Staying positive

One of the most effective ways to get good behavior in the classroom is through positive reinforcement. I know that, I've read studies that show that, but it's still really easy to forget. One thing I'm working on is, when students are acting up, taking a breath and acknowledging those who are doing what they're supposed to. This generally gets the others in line and improves my mood.

To give the positive reinforcement, I use "credit cards" (an idea I got from a seminar by Rick Morris. Each student has an index card with their name on it. I give them a bit of time the first week of school to decorate it. And I have hole punches which punch special shapes in the cards. I have an eighth note punch at one school and a star at the other. Once my students have 10 punches in their cards, they choose a prize from my treasure box (the prizes are cheap toys from the dollar store).

Last year, my students were responsible for keeping their cards in their folders. That did NOT work for me. They would fall out and get lost, and it took too much time for me to walk over to the student and punch their card, so very few students got punched (they love it when I say it like that).

This year, each class has their cards on a metal book ring. The best is the ring that I can wear around my wrist like a bracelet. This way, I don't lose them, plus I keep them in seat order so I can easily punch them. Plus there's the added benefit of randomness. I can flip through the cards, pick one from the bunch, look at that student, and punch the card if they're following directions. It's fair. And it forces me to learn everyone's names (if I need help, I see who's around them). And if I'm going to call on a non-volunteer, I can just chose from my cards.

Here's my problem: my rings are starting to get too lose, so they won't stay closed. Any ideas for solutions?