The Good
A former student recently showed up at my classroom after school. She gave me a big hug and asked me how I was doing. After talking for a bit, I remembered to ask her what grade she was in. She's an 11th grader! This means that she was from my first group of students that I taught. Wow! Sometimes it doesn't seem possible. I think she was as happy to see me as I was to see her.
The Bad
I had to call home on a student about a week ago due to behaviors that she has been exhibiting in my classroom. I used to teach her older brother, so I know the family. I also knew that the sassiness and disrespect that she was displaying was not something that her mom tolerates. When I called home, mom was very supportive and upset with her daughter. I felt bad about calling home on this student, but no matter what I said to her or what consequence I gave, it wasn't having an impact. Sometimes just knowing who the family is can go a long way towards having the support you need in the classroom. Since that phone call, this student's behavior has drastically improved.
The Ugly
I was sick on Wednesday. My 1st period class, which has been my best behaved group all year, decided to take advantage of a very weak substitute. Two of my students who I've always thought were good kids, made some very stupid decisions. We have started a new incentive program which involves the use of fake money. This money can be used to buy items in our student store and will also be used in our field day on the last day of school. Apparently, they went behind and underneath my desk and decided to steal some of the money. All students were told that stealing this money would mean an automatic suspension as well as not being allowed to participate in field day.
The real ugly part of it is that apparently a new student that recently came to my classroom because he was kicked out of another school in our district, put them up to it. He's the bad boy and they are impressionable 6th grade girls. However, I think the punishment is not as bad as the disappointment they knew I felt in their bad decision. Hopefully, this will teach them something.
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9 comments:
I second the motion that one student can cause a lot of problems. This year my school has put upperclassmen who have failed 9th grade World History in with new 9th graders. The problem is that the younger girls are impressed with the senior hotties in the class. It makes my job harder to keep them focused on World History and not on him. Bismarck just doesn't stack up. It's hard to compete against some of the influences we face. Thank God we're paid so much that it makes it all worthwhile.
I know it doesn't feel good to have to call parents about their child's behavior...but it has to be done. You did the right thing. There's just too much sassiness in schools these days--especially middle schools.
I always find it difficult to have to leave the classroom for an illness. I worried about it when I taught middle school, I worry about it now as a high school teacher - even though I know they must be allowed to fly on their own eventually. What I always find interesting are the choices students tend to make while I am gone. Sometimes the worst class gets the highest compliments, sometimes the best class exhibits the strangest and most disappointing behavior.
I have been surprised, delighted, and devastated many times over the years, so I share your disappointment. I always find it more difficult to find out students I counted on make poor choices while I'm gone.
On a related note: congrats on the returning student! You obviously made a lingering impact on her which is well-deserved and, of course, what it's all about. :)
On a slightly related note: do you have any thoughts to share on the new fake money incentive program your school has instituted? I've seen something like it talked about in elementary schools. How are you finding it works for the "older" students? I'm wondering whether you think it works as a positive incentive or whether it's being utilized more as a disciplinary tool?
Redkudu, the money incentive program has only been implemented for our 6th graders, so I can't speak for the 7th or 8th grade teachers. For myself, I'm trying to make it as punitive free as possible. However, there are things students have to pay for, such as getting their pencils sharpened beyond their first freebie after class has started or buying binder paper. Any chance I get, I'm trying to really focus on the positive. A lot of students are rolling in dough which will come in handy on field day because the more they have, the more they'll be able to participate. If you have any questions about this, feel free to e-mail me at ms_teacher(@)comcast.net
In my district we call students who are sent from other schools because of bad behaviors "opportunity transfers." Yeah, an opportunity to get in trouble in another school! I guess it's unavoidable sometimes.
As a teacher, I have definately experienced the "this hurts me more than it hurts you" feeling my parents talked about.
I'm glad your former student showed up to brighten the week. Former students are the grandchildren of teaching.
Good post. Do your new troublemaking students also show up just weeks prior to the state testing ? Many of ours do.
I love this post.
I wrote a post of my own about it:
ms._teacher
Also, I sent Jay Matthews and email about your blog (he may already know it, but in case he doesn't... he's just written a nice article on good middle schools).
Do any of you teachers have a sense of whether selective admissions classes have fewer "difficult and distracting" students?
Some of the parents here feel that a major advantage to selective admissions classes is that good students are finally able to be in a class without the "troublemakers."
I'm using "troublemakers" in a **very** loose sense; I'm probably talking about class clown types.
In other words, some parents here have the perception that selective admissions classes are far more orderly because only the serious student types are in such classes. (I'm talking about middle school kids.)
I hadn't thought of that, and I'm also not so sure it's true seeing as how my son is in the accelerated math class and it's out of control. Only 30% of the kids in the school are in the accelerated class; it's as selective a class as we're going to see in middle school.
Do you have thoughts?
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