Addition to my Dead Horse Museum (a.ka. Classroom Practices that Just Don't Work): taking away recess.
I have given it a good try. And it did help me start a simple system of tracking student misbehavior.
But by the time that first recess bell rings, I'm tired of wrangling with the same kids. We both need a break from one another. And over the trial period, I haven't seen much of a drop in misbehavior.
That doesn't mean that miscreants will be freed to play. I'm looking into setting up some kind of community service for them to complete instead -- maybe picking up rubbish or wiping shelves in the library.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
falling into change headlong
Guided reading debuts tomorrow as the new structure for our language arts block.
Yikes.
This is all thanks to the speedy and hard work of Orchid and her partner in crime.
It's 8 p.m., and I have yet to look over the schedule for tomorrow. The only thing I know for certain is that I'll be, as usual, winging much of the 2-hour block. A world of chaos lies outside even the best-written lesson plans and schedules.
I went over my expectations (basically, do your work and don't run around the room for the whole 2 hours) on Friday. I printed up the expectations as a contract; by signing, students agreed to the expectations and to accept any consequences for breaking rules.
One student, Berry, flat-out refused to sign. Motivation is a problem for him. While he's always been reluctant to start working, he's never vocalized his resistance. Lately, however, when I encourage Berry to do his work, he says, "I don't want to work." My usual reply is that since he's at school anyways, he should try his best and learn something. The standoff continues, but I think parents need to be called in soon.
Yikes.
This is all thanks to the speedy and hard work of Orchid and her partner in crime.
It's 8 p.m., and I have yet to look over the schedule for tomorrow. The only thing I know for certain is that I'll be, as usual, winging much of the 2-hour block. A world of chaos lies outside even the best-written lesson plans and schedules.
I went over my expectations (basically, do your work and don't run around the room for the whole 2 hours) on Friday. I printed up the expectations as a contract; by signing, students agreed to the expectations and to accept any consequences for breaking rules.
One student, Berry, flat-out refused to sign. Motivation is a problem for him. While he's always been reluctant to start working, he's never vocalized his resistance. Lately, however, when I encourage Berry to do his work, he says, "I don't want to work." My usual reply is that since he's at school anyways, he should try his best and learn something. The standoff continues, but I think parents need to be called in soon.
Monday, January 18, 2010
tripping over molehills, or how to turn a minor misunderstanding into a HUGE problem
Superstar came to check in on Thursday and almost got into a fight. I grabbed him from behind and had to walk him to his class. Not wanting to leave my students unattended, I asked Mrs. Lemon, whose room is adjacent to mine, if she could watch my class for a few minutes.
When I came back, Mrs. Lemon said Willow had been disrespectful to her, and that she was going to inform Willow's mom. (Willow's mom works on campus).
I talked to Willow. That morning, Willow had told me she had trouble finishing her science homework and asked if she could work on it. I agreed that she could ask for help from a classmate. When I left, she was sitting with Storm and asking for help. According to Willow, Mrs. Lemon had directed the class and Willow to work silently. Willow said she spoke up to try to explain to Mrs. Lemon that she had my OK to work with a classmate.
I talked to Mrs. Lemon, and she said Willow had been very cocky to her. She said that she hadn't heard a peep out of Willow and Storm last year, but that they were very noisy this year.
I told Mrs. Lemon that I had talked to Willow and that she had told me she was doing her work. I also said that based on my dealings with Willow, I believed she telling the truth.
I was taken aback when Mrs. Lemon retorted: "Come on! You believe them?" She then said she "knew" that Storm would lie to back up Willow's story. Mrs. Lemon wrapped up the conversation by declaring, "You need to get a handle on those kids. They're out of control."
Willow talked to her mom about what happened. Mom let the counselor know, and the counselor helped Willow draft an apology letter to Mrs. Lemon. The letter said that in the future, Willow would be careful to follow directions without comment. I thought the letter was fine and considered the issue resolved.
Later that morning, Mrs. Lemon asked to see Willow for a moment. I said OK, thinking nothing of it. It wasn't until I talked to Willow's mom after school that I learned what happened. According to Willow's mom, Mrs. Lemon refused to accept the letter, and threw it in the rubbish can as Willow was leaving the room. Understandably, this was upsetting to my student.
Mrs. Lemon also sent out an e-mail to the grade level that day, stating that we should not ask her to watch our class unless we were willing to back up her version of events.
