Hi, I'm wondering how different teachers handle this situation. I'm not a fan of punishing the whole class when there are a few who won't stop talking, getting out of seat etc... When it's a select few, that I can pinpoint it's easy to correct them offer consequences and pull the aside to have a one on one. What is the best course when it's the reverse, when there are only 1-3 who are behaving well and the others are consistent disrupting? I have a class on 16 7th graders, and only 2-3 are well behaved and participate. The others are chatty, sarcastic, and disruptive. It's difficult to pinpoint each kid as they do it, because they feed off one another. It's only the first week of school, and I can tell this section will bring me the most grief. I've made a seating chart as best I can for now (still remembering names and who's friends with who). And I plan on having mostly independent work, because the two times I've tried direct instruction with them, it went downhill fast. My question is, how do I not punish the students who want to be here and control the disruptive ones at the same time? Would it be wrong to get the 2-3 well behaved students in a group and do small direct instruction while the others work through a guided packet that covers the same material? Or is there a better way? What would you do?
Can you find a way that you just reward the good students? Not getting a reward is actually a punishment for the others. However, in my experience, I always ended up punishing the whole class if 90 % of them were trouble. I tried to reward the good ones on top of that and always mentioned that it's not all of the students, but I didn't know how to go about it. My main fix for this situation is to get the class under control. You can do a few things: - like I said reward the good ones, the others might change their behavior - pick 2-3 of the worst ones and send them out of class, call home, write them up. Most of the time when you send out just one, a lot of others see that you mean business and they behave. Sometimes it takes 2-3 - fix the seating. Move the worst kids from each other. If you have a lot of kids talking it's hard, but don't be afraid to completely separate the worst ones and have them face the wall. - change the lessons. No partner or group work for now, and not even direct teaching. They can work independently. If transitions are giving you a problem, then definitely independent work. Tell them what to do and they do it for the next hour. - have a reward system. Make sure you recognize the good days and reward them. Don't expect it to be the same after that, but when they're good, recognize it. This is the beginning of the year so the stronger you start the better it will be at the end of the year. You can fix this now, and you should, you don't want to wait.
I think you need to start out by teaching your classroom management plan. My students know that if they talk out once, it's a warning, second time, I mark it down, and the third time they are out in the hallway filling out a paper. I keep the paper work and put it in a file. Linguist92021, gave you the best advice of split the disruptive kids and no partner work yet. Moving seats and keeping them working alone tends to settle down the whole class. I agree to start out strong. I am the nicest person in the world, but I want my students to feel a little anxious if they can't cooperate. I don't yell or get upset, but I say, "The next time you disruptive the class and you need to be put in the hallway, I will have to______________." (Insert whatever comes next in your plan: calling home, detention, office, etc.) I have a portion on my sheet that they fill out where I ask what I can do to help. The response is often, "Move my seat away from my friend." As for the rewards, when I was newer, I was big into a class reward plan. It was fun, but it stops working and gets more expensive after a while. Time is my enemy because I have so much to teach and we don't give homework, so I can't give "free time" as a reward. This year I'm going to try to do no specific rewards, but my school has a reward plan.
[QUOTE="Janeway, 7th graders, and only 2-3 are well behaved and participate. The others are chatty, sarcastic, and disruptive. how do I not punish the students who want to be here and control the disruptive ones at the same time? [/QUOTE] Seventh graders are a notoriously disruptive lot. Consider securing a space for those who want to do what's right. Group the well-behaved student's together, seated close to you and AWAY from the troublemakers so that the good student's aren't intimidated and join the crowd. Consider a different seating configuration for the entire class. You may have to switch the BIGGEST troublemakers into another class, or at least THREATEN to do so, and see if that works. Make a deal with them: if they work well and quietly for 30 minutes or so, the last 5-10 minutes of the class will be free time. This often works, because they get to do what they want to do--AFTER GETTING THEIR WORK DONE--without breaking the rules. Good luck
You have to scare them! Otherwise, it will be a nightmare year - for you. After my first year, sick of being aggravated about stolen items, torn posters, and kids talking over me - a whole 8th grade class in the last two months - I came back with an edge. I mean, get some edge to your voice. Be nasty. Don't say please. Say, don't make me call your mom/dad. Say, shut your mouth.Be sarcastic. "Oh yeah, you're so smart you don't need to do the homework." Make them ashamed of their behavior. Then you will have a quiet class for the most part, and most importantly, will get things accomplished!
