Post by elementary on Aug 30, 2012 0:01:20 GMT -5
Dear Diary,
With the establishment of routine, you begin to learn much more about the students in your class. Yesterday I mentioned the large amount of students who failed to complete the multiplication homework I had assigned. To compel those who failed to do better, I upped the amount of tables they had to write. I did this also to make sure they understood that in the realm of homework, I wasn't going to let them off the hook. Some of these kids have a passive-aggressive stance towards authority, and failure to do their homework can stem from some desire to subvert my instructions. For others it's just laziness and for others it might come from apathy, or a belief that my assignment is valueless to their life, but for a percentage of my students, it's a form of rebellion.
Is the reason for incomplete homework important? Ultimately I really don't care. As these students get older, excuses are going to hold less and less water for those who are their superiors. In the military, in business, in higher education, nobody really cares why you didn't do your duty, failed to complete a sale, or didn't do a paper. We are not an excuse oriented society but one that thrives, for good or bad, on production.
So do I try to understand? Short answer, yes. I will take them aside and try to ascertain the conditions in their life that leads to this behavior, and I will work with them, even refer them into the school system for students who need outside help. But in the end, after all the meetings, after the paperwork and calls home, it is their responsibility is to complete what I assign because next year they enter middle school, and two years after that comes high school, and four years after that is college or the real world, and whether they like it or not, they will have to be more responsible - a trait that many never have been taught. And if they haven't been taught it by now, then I'm not letting it slip by another year.
So how did my plan work?
Not so well. Five students from the prior day again failed to do this assignment, and three others decided to join them. To say I was disappointed would not even touch the surface of my emotions.
I applauded and praised those who did the extra work and got their name off the board. I expanded that praise to those who had been perfect for the first two days.
Then I got to my 'failure to operate' cluster.
My response hit them on two fronts. First of all, I told them that they were unable to do the multiplication test on Friday. Passing this test is the only way they can stop being assigned this homework. If they fail to do the homework, they can't take the test.
Second, they lost recess for the week. I asked them if they understood the homework from the night before - they did. I asked if they had a decent excuse for the lack of work - they didn't. I asked them to raise their hand if they enjoy losing recess - and got no hands.
I stripped away their free time. I'll do it again. They can do their work at school if they don't want to bother at home.
Next step is a phone call home and getting parents involved. Why don't I do this first? Because I am allowing the students to receive what most of them are dying for - self-determination. I give them a shot at turning around their behavior. I give them the power. If they fail to reform, then they have given power back to me, and I in turn will pass it to their parents (or parent, or grandparent).
Right now I am working hard to make the students understand that my instructions are to be followed. I am not an ogre or monster or filled with such a huge ego as to claim that I am perfect, but I do understand that to effectively teach order must be maintained and the students must feel that school authority is fair and impartial.
I constantly ask students for feedback on my decisions - requesting their opinions on my punishments (too harsh - too lenient), rules, homework amounts, etc. Presently it seems that I have close to 100% support from them, and that my class is better controlled than some they experienced in previous years.
They trust me.
They just don't seem to think I will follow up on my stated repercussions for certain actions - or lack of.
This belief is a learned one, picked up from other classes and other teachers or from their parents. Not all, of course, but there are enough teachers who either believe students should be friends or let the students usurp control of their classroom.
So I'm shattering that belief.
I equate teaching to riding a horse. You will never have a smooth ride until the horse is broken and understands who is guiding it.
Some days I'm riding on a well-trained horse. Other days I'm grabbing the reigns and doing my best to hang on. I've been lucky this year with smooth riding for the most part.
The rest of the day was mostly uneventful. Math passed with some frustration, but ultimately was successful. We were putting decimals in order, and I told my class to rewrite the numbers vertically with the decimal lines up. When I walked through the class during the initial practice phase, most failed to follow that simple direction and were doing the problem wrong.
Again, I don't expect students to follow my directions. I demand it. By the end of the lesson, guess what they were doing? Yep, following my instructions and getting the correct answers on their page.
"Amazing!" I tell them. "I might actually know what I am doing."
