A Good Week!

Fourth Grade, Fifth Grade, High School, Primary School. I pretty much hit all the major levels this week, and enjoyed them all!

What I am learning:

1. Be firm right away. The kids need reassurance that they are in capable hands.
2. Notice the small annoyances right away and the big ones aren’t as likely to happen.
3. Notice the really great things right away, and publicly, and all the kids want that kind of attention. I have been giving gold stars to the kids who do something first, or notice something first, or who go the extra mile on their work. At first, some of the kids act as if stars are for “babies” but after a while they all want one.
4. Be alert to the kids who can’t see (I am working on this one) because by the time they admit they need help they are pretty far behind the rest of the class and feeling frustrated. Sometimes the kids have just forgotten their glasses. Sometimes they don’t have glasses but know they need them. Sometimes… who knows? But the kids who sit in the back row really struggle with our modern obsession with technology when they can’t read the optical projection image.
5. The kids who are misbehaving are doing it for a reason. Find out the reason before you respond if you can. I am immediate on consequences for dangerous and destructive behaviors, but am developing my ability to stop, ask questions, and consider my responses for other behaviors that are disruptive to the class or annoying to other students. This last week I had a couple of chances to ask the kids involved in minor scuffles what was going on and what they thought a better response would be. Will it help? I am not there consistently enough to know if it got through to them. I hope so.
6. The kids who want to control every aspect of class are usually doing it for one of two reasons: they are highly anxious and don’t do well with changes to routine, or they are struggling to keep up and want to show their peers that they have it together. For the kids with the former issue, I am clear that although I am doing things differently than they are used to and they will be okay. For the latter issue, I try to notice when those kids are getting it right so they don’t have to show off. Sometimes, giving them a little help on the side is effective. Sometimes, changing the task from individual to group thinking is helpful. And sometimes, just letting them work on the task in peace for a while is enough.
7. I need to be aware when I am getting tired, too. I am learning to sit down so my feet and back don’t hurt (important when I am standing on those hard asphalt tiles). I am having kids come up to me when they want to ask a question (learned to do this when I broke my toe a couple months ago) — a teacher friend of mine has a “see me” sign up on the white board for a similar purpose. And I am being unapologetic about taking sips of tea or water while teaching — I need to stay hydrated to be able to see straight!
8. Finally, I am getting much better at keeping track of time. I now tend to write the schedule on the board. Not only do the kids know for sure when things are supposed to happen, but I can glance quickly up and see how much time I have left instead of having to constantly refer to the page/s of notes. When I can remind kids a little ahead of a transition that they are going to need to change pace they seem to do better.
9. As always, this list is to be continued, and I welcome comments and suggestions!