I need help with new discipline ideas!

[MoniqueU]

No advice, just I had no idea what a bad day a teacher could have until I read that. That's the worst. I can't believe you stuck it out!!!

 

[cheerful chickadee]

oh my goodness your original post wore me out just reading it! I don't have any advice, I can't even imagine having to control, instruct and keep a group of 8 year olds interested for a whole day, I would be in the loony bin

 

[shortbun]

you don't have a time out room? Our school has a teacher hired to handle up to 10 children having trouble in their classroom. We call it PEAK which is an anacronym for
something having to do with behavior. My son is in an informal alternative school. Parents who prefer their children be in a more relaxed atmosphere choose it. We have loads of very bright but somewhat troubled children who might be over disciplined elsewhere. I'm also wondering why you can get a high school intern but parents need to be "approved." Seems that parents might be more help and a more interested resource. If C gets an IEP, won't that help him with OT and other aide he would not get otherwise? Also, won't the counselor be busy with kids who HAVE been identified?
I agree that a positive contract with C might be a good idea. Pizza with the principal has been done where my son goes to school and seems to be very popular!

 

[ksjayhawks]

Whew! Reading that brings back memories! You need a relaxing weekend, a teacher aide, parent volunteers, some help of some kind! I will share some thoughts, please take them as just that.

A comment on the group rewards. I agree with an earlier poster who talked about the group losing privileges due to one or two kids.

I like the idea of rewarding group behavior (I did this when I taught), however I am not sure I agree with the idea of putting a token an individual child has earned into the group pot.

"I do reward good behavior randomly, both with praise and with a prize basket. I also reward group behavior by the group earning tokens to trade for prizes..........one child in the group can earn a token, or all can, and all the tokens go into the same can...........every child earns the reward when the set number is reached. The school year is still so new that they haven't been given this reward yet."

Why should every child earn the reward when the set number is reached if all did not contribute equally to it? Just as it isn't fair to punish the majority for the behavior of a few, it isn't right to reward those who do not contribute for the efforts of the others in their group.

Many of the rooms that I sub in, including the one I did long term a year ago, use group points and individual points. That way the group gets a chance to earn rewards for working together and thus learning to cooperate, and an individual can earn a reward on his/her own. I remember some comments on how come so and so gets a reward? Answer--well so and so was caught being good, helping out, doing work as asked, etc. You can earn a reward, too, if you choose to do those things.

I would definitely be talking to the nurse, counselor, and principal about C and I would do it at the beginning of next week. He sounds like he really needs help and you cannot sacrifice the needs and learning of the rest of the children for one child.

Also with this group of children, you may have too much activity going on at once. I sub in a lot of 2nd grade classes that do the activities you do without problems. One class last year had problems, so the kids would come to school, put homework in the basket, pick lunch, then sit down and start morning work (sharpened pencil already on desk). One table at a time went to fill water bottles, use restroom, etc. and that worked real well. This group was similar to yours--even included a girl who cried at anything and everything, one that screamed, etc. Overall they were good kids, but a few needed a firm hand immediately. It sounds like C is being given too many opportunities--he could use a behavior plan as suggested by others--and some of the others see what he gets away with and do the same. This second grade teacher used the group/individual rewards but also used the ticket system as well--green (everything okay), yellow--one warning, orange--better quit, red--in trouble and lose recess and note home to parent. The teacher has a chart on the wall behind her desk, so it is visible to class, but not blatantly visible to anyone/everyone who walks in. She also had the kids help develop the class rules that they needed to follow--guiding them as needed --and they seemed to be proud of those rules. The kids who cause problems or can't handle the group seating, sit apart from the others but can earn their way back into a group if they want to.

Hope you have a relaxing weekend. Never give up your lunch time--I learned that many years ago! You need that to rest and rejuvenate.

 

[RadioFanatic]

I had THE worst day yesterday! We have simple rules and consequences.........actually, I model my rules lesson after Snow White and the dwarves. Consequences are mainly time off recess, notes home, and having to move your desk away from others or go to another room if you can't be productive without being disruptive. There's a set sequence that must be followed for the entire grade level.

Okay, we start off with M rolling around in the floor during morning duties/handwriting time. They are supposed to go to the restroom, fill their water bottles, choose their lunch, sharpen their pencils, and do handwriting during this time. She refuses to get off the floor, until I'm literally standing over her and say, very firmly, "M. Get up and step into the hall with me, right now." So, she does, I go out and give her the lowdown on why she can not roll around on the floor, and that she is not doing her job, etc.

Now, I was just outside the classroom door and could see into the room. I can see C taking everyone's backpacks and putting them in his locker. When I go back in, I instruct C to give them back their backpacks and get himself ready for the day. Now, J and J begin chasing each other around the room! I stop them, tell everyone that I will be bringing them sharpened pencils, and to sit and get out handwriting books now..........no more jobs this morning.
C doesn't do it, so I reiterate my instruction to him alone. He sits near my desk, so I can monitor him closely, as we've had big trouble with him already this year.

I go checking on handwriting, and two of my girls are cheating on their spelling work that was supposed to be turned in yesterday. While I'm busy explaining to one that cheating won't help her friend, and the other that her friend can't follow her around all her life helping her, and that the answers may be wrong anyway, C takes advantage of my busy-ness to rip the backing off a shelf that is near his desk and reach through the back to get a pair of scissors. All C's scissors (he had three pairs) are residing in my desk drawer until a lesson calls for scissors because he cuts up his pencils and folders with them. He proceed to cut up the new pencil I just gave him. I take the scissors from C and tell him to begin his handwriting..........he's done nothing to this point.

