I'm running into a persistent problem that I can't remedy without breaking a few eggs.
My classes are raucous, and I get the worst offenders or the ones that I catch. Because I can't catch everyone, I've been getting only the worst offenders which bothers some students.
As you would expect, the typical response is "Everyone else is talking!" Yes, I discriminate who gets busted but this is only out of necessity. Is it completely fair? Probably not. I bust everyone or I bust only the few who violate our classroom rules the most. I choose the later. I've been getting complaints about this inconsistent disciplining and am trying to find a solution that will work. My principal has a ZERO tolerance for behavior nonsense for good reason - constant disruptions deny the entire class good instruction. I feel pressure to find a good solution to managing my classes.
I would advise if the whole class is talking dole out punishment for the whole class. If enough children are talking that you can not tell who is and who isn't dole out punishment for the whole class. If there are a few you know are not participating set them free a little before others. Doing this tends to quell the problem to the point where you do not have everyone talking. I would advise keep it up all year even if it does not stop the problem immediately.
If, when they say, "everyone else was talking," you actually agree with them; each child who was talking was making their own choice to be disrespectful to you. Why only give consequences to some of them?
The problem with the way you are doing it is it will cause children to see you as unfair and will put you in a passive aggressive battle zone where a decent percentage of the class will happily see you as the enemy, even if they are the ones you are not coming down on. They do this out of a general expectation of fairness from you and to protect their peers.
The main problem that I'm trying to resolve is a rowdy classroom. If the entire classroom is rowdy, I can't hand out verbals, time-outs, detentions to everyone out of practical concerns.
why can't you? what's preventing you from keeping an entire class after if a majority are not following rules?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Genmai
The main problem that I'm trying to resolve is a rowdy classroom. If the entire classroom is rowdy, I can't hand out verbals, time-outs, detentions to everyone out of practical concerns.
I find that removing the main trouble makers from the main group makes a huge difference. The trouble is, it's hard to do as there are only a few places they can be that is out of reach of the others. It's a struggle when some kids just don't respond no matter what you try.
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How about writing down the names of the few good students. Put them up on the board under the heading "These students will NOT get detention." You can make the list longer or erase names if they act up. Sometimes it's a lot easier to track the well-behaved students because there are only few of them.
You can even pre-write detention slips before class. Keep them in alphabetical order so it's easy to remove slips of the non-offenders. This way you can add the shock value of handing out all the detentions right at the end of class.
If your discipline is phone calls home, you can do the same thing with slips of paper that have each student's contact information. Show the students that you have the call slips pre-made. At the end of class take out the well-behaved students slips and you'll have an easier time making all those calls that night after school. Or how about even calling the "good list" student's parents to commend their children? Word will get around.
I think I'm going to do a reverse strategy as you suggest Special-t. The most common complaint is this one: "But everyone is talking! Why don't you do something about (xyz)!"
When I started and a kid would say this I would say, "I'm sorry but we are not talking about anyone else right now. We are talking about you. Now back to my question, "Do you know why I removed you from class?""
At this point in my career I can determine if it is the class or certain kids. If it is the class I will wait for total silence and if it takes a particularly long time I will keep them after class. I also make note if there are a few kids who are totally quiet and let them leave before talking to the rest of the class. If it is certain kids I deal with those kids - even if it is a group. Overall I find that the quiet signal works well and even if sometimes it takes longer than I would like (I would LIKE it to only take 10 seconds max) that it is much easier and less stressful for everyone than trying to get their attention by using my voice
If any of the kids in the class are on a sport, speak to the coaches. They can be an incredible resource in getting the kids to show the kind of leadership in the classroom that's necessary on the field.
Then stop for a second and see which kids are the leaders in the classroom. Not necessarily the best or worst kids, but the ones that the others listen to when he or she is saying something. Pull those kids aside, one at a time, either before or after school. Let them know that you've put some thought into it, and you see their leadership potential. Tell them you realize they're at a crossroads. They, by virtue of their capabilities, are going to be the ones that the other kids listen to, so they have a lot of the responsibility of setting the tone for all of their classes. They need to decide which way it will go. Will your class, and presumably their other classes, be a constant battle, or will they use their leadership ability to ensure that some real learning can take place?
Right now, in middle school, is when their reputations will develop. so these kids need to decide now whether they're the ones the other kids look up or blame for the punishments they receive.
