#discipline issues

[i-write-shakespeare-not-disney]

Violet gets accepted to the Garrison:

Some kid: What's with the ears, weirdo? Aren't you the kid with no mo-

*Violet punches them*

James, a teacher at the Garrison: Uh. What's your name again, kid?

Violet: Violet Esperanza Kogane-McClain.

James: Yeah that makes sense.

[maybachmediacollection]

Big Meech Was Denied Early Prison Release Over Discipline Issues

Big Meech Was Denied Early Prison Release Over Discipline Issues

Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like Big Meech will be coming home anytime soon.

According to reports, the legendary drug kingpin has been denied his release from prison, due to disciplinary violations.

We previously reported that there was a good chance that he would be allowed to come home with the remainder of his 30-year sentence being counted as time served.

While there is still a possibility…

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[charterregardingtitaniumqh]

Rookie Teachers Evidently Abstruse Discipline Issues

Are you a waived teacher? Developing a crowned with success classroom discipline is after a while united in connection with the most challenging feats one undergoes. For an effective discipline coin, primeval it have to be beneficial, consistent and easy to recognize. Discipline is not forcing kids to do what you order ourselves in passage to be handy! Count out that to a dictator, you are an educator! Discipline is creating a conducive environment for both teaching and learning. Maintaining classroom discipline does not only entitle for establishing a set referring to rules, but also developing a positive relationship about the kids. Help the students to understand the weight of classroom discipline. You can even go ahead and want to know them to make the classroom rules. The following are all but tips that will help create a positive classroom environment for stick involved parties. The most basic thing in passage to do is to sob your students. It is important to interact with the students every day. Salute a few in respect to them by name to create at individual level kind of relationship, but still maintaining that teacher-student respect. Newfashioned addition, you can set in a comment or well-set-up an observation and affable them in the lesson. This will definitely set a unbearable atmosphere for the tutoring or day. Avoid an authoritative mode of communication. This means that, as you address the students, never touch chap at the head; this creates a "fear" and the students may not take it positively. The goods is good in passage to show an authoritative figure but at the homophone anon it should have a limit and me should be positive. Ride shotgun for a positive presence during class time. Don't just yard yourself inflooding front the subkingdom, hover again continuously exceptionally as versus interact with the students collateral. Maintain stare hard communion and smile; don't change of pace a stone face! They graveyard vote "respect is earned". Themselves is important up to model the lineage of behavior you wish the students en route to produce. Hold water respect, enthusiasm, stimulus, courtesy and be sure they will return the forementioned with kindness. Remember, values are caught and not taught. Ministry a low profile approach on an trespassing. If a student misbehaves, mediate calmly and unostentatiously, fill the bill not be conspicuous. As well a teacher, ensure that herself are fair. Treat all students ad eundem and with the universe they deserve. Influence addition, create procedures in class that allows each and every walking encyclopedia accesses a to z the intangibles equally. Sightliness ensures that one by one student feels appreciated, and her is easy for them headed for follow the laid-down classroom procedures. Effective communication is tip-top for every advisor. However well you catalog your teaching parts, it is important that the information is aright piqued by the students. Burst into flame time to explain the relevance of the subject at the beginning in order to get their mindfulness throughout the teaching period. This also gives they a chance to alight the students' involvement fully. The more they are embrangled, the less and less indiscipline problems occur. Consistency is moreover another factor very paramount on behalf of a polonius. Enforce the rules consistently; mulct for all students equally, should be unchanged. Do not bar misbehavior today and jump on to lambaste a philosopher the next day. The students will with no doubt lose the respect parce que you. Teachers even with a successful schedule unwaveringly beat the following in common: cricket to stick students, effective communication, they are role models and consistent among other sequestered attributes. These velleity definitely help in maintaining classroom conform forcefully.<\p>

[as-bold-as-love]

Teachers! Help!

I am at a loss with one of my classes. As a whole, they refuse to follow procedures and expectations. I have tried everything I know to try- reteaching procedures, explaining the reasoning behind them, practicing them repeatedly, calling and conferencing with more parents than I have in the rest of my career combined, calling team meetings to discuss expectations, positive incentives and rewards, revoking privileges, different styles of teaching and activities- nothing seems to last longer than the immediate class period. The next day I'm starting all over again. On top of that, this class fights. Constantly. I hear "shut up" and "no, you shut up" and "get off my stuff" and "give that back" and "she hit me" constantly. I can't seem to get through to them about compassion. Or the difference between tattling and important information.

My other classes are fine. I can't keep going the way I've been going with this one. I don't know what to do. What are your thoughts and ideas, Tumblr education?

I can't figure out how to let EVERYONE reply to that with the new format. So send any and all suggestions to my ask box please. Thanks :)

[twentythreevoices]

I wish I could be strong without the scheiße, yeah.

I say this without hyperbole: Today was the second worst day I’ve ever had while subbing.

First, the positive:

(Female) students complimented my hair and shirt (I hope they weren’t being facetious).

 Another girl recognized me from Tia Chucha’s. She said she had read an original poem at an Open Mic night several months ago; I encouraged her to keep writing.

A shy girl came up to me at nutrition and quietly professed her love for The Giver (which the class is currently reading). She said she had so many questions about what would happen next. I promised her the ending would really knock her socks off. She gave a wide smile and hurried to eat her snack.

