Blog – behavior
My goal for this year was to work on classroom behavior. So far it has gone really well. My chemistry classes are going very smoothly. Start the day off with 4 questions, objectives and goals for the day. Take some notes and do an activity or have some work time. It is going very well. On the other hand my Applied Chemistry class this semester is giving me some issues. It is a class with a very different crowd. Many students are on an IEP, in ESL or just plainly have behavior issues. This class is a perfect fit for students on IEP’s or with a language barrier. But the students with the behavior issues are the ones giving me a problem. I have two students who are very low in there over all GPA’s and currently aren’t doing very well in there classes. They are talking back and forth to each other, they are on different sides of the room and labs are on different sides of the room as well. But they still give me a headache every day……too bad it is how I have to start my day.
I feel like I have tried everything to get these students to behave and listen to me. Detention doesn’t work because they won’t attend, and if they don’t attend they get a day off of school. This just means that they have a free day off of school. Sending them to the office doesn’t work as well, just means they can leave class. I have warned them, and suggested some tactics, but anything will help. PLEASE HELP ME. Some great suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
If I weren't for Panera's 30 minute limit and erasing my last comment to you....let's try this again.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, if you are seeing these things in your class, it's highly likely it's occurring in other classrooms and it's an indicator something else is wrong.
I'm reading this book "Love and Logic" and one recent line from the chapter sticks out that makes me think of your situation: "we can reduce misconduct by responding to its psychological origin". Now, some kids carry a lot of baggage and I'm sure your two students are no different. And the "suitcase" they pack everyday when they come to schools is loaded with past history and experiences and beliefs that affect their daily behaviors(saw it a lot when I worked at the ALC).
What that baggage is might not be something you'd like to know or even something those students want to share but I'm guessing it has something to do with their behavior. Whatever it is though, doesn't mean their behavior is okay and students should be held accountable for their behaviors.
I'm only in the first quarter of the book but it's an interesting read and might be something you want to try with these particular students to see if it would work. If you picked up a copy we could talk about it together :)
That is a tough situation, Alison. Has anything changed with those two students?
ReplyDeleteShawna, that sounds like a really good read. I oftentimes have an easier time being patient w/ a difficult student when I know a little bit about what they have survived in their personal lives. It is sometimes hard to know/find out what types of difficult things students are bringing around with them everyday in their "backpacks." Some students are so willing to share the hardships that they have gone through, but it is another story for the students who don't want to share any of their personal issues. I’ve had a student in class all year that seems to be having a hard time with his home life and is not succeeding in school. Since he was not comfortable talking to me, I referred him to Heather and Peg and I think they have since talked to him some. We have so many great teachers/employees in the building who can really act as a great resource for us.