You know that moment when a guest teacher actually takes the time to leave a compliment in the sub notes? It’s the dream. This year, all four of my guest teachers have specifically called out how smooth and easy attendance was in my room, and it’s all thanks to the cell hotel system.
Yep. My cell phone routine doubles as my attendance system, and it’s been an absolute game-changer. Here’s exactly how I make it work, and why I’ll be sticking with it.
What Is a Cell Hotel?
If you’re unfamiliar, a “cell hotel” is basically one of those hanging pocket charts (think shoe organizer) that students place their phones in at the start of class. Each student has a numbered pocket (matched to their seat number), and it becomes part of our daily entry routine.
It’s not a brand-new idea, but the way I use it for both phone management and attendance might be new to you.
You’re mid-lesson, the class is focused, and then—you see it. A student subtly shifts, hand to pocket. Their phone just buzzed.
They don’t even take it out. No screen, no scrolling.
But the damage is already done.
Research shows that just feeling a phone vibrate can knock a student off task for up to 5 minutes. Not because they checked it, but because their brain did—automatically.
That tiny buzz triggers a cognitive shift. Their mind starts to wonder: Who texted me? Is it urgent? Should I check? Even if they resist, their focus is gone, and it takes time—and effort—to get it back.
Studies on the impact of phones in classrooms reveal something every teacher has seen: tech distractions don’t need screens to sabotage attention. The anticipation alone burns mental fuel.
Over time, the problem compounds. Students conditioned by constant notifications develop twitchy attention spans. They struggle to stay present even when they aren’t actively on their device.
So what can we do? Create clear, consistent phone policies. Talk to students about why focus matters. Be transparent with students about the reasons behind those policies to develop buy-in.
Because that little buzz? It’s louder than it sounds.
Planning for the first day and first week of school can be incredibly stressful because it sets the tone for the entire year. No pressure, right?
Students are also getting non-stop information about rules, expectations, classroom procedures, and syllabi, so throwing something in to break that up is a must.
Here are 5 of my favorite activities for the first week of school, that I have used with my Algebra 1 classes over the years but are perfect for any middle school math classroom:
Although the idea of exit tickets is well known, figuring out how to master using them in your middle & high school math classes is a different story. From finding time to create them, remembering to actually give them, and teaching your students how to do them, this 5-part blogging series covers it all. At the end, there’s even a bonus installment that’s all about how to turn your exit tickets digital!
This is a bonus installment in the Everything You Ever Wanted To Know about Using Exit Tickets in your Math Classroom blogging series to show you how to take an exit ticket template that you use and love, and turn it into a digital format for your students to complete. As we grapple with hybrid schedules and the possibility of distance learning, this is more important than ever!
Read Post 1 here– 5 Reasons you Should be Using Exit Tickets in Your Middle & High School Math Class. This post covers what an exit ticket is and why you would want to use one in your math class.
Read Post 2 here– How often should I use an exit ticket? A secondary math teacher explains all. This post discusses how often you should be giving an exit ticket, and ways to save time in creating them so you can actually keep up and make it routine.
Read Post 3 here – How to Implement Exit Tickets like a Math Teacher Pro. This post discusses how to introduce them to your students and tips for actually remembering to give them each day!
Read Post 1 here– 5 Reasons you Should be Using Exit Tickets in Your Middle & High School Math Class. This post covers what an exit ticket is and why you would want to use one in your math class.
Read Post 2 here–How often should I use an exit ticket? A secondary math teacher explains all. This post discusses how often you should be giving an exit ticket, and ways to save time in creating them so you can actually keep up and make it routine.
Now that you’re familiar with what an exit ticket is and why you should be using them in your math classes, let’s dig into some of the details. If you haven’t already read my first post in this series, make sure to read this first!
Exit slips, exit tickets, tickets out the door, quick-checks, check-ins, show me what you know’s…whatever you call them, they’re incredible teaching tools that every secondary math teacher should be incorporating into their regular teaching practice. In this first installment of the Everything You Ever Wanted To Know about Using Exit Tickets in your Math Classroom series, and I wanted to dive straight into the reasons why YOU, yes you, will benefit from using exit tickets in your classes. No need to waste any time, let’s get into it!
Back to school season is stressful, can we all agree? I remember when I was a new teacher and the thought of Open House was terrifying to me (I mean, it’s still fairly stress inducing, but I’ve found ways to minimize that). Dozens of parents in one room staring at you (with what feels like a far more critical eye than their students) is enough to make anyone feel the pressure. It was always important to me to make a good impression during Open House so it could set the tone for the year. It is the first point of contact for many parents, after all.
Something that really helped calm my nerves was to make sure that I had an informational and professional looking handout that I could give to parents that gave them all of the necessecary information they’d like to know in one place. It also helped ME by giving my 15 minutes with them during Open House structure and I was really comforted by having something tangible to reference that they could all see with me.
I wanted something parents could physically take home with them because going to open house is overwhelming, especially if they have multiple children. I chose to make a short flyer that covers the biggest takeaways for the class and I wanted it to be something they could look back to over the school year as a reference for the course (where to contact, ways to get help, ect.). This flyer doesn’t contain all of the information for each class, though. Once school actually starts, I’ll send home a syllabus with all of the nitty-gritty details.
Although still a bit stressful, I love open house because I get a chance to meet parents face to face prior to confrences over Thanksgiving (that’s a long, long way into the year), and I like having the chance to speak about required materials before the year begins. I’ve been shopping for school supplies for long enough that I know most of the deals and can let parents know the best places to shop for what. I know money is tight for a lot of people, so this is also a chance to talk about priorotizing and what the school has a limited supply of for students who need it. For example, our school has a small amount of calculators that can be checked out for the year from the library, but a lot of students don’t know about it! This is the perfect thing to discuss prior to the school year starting.
I’m also a fan of Open House because I have the chance to tell parents about the many ways students can get help throughout the year and give them an idea of what the classload will be. On the back side of the flyer (not pictured), I photocopy some school-specific information about how to access the online textbook and I print a HUGE picture of a few calculators I’d reccomend buying/checking out, if they don’t already have one.
Here’s the flyer I’ve used year after year. I’ve tweaked it to work perfectly for each of my classes!
If you’d like to use my open house flyer in your classroom, I’ve got good news for you! It’s an exclusive freebie for the Math by the Mountain Club! It’s 100% editable so you can customize it to your exact needs. Join here!
On top of that flyer, I’ve also made a whole Open House Kit that you will receive, for free! You’ll get a PowerPoint presentation (totally editable, of course) and a sign-in sheet for parents to use and for you to collect up-to-date contact info!
Math by the Mountain 