While I didn't let this incident ruin my wonderfully long weekend, I was so mad on Thursday that I had to vent to Orchid after school. Some of the things that upset me:
a) Mrs. Lemon's mindset is that students are unreliable and untrustworthy. However, I believe that my students are, in general, truthful. I am sure they have gotten away with some things (what kid doesn't?) but I believe they are usually honest.
b) I do not appreciate being told by Mrs. Lemon what I need to do in my room. I am the first to admit that my classroom is a work in progress, but there has been steady improvement and we are not "out of control."
c) It infuriates me that Mrs. Lemon threw Willow's letter away. That's plain mean.
d) If a co-worker has a problem with me, I want her to talk to me directly. Sending an e-mail directed at me to the whole grade level makes me think she just wants the opportunity to gossip. I would have been fine with an individual e-mail, but why the need to share it with everyone?
While this incident was upsetting, I know that I did the right thing. My first responsibility is to my students. If I believe they are being truthful, I will support them.
When I came back, Mrs. Lemon said Willow had been disrespectful to her, and that she was going to inform Willow's mom. (Willow's mom works on campus).
I talked to Willow. That morning, Willow had told me she had trouble finishing her science homework and asked if she could work on it. I agreed that she could ask for help from a classmate. When I left, she was sitting with Storm and asking for help. According to Willow, Mrs. Lemon had directed the class and Willow to work silently. Willow said she spoke up to try to explain to Mrs. Lemon that she had my OK to work with a classmate.
I talked to Mrs. Lemon, and she said Willow had been very cocky to her. She said that she hadn't heard a peep out of Willow and Storm last year, but that they were very noisy this year.
I told Mrs. Lemon that I had talked to Willow and that she had told me she was doing her work. I also said that based on my dealings with Willow, I believed she telling the truth.
I was taken aback when Mrs. Lemon retorted: "Come on! You believe them?" She then said she "knew" that Storm would lie to back up Willow's story. Mrs. Lemon wrapped up the conversation by declaring, "You need to get a handle on those kids. They're out of control."
Willow talked to her mom about what happened. Mom let the counselor know, and the counselor helped Willow draft an apology letter to Mrs. Lemon. The letter said that in the future, Willow would be careful to follow directions without comment. I thought the letter was fine and considered the issue resolved.
Later that morning, Mrs. Lemon asked to see Willow for a moment. I said OK, thinking nothing of it. It wasn't until I talked to Willow's mom after school that I learned what happened. According to Willow's mom, Mrs. Lemon refused to accept the letter, and threw it in the rubbish can as Willow was leaving the room. Understandably, this was upsetting to my student.
Mrs. Lemon also sent out an e-mail to the grade level that day, stating that we should not ask her to watch our class unless we were willing to back up her version of events.
While I didn't let this incident ruin my wonderfully long weekend, I was so mad on Thursday that I had to vent to Orchid after school. Some of the things that upset me:
a) Mrs. Lemon's mindset is that students are unreliable and untrustworthy. However, I believe that my students are, in general, truthful. I am sure they have gotten away with some things (what kid doesn't?) but I believe they are usually honest.
b) I do not appreciate being told by Mrs. Lemon what I need to do in my room. I am the first to admit that my classroom is a work in progress, but there has been steady improvement and we are not "out of control."
c) It infuriates me that Mrs. Lemon threw Willow's letter away. That's plain mean.
d) If a co-worker has a problem with me, I want her to talk to me directly. Sending an e-mail directed at me to the whole grade level makes me think she just wants the opportunity to gossip. I would have been fine with an individual e-mail, but why the need to share it with everyone?
While this incident was upsetting, I know that I did the right thing. My first responsibility is to my students. If I believe they are being truthful, I will support them.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
that little rustle ...
I was reminded yesterday that a few words can make a big difference.
Neo was getting his morning off to the usual start -- wandering around the room, talking to his friends, and not doing any work. I pulled him off to the side for a quick talk about why he comes to school. To learn, he promptly replied. I asked him whether he knew why he didn't sit with his friends in class, and he did. It was a quiet, quick talk, and then I sent him back to his desk.
Throughout the day I marveled at Neo's focus. He would even gently chide his friends to quiet down and listen. He did his work. He did need reminders now and then, but the attitude and effort was much improved. Today was another quite good day.
