Coughs, colds, and sneezes are trickling through the classroom and unfortunately I couldn't escape them. Thankfully, this week is mid-winter break for my school district so I am able to rejuvenate before the final 4 weeks. I hope everyone is staying healthy and getting rest!
I have had a great experience teaching and am really getting used to the rhythm of the day. On Wednesdays the team of 2nd grade teachers meet to plan for the upcoming week, which is really helpful. Our current theme for reading/writing is "Amazing Animals," so next week the kids are starting research reports on different animals. The curriculum offers some ideas for teaching the process (planning, drafting, revising, ect.) but if anyone has any ideas for teaching research reports I would love to hear them! They each picked an animal and have one non-fiction book to gather information.
I think my biggest challenge has been frustration with behavior. I am constantly redirecting kids which is very tiresome. The school has a behavior plan that I follow. If kids are not following directions I give a "Please" statement and then an "I need" statement. If the student still doesn't respond I give them a "think time" pass and they are expected to go to a different classroom to reflect on their behavior. This is successful and once a "think time" pass is given other students change their behavior for the better. However, it is difficult to remember who has gotten two statements and I constantly have to stop instruction to give them.
The behavior management plan seems sufficient. There are many expectations (teaching time, lining up, choice time, ect.) that students are reminded of on the elmo before each activity. I count down (3...2...level 1 voice) to get their attention and am very patient with waiting if they do not respond appropriately. It just seems that I waste so much time reminding kids of the expectations and by lunch I am frustrated. I think since the curriculum is so structured students get bored and distracted easily.
I am trying to provide more opportunities for students to "turn and talk" and thankfully we have started geometry so students are using a lot more manipulatives with opportunities to explore. Last week I had trouble keeping the kids focused on a book we were reading aloud together to find the main idea and details. So the next day I decided to have them listen to the same story on tape and made it a competition between teams to be able to give the main idea and 3 details. This kept them engaged which was great, but it has been challenging to stray too far from the curriculum. There are too many worksheets! I would love to hear the behavior management you have in your classroom.
We celebrated Valentine's Day on Friday with many fun activities. I love Valentine's Day at school! The kids are so excited and have such a great time. It is worth the chaos when just one student says, "This was the best day ever!"
On Monday, I am starting an assistant coaching water polo job at Curtis High School. 5:15 am practices, but I am looking forward to it!
Have a great week!
4 comments:
So in my new classroom, my teacher does a lot of singing, which helps the kids to get focused. She sings when they clean up, in the morning, when they come back from recess. It helps the kids transition. Also, try mixing up the calls for attention. I was talking with my CT and Tim (the UIC) and they both said that mixing up the attention getters helps the kids to not get bored.
And my biggest piece of advice, which actually comes from my personal experience...try to remember to compliment the positive behavior you see. I didn't do this during a lesson, and then did in a follow up an hour later. It went so much better. The kids just snap to attention in order to get your praise. Try to notice the positives. It really helps.
Thanks so much! I am definitely trying to use as much positive reinforcement as I can. Actually, reading one of your earlier posts was a great reminder and the next day I kicked up the positives! The singing is great too. My first CT did that which the kids loved. I am also going to definitely use another signal for attention. I use two consistently but they just need something fresh! Thanks Bobbi Jo!
Hi Courtney -- I'm glad to hear you're hanging in there, despite what sounds like some frustrating aspects. I think your diagnosis sounds right on track -- boring curriculum leads to disruptive kids! That does also sound like a rather rigid behavior plan, rather like your colleagues at Mt. Vernon where they do the "Make Your Day" system. Don't let them override your good instincts!
DAvid
We don't technically have the actual "Make your day" system, but apparently it's pretty similar. We run on the "leveled" system, where each "level" of bad choices has a different set of consequences.
For a poor choice (nothing serious, blurting, not on task, etc.), a level 1 is a verbal warning. For younger grades they may turn a card by their name to yellow or something, too.
If the behavior/poor choice continues it moves to a level 2 where younger grades sit in a designated "time-out" or "think chair" space in the room. For our grades it would be to leave the room for a few minutes or get moved away from their normal desk.
The behavior can grow into a level 3, but I view this level as a bigger deal, like disrespect or yelling or something. With this, students are given a slip that says "The behavior choice I made was to.... Next time I will..." It's signed by the teacher, themselves, and then is brought home to their parents to sign -- this is a big deal for some, but not all.
Level 4 is in-school suspension sort of. The student has to remain in the office or with the principal until a parent or guardian can come in and meet with the principal and the student. This is pretty serious... I'm not sure what happens after this.
Anyway, some teachers use this system as a crutch and constantly carry around Level 3 slips with them (which I think lose their effect), and others modify it to fit what they believe. I use level 3s, but I use a lot of discretion with them and try to have students reflect before that point. I think it's a good foundation for behavior system, but you also have to give students a say in what each level looks like. And I don't call it a "level"...
Sounds like you may need to change up what you're doing to make it fit for you. As far as maximizing time without having to remind students of expectations, I'm not sure. Could you make a few posters as a class (with their input) about different work time expectations -- like referring to a certain poster quickly for different work times? I'm not sure about that... I'll think more...
Anyway, it's hard to conform to something that you don't feel. Good luck!
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