Once the kids realized that there wasn’t another activity waiting for them after they completed their task, I saw a huge change in how kids approached their work. I explained that work time was exactly that: work time. It was easy! I simply told the kids that we were no longer using that phrase and then we listed some other examples that had the same meaning, just to safe. I outlawed the words “I’m Done!” in my first grade class many years ago and the practice works just as well with my third graders. Plus, as soon as one student calls out “I’m done,” many students feel pressure to catch up or end up distracted from their work. This leads to rushing through work, racing to be the first one finished, and looking forward to the next activity rather than focusing on the task at hand. It means that the kids believe their goal was simply to finish the task. It’s not just the words, but what the words reveal about student thinking. My biggest issue with kids saying “I’m done!” is that it implies “getting done” was the goal in the first place. We all have those so called “fast-finishers.” There are tons of ideas for filling that gap of time between the “I’m Done!” and the class transitioning to the next lesson or activity, but what if there was no gap? What if there was no “I’m Done”? Learn why you should ban those 2 little words forever and don’t miss the handy (FREE) tool I’m sharing to help you do just that! The Problem with “I’m Done.” Every teacher has heard the inevitable chorus of I’m Done’s! that follows an assignment or activity in an elementary classroom.
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