One thing I've learned as a teacher that runs counter intuitive to what has been taught to me as a TFA member is to reject the notion that all kids can be saved. I am not advocating for someone to give up on students. I am merely suggesting that when you have a classroom plagued with classroom management issues, targeting the students whose behavior can change should be your first priority and you should not feel guilty for doing so. This will mean that for some period of time you let that one student who is a serious behavior issue sleep in class. Or you consistently send that kid out of the room in order to prevent him (it could be a her as well) from setting off your entire class.
But Raymond, how could you, doesn't that kid deserve an education too? Yes, he does and currently in your dysfunctional classroom he isn't receiving one. Any attempt you make on changing his behavior isn't going to work because students with his behavior issues cannot correct behavior through normal means. If they see other students then they will react and escalate the situation. That's why sometimes you need to let them flounder a bit while you set the classroom culture. Make it so that the students you can control are consistently following your directions and then slowly but surely those students with serious behavior issues will feel the pressure to conform. Also, when you're spending less time dealing with small behavior issues, then you have time to work and negotiate the difficult behavior coming from that student. Eventually that student will be put back on the list of things to do, but don't feel ashamed if you're overwhelmed and you want to change your classroom culture in a practical way.
As a new teacher I know very little, so naturally I just copy what veteran teachers have taught. Here are some good pragmatic management tips
1. The power of ignore- you will have students who crave attention. Don't punish those students, they want the punishment, punish the students that react to them. Eventually that student will stop because their classmates will ignore them completely.
2. Middle school students are self conscious- addressing a kid in front of the class is powerful because it sends a message to the entire class, if you do this I will call you out and you make look like a complete fool. Of course be selective when you do this, but making an example can sometimes be the best thing you could ever do
3. Transitions!- make transitions as short as possible. It's simple.
4. Don't play on a student's terms. Students want to rile you up. They want you to yell. Just don't do it/ Just give them the consequence and move on.
But Raymond, how could you, doesn't that kid deserve an education too? Yes, he does and currently in your dysfunctional classroom he isn't receiving one. Any attempt you make on changing his behavior isn't going to work because students with his behavior issues cannot correct behavior through normal means. If they see other students then they will react and escalate the situation. That's why sometimes you need to let them flounder a bit while you set the classroom culture. Make it so that the students you can control are consistently following your directions and then slowly but surely those students with serious behavior issues will feel the pressure to conform. Also, when you're spending less time dealing with small behavior issues, then you have time to work and negotiate the difficult behavior coming from that student. Eventually that student will be put back on the list of things to do, but don't feel ashamed if you're overwhelmed and you want to change your classroom culture in a practical way.
As a new teacher I know very little, so naturally I just copy what veteran teachers have taught. Here are some good pragmatic management tips
1. The power of ignore- you will have students who crave attention. Don't punish those students, they want the punishment, punish the students that react to them. Eventually that student will stop because their classmates will ignore them completely.
2. Middle school students are self conscious- addressing a kid in front of the class is powerful because it sends a message to the entire class, if you do this I will call you out and you make look like a complete fool. Of course be selective when you do this, but making an example can sometimes be the best thing you could ever do
3. Transitions!- make transitions as short as possible. It's simple.
4. Don't play on a student's terms. Students want to rile you up. They want you to yell. Just don't do it/ Just give them the consequence and move on.
