What are behaviors that we should regularly overlook which often occur in the classroom? When should we go with the flow and when should we stop and take a stand? How do you determine which disturbances are trivial and should be ignored and which should be responded to? When responding how do you do so without escalating the situation?
Taking It Back: Would you be willing to have a lesson videotaped (15-30 minutes) for you to review and conduct a self-analysis this year? Monroe will NOT do the videotaping!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I have to say that I loved this chapter. It had so many great points about behavioral situations. I remember in college (not that many years ago) taking several behavior management classes. I was taught there are 4 reasons a child misbehaves: 1)attention 2)avoidance 3) power/control 4)revenge... As a teacher, it is so important to think before taking action. We need to figure out why a specific behavior is occuring. It only makes sense if you think about it. We can send students to the office all day because "they get on our nerves" but they eventually have to come back to the classroom. So, why not figure out what is causing the behavior to occur and help the child? Most students that say insulting comments on a regular basis want attention. When we call them out over and over, they win. As a teacher, you have to figure out what the student is trying to accomplish. I do agree that sometimes students are true bullies and need to be removed from the classroom. I am human and I do get annoyed with students. However, my main goal is to help every student. I try and reflect each day to see what I can do the next time the behavior occurs. The main point is to treat every student with respect and deal with every situation the way it needs to be handled..Fair is not the same!! Every child is different.
ReplyDeleteI would be videotaped next year. I've been videotaped before and it's helpful to break the lesson down into different components to see which areas need improvement. I would like to use the tape for myself though. HA!
I agree that every student must be treated with RESPECT. This reminds me of the Aretha Franklin hit song! (R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to me...) Each situation is different. We are the 'educated' ones and should behave accordingly at all times. This is not always easy, but it is always the right thing to do.
ReplyDeleteS=flxE. Success is a Function of the Learner interacting with the Environment. One of my case studies in college was of a little boy in the 1st grade who was an ELL student. He barely knew any English. During one of my observations in his classroom, his teacher was yelling at him and others because they didn't have their homework. She actually called him a "crybaby" and made him stand for 20 minutes "studying" a piece of paper. She did all the things that teachers are NEVER supposed to do. She didn’t treat him with respect at all and never tried to repair the situation. Can you imagine what he was going through? He probably had no idea why the teacher was yelling or what he was studying. I'm sure he didn't know what a "crybaby" is, but he sure understood her negativity. She was teaching him to hate learning because she approached teaching using a "hands-clenched" approach to discipline. Hands-clenched means that the adult is like a drill sergeant, giving commands and demands then enforces, which leads to counter aggression. She is not using the 3 c’s: capable, connected, and contribute. The 3 c’s are encouragement strategies that satisfy a child’s need to belong. This teacher is not asking herself the wh? questions. She is not evaluating herself as a teacher to see if there is something she is doing that is causing the behavior. She is not asking herself if there might be some reason at home that prevents the child from doing his work. One obvious reason could be the language barrier that is preventing him from working at home. This child's basic need of safety was not being met. How can he be successful if he is experiencing such negativity in his school environment? Of course, he won't. He was wide-eyed and afraid. When he came to me, he would light up and smile. He hugged me every time he saw me, which was once a week for 30 minutes. So I ask you, even though I was only a student at the time, who do you think had the greater influence on him? I did of course! I'm not bragging, it was simply that I respected the child and showed him care and concern. I allowed him the opportunity to feel capable, connected and to contribute. I want to be the kind of teacher that uses the hands-joined approach- where the teacher leads and lends a helping hand. She influences the student to make responsible choices and allows him to be successful. S=flxE. (Wow! I wrote a book! Sorry!!!)
ReplyDeleteLeigh, I can see how the little boy was drawn to you. In working with you this year it was evident how much you genuinely cared about children.
ReplyDeleteAs teachers, mothers etc. we must first learn to listen and evaluate a situation before reacting. No two situations or children are ever the same. In dealing with our own family we handle each child differently. We love and accept them for who they are. No two students in our classrooms are the same either. Today we deal with children who are from a variety of environments and some with multiple disabilities. We should treat them with the same respect and love that we do our own children.
For me, the phrase "choose your battles wisely" is what I try to adhere to in my classroom. I do not think I fully understood this phrase until I had children of my own. Then it became very clear what this means. Some behaviors in the classroom cannot be ignored such as blatant disrespect for others or the teacher and threatening other students. A teacher must just learn to ignore minor mistakes. We all make mistakes. The children we teach do also as well as our co-workers. Like Candi said, we are only human.
ReplyDeleteLeigh, I am so proud of you. Did you get out your notebooks from MAP? HA! You are a great teacher and I love you dearly! :)
ReplyDeleteLoved your thoughts Leigh! I also agree with Beth in "picking your battles". It takes practice to know the level of intensity we need use to get the desired results with each student. Too far and we can get the opposite results such as resentment. Not far enough and the matter may get worse. It's important to always be respectful and to remember to treat each child as you would want your child to be treated.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter reminded me of the saying, "one man's junk is another man's treasure". Each one of us have our own "battle limits". Some teachers can tolerate alot of behaviors and others cannot. We have to constantly be aware of the importance or unimportance of those behaviors. What might work for one teacher or student may not work for all.
ReplyDelete