Really, I might....
L
With the establishment of routine, you begin to learn much more about the students in your class. Yesterday I mentioned the large amount of students who failed to complete the multiplication homework I had assigned. To compel those who failed to do better, I upped the amount of tables they had to write. I did this also to make sure they understood that in the realm of homework, I wasn't going to let them off the hook. Some of these kids have a passive-aggressive stance towards authority, and failure to do their homework can stem from some desire to subvert my instructions. For others it's just laziness and for others it might come from apathy, or a belief that my assignment is valueless to their life, but for a percentage of my students, it's a form of rebellion.
Is the reason for incomplete homework important? Ultimately I really don't care. As these students get older, excuses are going to hold less and less water for those who are their superiors. In the military, in business, in higher education, nobody really cares why you didn't do your duty, failed to complete a sale, or didn't do a paper. We are not an excuse oriented society but one that thrives, for good or bad, on production.
So do I try to understand? Short answer, yes. I will take them aside and try to ascertain the conditions in their life that leads to this behavior, and I will work with them, even refer them into the school system for students who need outside help. But in the end, after all the meetings, after the paperwork and calls home, it is their responsibility is to complete what I assign because next year they enter middle school, and two years after that comes high school, and four years after that is college or the real world, and whether they like it or not, they will have to be more responsible - a trait that many never have been taught. And if they haven't been taught it by now, then I'm not letting it slip by another year.
So how did my plan work?
Not so well. Five students from the prior day again failed to do this assignment, and three others decided to join them. To say I was disappointed would not even touch the surface of my emotions.
I applauded and praised those who did the extra work and got their name off the board. I expanded that praise to those who had been perfect for the first two days.
Then I got to my 'failure to operate' cluster.
My response hit them on two fronts. First of all, I told them that they were unable to do the multiplication test on Friday. Passing this test is the only way they can stop being assigned this homework. If they fail to do the homework, they can't take the test.
Second, they lost recess for the week. I asked them if they understood the homework from the night before - they did. I asked if they had a decent excuse for the lack of work - they didn't. I asked them to raise their hand if they enjoy losing recess - and got no hands.
I stripped away their free time. I'll do it again. They can do their work at school if they don't want to bother at home.
Next step is a phone call home and getting parents involved. Why don't I do this first? Because I am allowing the students to receive what most of them are dying for - self-determination. I give them a shot at turning around their behavior. I give them the power. If they fail to reform, then they have given power back to me, and I in turn will pass it to their parents (or parent, or grandparent).
Right now I am working hard to make the students understand that my instructions are to be followed. I am not an ogre or monster or filled with such a huge ego as to claim that I am perfect, but I do understand that to effectively teach order must be maintained and the students must feel that school authority is fair and impartial.
I constantly ask students for feedback on my decisions - requesting their opinions on my punishments (too harsh - too lenient), rules, homework amounts, etc. Presently it seems that I have close to 100% support from them, and that my class is better controlled than some they experienced in previous years.
They trust me.
They just don't seem to think I will follow up on my stated repercussions for certain actions - or lack of.
This belief is a learned one, picked up from other classes and other teachers or from their parents. Not all, of course, but there are enough teachers who either believe students should be friends or let the students usurp control of their classroom.
So I'm shattering that belief.
I equate teaching to riding a horse. You will never have a smooth ride until the horse is broken and understands who is guiding it.
Some days I'm riding on a well-trained horse. Other days I'm grabbing the reigns and doing my best to hang on. I've been lucky this year with smooth riding for the most part.
The rest of the day was mostly uneventful. Math passed with some frustration, but ultimately was successful. We were putting decimals in order, and I told my class to rewrite the numbers vertically with the decimal lines up. When I walked through the class during the initial practice phase, most failed to follow that simple direction and were doing the problem wrong.
Again, I don't expect students to follow my directions. I demand it. By the end of the lesson, guess what they were doing? Yep, following my instructions and getting the correct answers on their page.
"Amazing!" I tell them. "I might actually know what I am doing."
Really, I might....
L