New teacher - some advice regarding dealing with exceptionalities please

[Ember]

I'm a recent graduate in elementary education and am now working as a substitute teacher. I love it, but am having some issues going into many different classrooms for a day and dealing with all the different exceptionalities you encounter. I want to do what's best for the children, but when you're only there for one day and you have no real knowledge of what the problem is, it's very difficult to know how to best approach situations.

So what I'm asking is: Are there any general strategies for dealing with behavior issues when you don't know the root of what the cause is? My big concern is that I don't want to cause harm...

If anyone has any thoughts, I would be most appreciative.

(As a background to why I'm so concerned, I was in a classroom with a child who was acting up. Again, as I'm only in there for one day, I rarely know what is going on with each child. Anyway, I implemented a basic three count, "that's one" type of thing, to try and get the child to regulate their behavior knowing that at three the child would owe me 5 minutes of recess. I heard later that this caused a lot of stress for the child who then made themselves sick... I still don't know what the child was dealing with, or what I should have done in that instance. And now I'm a little worried about future issues!)

 

[Snoopymom]

First, THANK YOU! You are and going to be a wonderful caring teacher.

I think the most beneficial thing is a break or time out, not as a punishment, but just a moment for the child to get a grip. I think if they are given a chance to calm the frustration or over-stimulation that causes the bad behavior, then everyone wins.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

You're already doing a great job by being concerned and asking for help. You're going to be a great teacher!

If you know in advance that you'll be teaching a certain class (like if the teacher is going to a seminar and arranges for a sub in advance), ask the teacher to leave you any special instructions on any challenging kids along with the lesson plan. That way you'll learn what to do directly from the teacher. If you get called in the morning to fill in for a sick teacher, you probably won't be able to ask directly. In that case, perhaps look for a neighboring teacher at the same grade level. Teachers discuss their students with each other and those at the same grade levels tend to know quite a bit about each other's kids. At my sons' school, they switch classes frequently (even in the lower grades) and all of the teacher get to know all of the kids. You'll have to wait until recess to get any info. but at least it will help for the rest of the day. If you can't find another teacher to ask, have a quick chat with the principal. Chances are he or she knows the challenging kids in the school and can give you some tips.

Good luck!

 

[Diamondintheruff]

The ears and eyes of the school are the secretaries and the custodians. Definately talk with them.

Know that in every class there will always be exceptional learners. Classroom management is key. Greet the kids at the door and take the first few minutes to go over the "plan" for the day.

Good luck!

 

[Miandrea]

As a special ed. teacher who teaches classes with extremely challenging behaviours...I make sure that I have a consistent behaviour plan in place for my entire class. Actually, my entire school follows the same behavioural plan so that any teacher can discuss a specific student's actions and the consequences are the same.

If the child was so upset with owing you a 5 minute detention, there are more issues that child is dealing with and that should have been noted in the supply teacher handbook on the teachers desk.

Good luck with teaching!

 

[Ember]

Thank you for your thoughts, all. Unfortunately, in many cases I feel like I'm going in blind and that there's no information where there really should some. But I will keep in mind talking to other teachers (if they're approachable) and the secretaries. And I'll keep looking into to different strategies for handling challenging behavior when you have such limited exposure.