5 Ways to Maximize the Effectiveness of Your Hallpasses

Classrooms are becoming more sophisticated. Every day there are advances in student tracking, grade recording, lesson development, and so much more. For the non-invasive teacher, managed hallpasses are a great way to pull in a little extra valuable student data that might go uncollected otherwise. That little bit of extra data might be the difference between a good classroom and a great classroom. Let's talk about the 5 ways that efficient teachers maximize their hallpasses:

1. Stay Consistent Hallpasses are a great way to build a routine with students. By always issuing hallpasses when a student asks to leave the room during class, you can begin to build an understanding of responsibility for your students. The easiest way to always issue a hallpass in the event a student needs to exit class is to always have your ClassRelay app handy. You can sign in, save your password, bookmark the ClassRelay app (perhaps in each specific class), and even save the website to your homescreen to make things more reachable at a moment's notice. Educators find that staying logged in on a mobile device allows them to create hallpasses anywhere in the classroom at any given moment, even when they're providing one on one tutelage to students at their desks. This consistency will be key to ensuring that students understand the expectations when leaving the classroom.

2. Be Open Your students should know that they're expected to come back when they leave class. We recommend letting your students know what their time limit is the first few times you use ClassRelay in your classroom. Doing so will allow your students an opportunity to rise to the occassion and meet your expectations sooner. Just as your students should know what to expect, consider having conversations with guardians and administrators about the best way to proceed during different hallpass incidents. Plan with all stakeholders, and don't be afraid to voice your opinion, or share your data to better inform others on how to best proceed with managing your classroom more effectively.

3. Set Your Timer Preferences All classrooms have different requirements. Some schools are enormous, and a visit to the water fountain could take a little longer on average due to travel time. If you see that students are uniformly struggling to meet your hallpass time limits, open a conversation. Maximize your hallpasses by visiting your ClassRelay settings and tweaking the timers for different destinations individually.

If you're new to ClassRelay but you know a colleague is already using it, you could ask the colleague for some pointers on timers they find work well in their classes. Remember, while you're still learning your class's needs you can always "excuse" an expired hall pass before becoming more strict on what to do if a student doesn't return within the alotted time. Never be afraid to keep adjusting your settings to better serve your classroom.

4. Notify, Notify, Notify Your district likely has protocols in case a student leaves the room with a hallpass but does not return. We have found that most districts ask the educator to send an email to an administrator or staff member notifying them of the cut. While traditionally you would have had to interrupt your instruction for this notification, by using the ClassRelay app you can take back precious minutes that would have otherwise been spent composing an email with an explanation to your administrator. With a single click you can let your administrator know all the important details. Make sure to talk to the appropriate administrator about adding their email to the incident notification directory in case a student cuts.

Some educators have let us know that guardians also appreciate updates about their students and their hall time. By visiting your ClassRelay notification preferences you can set under what circumstances you would like to reach out to guardians and administrators. Communication is key, and at ClassRelay we firmly believe that notifying interested parties results in more buy-in for your classroom culture, and a stronger, healthier, happier, and more educational learning environment for you and your students.

4. Create a Culture That Values Time Being a rockstar in your classroom is great. Being a rock legend among the rockstars of your school is even better! Don't simply hog all the good vibes and awesome hallpasses for yourself. Spread the joy, and invite other educators to join ClassRelay. Not only will educators appreciate the tip, but when they join ClassRelay, they'll simultaneously be joining you in creating expectations in your classroom. Remember, a school is like a big family, and if one classroom has high expectations for returning to class on time, and is timely, other classrooms will take notice. By creating a culture that values the significance of data-driven hallpasses you'll be pushing your entire district to be a more efficient learning enviroment for your students.

Managed hallpasses have a huge impact on classroom management, and the way that you use your hallpasses makes a big difference. By following the five guidelines above, you'll be well on your way to maximizing your hallpasses and becoming a rockstar legend in your school.