We put up handwriting to take our Friday tests..........there are the usual "what was number 5?"s and "how am I supposed to know THAT?" comments during the tests, but relative calm other than that and C's normal loud laughter that punctuates our day. We have an early recess this year, so at 10:00, we go to the designated teachers' rooms, as it's so hot outside right now, it'll boil their little brains in a matter of minutes. While recess is going on, I have tutorials...........which is full of kids from Mrs. N's class who didn't do homework.............I have one child who continually talks, so I have to move him, and inform Mrs. N. After recess, I am told by the recess teacher that C has chewed up her foam math manipulatives during recess time........he normally chews his erasers, and I guess these were similar consistency.

C now has to go to another teacher's room according to our discipline chart. He brings his language book and assignment. Meanwhile, I am told to go down to first grade to meet my new student, who is being moved up to second because, although he's never been in school before, he is 8 years old and first grade is not an appropriate placement. An assistant watches my room while I go to meet D. I bring D back, explain the assignment, and continue with reading groups as the rest of the class does language. When I have finished my 3rd reading group, D has now finished the assignment, while 6 of mine have not.

We go to lunch. At lunch, I am informed by Mrs. S, whose room C went to, that he ripped up his language book in her room. C now has to have a disciplinary referral to the office, which I have to write out during lunch. After filling it out, I collect C from the cafeteria to take to the office, but they have an issue involving 5th grade boys and the police, so I have to bring him back to class with me. Upon returning to the cafeteria to collect my class, the duty teacher, Mrs. M, tells me that two of my boys were in a fist fight at the table, and M and J were throwing a pudding cup at each other. C begins bumping bodily into kids while I am lining them up, so I put him against the far wall, where he proceeds to dance and make faces. I take him in the hall and explain that he is in school, he will behave like a 2nd grader, he will follow the rules because they are there for his learning and safety, and he will stop doing what he's doing immediately, no ifs, ands, or buts. One of the police officers passing stops to watch, and I am embarrassed, but he gives me a thumbs-up.

Of course, all the kids who acted up should have time off recess according to our plan, but recess was over two hours ago. So now what? I tell them they are taking notes home to parents. M's dad arrives to bring her medication which he forgot to give her this morning. He hears about the floor-rolling and pudding cup throwing and tells me he wants to punish her in front of the class. I discourage this. He wants it announced over the intercom that M is bad. I tell him we won't do that. I suggest that since she throws snacks, perhaps she shouldn't be allowed to buy snacks for a time at lunch.

Back in the classroom, I get everyone settled with math. I am pleased to see D is doing well. Someone must've taught him at home. M is busy too. L is buzzing and humming, but he's working. I am helping two girls with a story problem, when C throws a spitwad straight at me and hits me in the shoulder. As I said, he sits right near my desk, facing me, and looked at me before he threw it. All activity stops. The children wait to see what will happen. I tell C to step into the hall. He laughs loudly all the way across the room. The children are all whispering to each other, "He's laughing at her!"

We are now going to specials, so I ask another teacher to take mine with hers. I take C back to the office. They are still busy with the 5th graders. I will not have C just come back to class as if nothing has happened, so I stop instead at a 3rd grade room and ask Mrs. R to keep him until the AP can see him. I bring him his dictionary work..........we've spent two weeks looking up 12 words, but C has done none whatsoever.

When I get back to my room, I have an email from M's mother about the pudding throwing. It's a supportive email, but requires a response, so I take time to do that. I still haven't had lunch. In the middle of answering the email, H's mom calls to discuss the fact that H took two hours to do her homework last night. H's mom has four kids and doesn't have time for that. H needed to read a book, write the title and author, copy a question from a sheet of questions, then write an answer...............and draw pictures for 6 vocabulary words and label with the word. I explain it shouldn't have taken H that much time, and that she also takes a long time to do work in class. Usually, she is playing with school supplies or talking to neighbors. She says H is distracted by the TV at homework time. I suggest keeping the TV off until H is done.

While I'm talking, the AP comes in to talk about C. He asks me to call C's mother while he talks with C. C's mother doesn't answer home, work says she's left, and doesn't answer cell. I then call another district to try to get school records on my other new student...........we have thus far been unable to determine if he ever arrived in his new school when he left ours last January, and we would like to know if he should be placed in a first grade room instead of my 2nd grade room.

AP brings C back just in time to get the kids from specials. I scrap the regular Social Studies lesson to go back over rules, consequences, and reasons. The kids all copy down the rules and consequences. They are to have them signed by parents and bring back Monday in order to have center time. After school, C's mom says she got my message, and we talk about what happened today. C will be using his pocket money for half the cost of the book, and doing "appropriate work" for the other half at school according to AP.

3:30..........I take time to eat my lunch before going home to my kids.
I consider alternate careers.
I decide to post on the DIS for ideas on different discipline
techniques since mine aren't working.

Note: I am not brand new. I've been teaching for some years, and I've not had a day like this in about 4 years. OUCH!

Anybody? Beuller?

well, I'm exhausted just reading this. and I am glad I made the right decision to change careers when my student teaching drove me crazy and continue to be in awe of those who can, and do teach. No advice, just a thank you for doing a very tough job.

 

[Boston Tea Party]

Whoever said they are feeding off each other. I think you're right. I'm pretty sure C has some big problems........bigger than his parents want to admit........and I'm sure we'll get further along during the year, but at this age it is difficult if not darn-near-impossible to remove them from a regular classroom. They pretty much have to harm someone else on a regular basis or make the environment impossible to learn in..........

Frankly, it sounds like he did just that - made the environment impossible to learn in. I know sometimes we have that kid who just tears our heart out and somehow we want to "fix" them, but we have to remember the OTHER children and set limits. Enough is enough. I'll be bold and venture to say that you didn't get much teaching done that day when you were running to and fro trying to deal with all the distractions. C's effect must be minimized. The other children are suffering because of it.