Last week, my 7th graders were just too chatty and loud so I screamed "QUIET!!!" Then I proceeded with my lesson and during a break in teaching, I actually apologized to the class and told them that it was ironic that I would scream to get them to quiet down. Then we all had a little giggle and moved on. Has anyone else done this? Scream to get them to quiet down only to realize the irony??
Well, I have never really thought about it. Although now that I think about it, I yell to get my students to quiet down or sometimes drop a book on the floor.
Turn the lights out and wait? Yeah, sometimes you have to play the "do as I say, not as I do" card to get their attention. I get it.
I've apologized to my class for losing my cool before. It actually helps with behavior for a little bit, I've noticed, possibly because when you acknowledge that you lost control it makes kids more aware of your feelings (at least temporarily). They see you as human for a little bit.
The irony was how I wanted them to be quiet by yelling. They certainly shut their traps but it's by no means a long term answer!
What would you do if they they didn't become quiet? Not saying your kids don't but what would you do in that instance?
My host teacher in my student teaching placement has to yell to get the students to be quiet on a regular basis. It usually works, at least for a few minutes.
I did raise my voice at the kids a couple of weeks ago, because they would not stop talking (and this is my tough class), but it wasn't a scream, and I didn't lose my cool, I simply thought I had to raise my voice because they either didn't hear me or ignored me when I asked them nicely. A few minutes later I said "sorry I yelled" but no one said anything. Frankly I don't think they cared.
1. At the beginning of the academic year, I go through the various rules of my classroom, and one of them is that they can't chat with each other when I'm speaking. 2. When I hear students talking with each other, I say nothing while staring at them until they quiet down. Then I tell them that they are breaking my rule about talking in class while I am speaking. 3. If they start up again, I will tell them to leave my classroom. Raising my voice over the din is something I used to do until I realized that it wasn't working. It showed a loss of authority, which is death to any teacher. A big problem is that a lot of other teachers just don't care. They stand behind the lectern and go on about their business as if nothing is wrong. Students learn from this, and think it applies to every class, which makes my job that much harder.
I think that it's always okay to apologize after you've done something you wish you hadn't (or hadn't needed to do). I don't shout at my students to get them to quiet down, though. I use my authoritative, assertive voice, which is strong and somewhat louder than my normal voice, but it's not shouting by any means. Students almost always quiet down, and if they don't, we have a private conversation in the hall.
Mine was a definite snap at them. QUIET!!!!!!! A very loud shout! There is a difference between the "settle down...." and what I did.
