Calling
Out/Not Raising Hands: Include
this in the classroom rules on the first day of school. Highlight this
infraction as serious to classroom operation and manners. One verbal warning
results in removal from the class. Talk with students about manners and success
in the workplace. Be respectful of those who have the courage to share their
opinions with the class and use good manners by raising their hands. Thanking the students for raising their hands
seems to work too. “Thank you for raising your hand Sara.”
Hyperactivity:
Let students sit wherever they want on the first few days
of school to allow them to get comfortable.
Once this has happened, they start to fall into their own habits. This becomes the best sign for a teacher to
see who is causing the distractions or is more hyperactive than another. Now is the best time to change their seat.
Sit boys between girls who they don’t like.
The same goes for hyperactive girls.
Placing them between boys they don’t like usually brings the noise level
down. In Physical Education, you would
have the students stand next to their friends, then count every other head and
have that be the seating arrangement or team.
This way the “friends” are a distance from one another and the
distractions are less.
Obscenities/Bad
Language:
Immediate intervention when seen or heard is absolutely necessary. Verbally warn the student in front of the
class so everyone sees by your immediacy and public sanction how serious this
infraction is. Demand a public apology.
Make sure the student understands that you will make an immediate
referral if it happens again. Write up the referral slip and leave it on your
desktop. Bad language is a habit that
can be corrected with consequences and practice. If bad language is ignored, it
will become more frequent and offensive.
On the first day of school (middle school) I put the words “Gay” and
“Retarded” on the front board. As
students walked in this is what they saw and wondered why those words were
there. Some knew why, others did
not. After asking them why I had written
them, students told me “because these words are hurtful and students say them
all the time”, I said yes. We are going
to work together to get rid of these words coming out of student’s mouths. It generated a great discussion. Now, students catch themselves when saying
it, apologize and create another word to express their feelings.
Problems
in the Hallway: Stand in the hall and welcome
students to your room on the first day of school. A welcoming teacher face can
calm and relieve a student. Most problems occur between students passing in the
hallways. The hallway/door positions the
teacher to see and listen for problems in the hallway. When the bell rings make
sure the hallways are clear and close your door behind you. The door closing
signals to the class that you are ready to open the session and their attention
is required.
Dr. Douglas Brooks is a Professor in the
School of Education, Health and Society at Miami University in Oxford,
Ohio. He teaches undergraduate and
graduate courses in classroom management. He is the Director of Partners In
Learning at http://performancepyramid.muohio.edu
Sean Brooks is a Health Education teacher at Punta Gorda Middle School in Punta Gorda, Florida. He advises the Conflict/Violence Prevention Focus Group for participating PGMS students. Sean is also an Associate with Partners In Learning. http://pgm.ccps.k12.fl.us/staff/brookss/