Submitted by Karen Stafford, Missouri
Idea posted April 11, 2002
I strongly encourage kids to purchase two recorders, and if they don't, tell them to keep it in their backpacks after practicing just like they SHOULD homework. I also treat it like the classroom teachers treat forgotten homework. Forget three times in a quarter, lose a recess. Fourth time... note home. Fifth time... phone call. Sixth time... conduct report.
If a kid claims they've lost their recorder, I insist they have their parents write a note, because I've had kids claim that just to save their recess. Until I see the note, it gets recorded as forgotten. I don't like telling them to leave their recorders at school because we're doing the Recorder Karate, and I want to strongly encourage them good practice habits, plus, I do playing tests.