Milsey, why are you giving this horrible advice? We all know shaming, saying mean things, scaring and being sarcastic doesn't work. OP please don't listen to her. You must model the behavior you want to say, and that means respect. Say please, and thank you and good morning. Don't be emotional and don't let things get to you.
As a counter to the advice given in Post #5; this is, in a nutshell, my Classroom Management strategy.
Thank you all for the good advice. I will use it, and am glad to know it's not a bad decision to separate the small group of well behaved and have them do different work. On Friday I had a packet ready for them that replaced what I did with my other classes. I made them stand outside the door until the tardy bell, then handed them the packet as they walked in. I made up a seating chart as they walked in "you sit there, you sit next to me etc..." I gave the instructions for the packet and we sat in silince for the period. I helped when I was walking around, but tried to remain hands off. It worked pretty well but the "shock" wore off about 10min before class was over, and they started getting chatty and the class clowns got comfortable. I had the tracking forms ready and made one kid stand the hallway with his packet for the last bit. So I plan on doing more of the same this week, but adding a more fun activity for the well behaved kids to reward them for being respectful and participating. Hopefully this will work, because I don't want to get bogged down with this class and not be able to recover.
Hello. It works for me, everyone! Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind in these high-poverty schools. The nice teachers don't last long. The people who criticize me probably work in affluent districts.
It's worked for me for a long time. If ruling by intimidation and threats is what it would take to "last" in your school, I know that it wouldn't be for me.
Be firm, respectful and fair. Call out bad behaviour but also acknowledge and reward good behaviour. Stick to your classroom management plan (seating plans, independent work, rewards, consequences) and follow through. You need to contact parents for students not doing the right thing because their support is invaluable. You also need to give your classroom management plan time to work. Don't give up. If you are firm but respectful then you can form strong relationships with students that will make them want to work and behave well for you.
Milsey, you're right, a teacher who is too nice and let's the kids walk all over her / him is not effective with classroom management. But that doesn't mean you have to be mean, demeaning and sarcastic. You have to be strict, firm, consistent, not friendly but matter of fact, especially if you issues.
I did not reply to the troll, because I could tell it was an attention seeker. However, you are a jerk (stronger language is warranted, but I'm sure not allowed). It has been my experience that those who brag the most have the least, and I can only assume this is also true here. If it's not, how wonderful it must be to be such an authority on a profession that your best advice to someone asking one question is to "find another job." You must be the envy of your school, congratulations!
You are wound too tight dear. I'll talk to you the exact way I think you deserve. You are rude. Your "advice" is counter productive. And the slightest bit of intelligence you refer to seems to escape even you! If you read correctly you'd see I asked a very specific question. Thankfully, this forum does have some well mannered, nice people who offered usable advice. It's a shame all your expertise isn't able to be put to good use, since your personality gets in the way.
7th graders will still respond to rewards even as small as one skittle or a sticker or fun pen. I agree with calling/emailing a few parents especially if you know those parents would not approve of the behavior. Is there another teacher on prep who could do a 5 minute walk thru while you're teaching? That can be intimidating. or sit next to a student for a minute, or stand at the door with those eyes? That feeling of being 'busted' by another teacher may work. Talk to a colleague about what works for them with those same students. It may work too to reward another class that is well behaved. Word travels. Best wishes
I must say I had a class 3-4 years ago that I could not handle. It was a bunch of immature, yet smart enough to manipulate other type kids, very needy, very whiney (at risk as well, as all our kids are). It was all my fault, I wasn't strict and consistent enough, I wasn't a strong enough leader, so there was always a few kids who ruined the class. If I finally got rid of a kid for a few days, or moved to a different class, another kid took over. My P said because there was lack of leadership from my part, the kids became leaders. She was right. I was good enough for my other classes to function pretty well though. This was my first year. No one told me to look for another job or to give up teaching because I was horrible. My P mentored me and I learned a lot that year. I still remember the lessons I learned from that class. I have gotten better and better, and for the past 2 years I'd say I really don't have classroom management issues. If I do, I know how to handle it and then it's handled. So I think when people come here to vent, it's more constructive to help them out instead of telling them how horrible they are.
