Lending a Hand: Classroom Jobs for Students

Why are classroom jobs important?

Running a classroom demands a lot of a teacher, who must not only manage possibly dozens of students but also stay on top of instruction and assessments, keep the room clean, and ensure lessons go smoothly. Why not let students lend a helping hand? That’s where classroom jobs (or classroom helper jobs) come in. We have an article that details the importance of classroom jobs for elementary students, but what about older students? Classroom jobs can be beneficial to them, too. Plus, since older kids have more developed skills and responsibilities, they can help with tasks that require greater responsibility or advanced content knowledge.

Benefits of classroom jobs for students

According to this article, classroom jobs help students develop the five social and emotional learning (SEL) competencies developed by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL): accountability, responsibility, teamwork, leadership, and student voice and choice. These traits are crucial to students’ learning and development.

Classroom jobs are also a type of routine. Classroom routines and procedures are beneficial for students of all ages since they provide consistency and a sense of order, and, as this article points out, help to build adolescent brains because they aid in executive function skills. The Child Mind Institute describes these skills as those “we all use every day to plan, organize, make decisions, and learn from past mistakes.”

Finally, classroom jobs can also help students take ownership of their classroom community, as mentioned in this article on classroom expectations. Investing in the classroom environment makes students feel more welcomed.

How to assign classroom jobs to students

Consider one of the engaging ways below for assigning classroom jobs to students. Rotate jobs throughout the year to give students a chance to try multiple roles.

Spin a wheel of jobs

Randomly distributing jobs can create a fun way to assign jobs, especially for younger students:

• Create a list of classroom jobs that would benefit your class the most.
• Design a big wheel that students can spin.
• Add sections to the wheel labeled with the jobs.
• Have the students take turns spinning the wheels to determine their jobs.

Collaborate on a list

Have students think about the benefits of teamwork. Then, facilitate a discussion about ways they might be able to improve their classroom. Perhaps they think it might be helpful to send reminders about upcoming events. Or maybe labs might go by smoother if someone oversaw keeping the time. Students can then collaborate on a list of jobs, along with classroom job descriptions. Finally, students decide on which jobs they’ll take, making sure no job is claimed more than once.

Conduct a job interview

This option for assigning jobs can be useful for younger and older students. A classroom job interview can help elementary and middle school students sharpen their oral communication skills. High school students might already be working real-world jobs or will be soon, and a classroom job interview is one way they can see how the process works. You can ask questions like: 

• Tell me about yourself and your skills.
• Why do you believe you are a good fit for this job?
• Why does the job appeal to you?

Vote on the best candidates

For leadership roles that require more responsibility, consider having students vote on the best candidate. Students can write a short persuasive essay or give a quick speech on why they are a good fit for their desired jobs, then decide.

Classroom jobs list

Curious about what jobs you can assign? Check out the ideas below, many of which are from our article on jobs for elementary-aged students:

• Attendance taker: Responsible for taking attendance
• Backpack monitor: Keeps backpacks organized
• Board cleaner: Cleans the board when needed
• Caboose: Monitors the back of the line
• Calendar helper: Keeps calendar up to date and reminds the class of upcoming events
• Chair stacker: Stacks chairs at the end of the day
• Door holder: Opens, closes, and holds doors for the class
• Gardener: Takes care of the classroom’s plants
• Greeter: Greets guests with a big smile and introduces them to the class
• Homework collector: Collects homework from classmates
• Librarian: Keeps the classroom library organized and keeps a record of the books that students check out
• Line leader: Stands at the front of the line and leads the class
• Lunch box/bag assistant: Hands out lunches
• Messenger: Relays messages to other teachers; delivers and picks up items from the office
• Paper passer: Passes out papers throughout the day and picks them up, too, if necessary
• Pencil sharpener: Sharpens pencils at the beginning of the day
• Pet caretaker: Helps to take care of the classroom pet
• Photographer: Takes photos of activities and events
• Reporter: Announces important events that are happening in the school
• Snack helper: Hands out snacks
• Substitute teacher assistant: Helps the substitute teachers throughout the day
• Sweeper: Sweeps dust and trash at the end of the day
• Table washer: Washes tables whenever necessary, such as after snacks or at the end of the day
• Teacher’s aide: Ready to help the teacher at any time throughout the day
• Technology helper: Turns the computers on in the morning and assists with other tech issues

Classroom jobs for older students can be more sophisticated than those for elementary school, allowing middle and high school students to use more advanced skills. These jobs can incorporate students’ hobbies or give students who are ahead additional work. For example, an IT manager might ensure you have the right equipment for class, such as checking out tech or charging when necessary. A materials manager might ensure all lab equipment is properly stored and organized.

If you have international or exchange students, you might have students who’d be a great fit for being those new students’ buddies, ensuring they feel welcomed (especially if there is a classmate who shares the new student’s language). Finally, advanced students might be great tutors for those who need to catch up in class.

Share your classroom job ideas

Do you have jobs for students that are essential to your classroom community? Share your classroom job ideas with us via shaped@hmhco.com, Instagram, or Facebook.

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Assigning classroom jobs is one way teachers can manage their classrooms more efficiently. Read more classroom management articles for more strategies and tips, regardless of the grade level or subject.