Today is day 11th day of my first year teaching Kindergarten. I have 23 very talkative students and 4 behaviors. I am absolutely exhausted and feeling like I'll never have control. I have a 3 light traffic light system for behaviors,( on green first mistake, on yellow 5 minutes off recess, on red no playtime/recess and a note home). I worked for 7 years in preschool but the difference was only 17 students and and aid full time in the classroom. I feel I have to put my foot down more. The aid that comes into my classroom for stations mentioned to me that I need to be more firm, and I am taking her advice. Okay... so can you define how firm you are with your Kindergarteners. I need to set very black and white rules with no in between. For example when I've asked for 5 (eyes watching, ears listening, voices quiet etc.) and several are still talking do I take a stick out and move it onto the traffic light? Do I give them 2 warnings then move the stick as I have done so far(which I feel is driving me crazy - 23 students 2 warnings each to be quiet = 46 warnings AAAHHHH). I feel so down about teaching this year. Any advice is appreciated.
I am not one to "blame" the whole class for just a few of the kid's behaviour, therefore, I'm not for the traffic light system at all. Rather, I deal with each each child; couldn't you make individual traffic lights??
I guess I wasn't clear in my post, my traffic light is used for individual behaviors. Each student has a stick and they must move it to green, then yellow, then red when they are given a warning for a disruptive behavior.
