room. The poster was something to the effect of:

Put your eyes on the person speaking.
Put your brain on what they are saying.
Make your hands, feet, and body sit still.

It helped the kids to know what I meant when I said, "listen." As we know, it is an active process, one that too few kids know anymore.