Is that little rustle I hear the sound of a new leaf being turned?
Oddly enough, I'm seeing a less dramatic but also positive trend with Dimples. While he still mouths off from time to time, and flat-out refuses to do work on occasion, he has begun doing some math assignments. He needed prompting to work on a constructed response this afternoon, but I walked away for a few moments and came back to see that he had finished, on his own.
Gotta hand it to my students for making better choices. : )
Neo was getting his morning off to the usual start -- wandering around the room, talking to his friends, and not doing any work. I pulled him off to the side for a quick talk about why he comes to school. To learn, he promptly replied. I asked him whether he knew why he didn't sit with his friends in class, and he did. It was a quiet, quick talk, and then I sent him back to his desk.
Throughout the day I marveled at Neo's focus. He would even gently chide his friends to quiet down and listen. He did his work. He did need reminders now and then, but the attitude and effort was much improved. Today was another quite good day.
Is that little rustle I hear the sound of a new leaf being turned?
Oddly enough, I'm seeing a less dramatic but also positive trend with Dimples. While he still mouths off from time to time, and flat-out refuses to do work on occasion, he has begun doing some math assignments. He needed prompting to work on a constructed response this afternoon, but I walked away for a few moments and came back to see that he had finished, on his own.
Gotta hand it to my students for making better choices. : )
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
*yawn*
The first day back with the kids is always tough.
My first alarm starts to ring at 5:10 a.m. The second one goes off at 5:15 a.m. This morning I didn't hear the first one at all and when the second one rang, got out of bed, picked up the cell phone, then crawled under the covers again until 5:30. I need one of those alarm clocks with wheels that you need to chase to shut off.
We did science in the morning, and the kids did the usual grumbling about being assigned to work in groups.
They did get excited about our language arts introduction to the text structure proposition and support, mainly because the article we are using is about kids getting paid for good grades.
After a lunch of breaded chicken patty (just how many breaded chicken patties does the U.S. produce? Given how often we eat them at school, way too many) with mashed potatoes, it was math time. Alas, teaching math often leaves me feeling homicidal, and today was no different.
I am trying to be more consistent in my classroom management -- Dimples got moved to the desk at the front of the room, and King spent the last hour of the day standing up at the front of the room after multiple attempts to sit by his friends. (I ran this by admin and they said making kids stand is not corporal punishment, but making kids stand outside in the heat of the sun is).
The usual crew owed me recess time today, but I'm hoping that being consistent about it will lead to less disruption and more learning. And less homicidal urges for the teacher.
My goal for 2010 is to be more on top of grading papers, so I settled down with a stack this evening. My other goal is to be more organized in the classroom, in the hopes of helping the students organize themselves as well. I will never be one of those teachers with an excruciatingly neat room, but I'm hoping to avoid the towering stacks of papers, books, and more that I tend to collect.
My first alarm starts to ring at 5:10 a.m. The second one goes off at 5:15 a.m. This morning I didn't hear the first one at all and when the second one rang, got out of bed, picked up the cell phone, then crawled under the covers again until 5:30. I need one of those alarm clocks with wheels that you need to chase to shut off.
We did science in the morning, and the kids did the usual grumbling about being assigned to work in groups.
They did get excited about our language arts introduction to the text structure proposition and support, mainly because the article we are using is about kids getting paid for good grades.
After a lunch of breaded chicken patty (just how many breaded chicken patties does the U.S. produce? Given how often we eat them at school, way too many) with mashed potatoes, it was math time. Alas, teaching math often leaves me feeling homicidal, and today was no different.
I am trying to be more consistent in my classroom management -- Dimples got moved to the desk at the front of the room, and King spent the last hour of the day standing up at the front of the room after multiple attempts to sit by his friends. (I ran this by admin and they said making kids stand is not corporal punishment, but making kids stand outside in the heat of the sun is).
The usual crew owed me recess time today, but I'm hoping that being consistent about it will lead to less disruption and more learning. And less homicidal urges for the teacher.
My goal for 2010 is to be more on top of grading papers, so I settled down with a stack this evening. My other goal is to be more organized in the classroom, in the hopes of helping the students organize themselves as well. I will never be one of those teachers with an excruciatingly neat room, but I'm hoping to avoid the towering stacks of papers, books, and more that I tend to collect.
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