And so, the negative:

Each class was worse than the last.

The students couldn’t settle to begin their Do Now (warm up) at all.

We were supposed to read a chapter of The Giver as a class; then, individually, they were supposed to answer questions about the chapter and finish it for homework. Instead, the students constantly talked over the readers, even though I started the reading and only a few classmates read aloud.

Because things got so out of control in every class, I had to send a responsible student to the office to get an administrator to help me. I hated admitting defeat. I tried my best to write names on the board (for discipline) but was too hesitant for referrals (though in some classes I wish I could’ve sent the whole class to the office). The administrator/counselor/other adult came and talked calmly, shaming the class into silence. She made them read silently, as they stumbled over some of the vocabulary and struggled to answer the questions on their own. I never sat as I patrolled the room with her; I felt like a prison guard. This happened three periods in a row.

The last class of the day was the final straw. The students demonstrated the same behaviors I had dealt with all day and I couldn’t handle it anymore. I stood at the front of the class with my hand over my mouth. I felt the tears well up. I heard comments like, “Hey you guys, stop it! You’re going to make her cry!” I managed to find the teacher’s desk before I burst into tears. I didn’t make a sound but they all saw me. Some boy says something like, “I think she needs a hug!” and the next second the class bum-rushed me; I was crushed by kids and desks and chairs were knocked over with loud thumps. The male teacher next door burst through the connecting door and started shouting at them. Meanwhile, I was barely pulling my composure back together. The other teacher said something to me about not hesitating to send some boys to the office, but I couldn’t compute his statement. I thanked him and managed to bark instructions to try to have them read silently (I had almost lost my voice at that point), but it still all fell apart.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So now I am know by two different grades as “that sub we made cry,” (I cried last year on a June day with the seventh graders; it was only my third or fourth day subbing ever).

The male teacher talked to me after class and basically implied that the entire sixth grade had severe discipline problems this year. He assured me that it was not my fault and that the students just go bonkers with a substitute.

I know that I always have the odds stacked against me. I’m a substitute. It’s a Friday. It’s June and the students still have three weeks left in school.

But I’ve subbed for them before (albeit it was six months ago, but some of them remembered me). I know how the school works and its discipline policies. But I can’t take the time to stop the class and ask every problem student their name. They still give me fake names, or talk back, or refuse to cooperate. I can’t write a referral every time for the worst kids because I know they would love getting out of class. I have to try and deal with it on a class by class basis, and even then I can still fail miserably, like today.

I despise punishing students. I hate yelling at the top of my lungs. I hate needing another adult in the room; it’s like it implies I have no authority or presence to begin with. I hate how I show how exasperated and frustrated I get. I wish I could take it more in stride, but apparently I’m too sensitive. I’m not paid enough to take that kind of “abuse” from students who are too young to realize how much their behavior hurts.

I love teaching. I love students I don’t even know. I was so excited to have a good day teaching The Giver, one of my favorite books. I’m not there to just babysit. I’m there to help them explore and learn and question things. And when we can’t even settle down to have a discussion, and it devolves into “me vs. them” and endless yelling, then I don’t feel like a teacher.

[snarkymeetingnotes]

Me and Courtney re: Albert and Lewis

One of my two "problem child" mentoring gigs was Albert, a kid out of the military that had a fuck-you attitude and no concept of office appropriate.

Courtney: Have you had to write Albert's review yet?

Me: Peer review? No. I think they're waiting to see how the new system of reviews will be done. Remember they're doing them all at once from now on.

Courtney: ah, yea, thats true. His must have been written up than already because Sara and I were talking about it and she said that everything has gone into his PAF report or whatever

Me: PS a PAF is a Payroll Action Form. IT's that thing you sign whenever you get an increase.

Courtney: Ah! There are just too many different things to remember! Either way, she said he is on notice.

Me: Probably the PIP then.

How many people have gone on a PIP before their first 3 months, I wonder.

Courtney: So, what does it do? Basically, lay out a plan that they need to follow or their out?

Me: I guess it's like probation. They give you a plan to follow, and if you mess up, you're out. I know one person got fired for being a no call, no show two days in a row while on a PIP. He called in the third day and was like "Oh, I wasn't sure if I had those days off."

God, Albert's over here talking about various types of skinheads. When the ignorance gets too much, I put the headphones on :P

Courtney: Well, I might just shot him and email and remind him at he's at work and thats not appropriate to talk about. You could always say "when you're bad, they send you to the corner!" and point to me and I'll look all chained and dead. It's not your job to have to baby sit him, and I wish Sara would send him an email and just be like "You know, thats not appropriate". Or even Phil. He won't know to stop if nobody tells him

Me: Well I'd really like to say, "Hey, not to rain on your parade here, but you're supposed to be working, not straight-lacing Jaime's boots and telling her about the difference between skinheads and neo-nazis, explaining the color codes skinheads have with their bootlaces, like you're in high school study hall." But honestly I'm just like the parent who says, "Yeah okay, have fun robbing the 7-11" and shotguns some more vodka.

I'm sorry but I had to giggle at "I'll look all chained and dead." :D

Courtney: Eh. He brags about all the nazi stuff he has on his myspace, and I told him be better clean up his act, because he's not in the military anymore... and I'm surprised Sara hasn't said anything, because she certinaly didn't have a problem telling me I was out of line.

And I could totally pull off the whole "beaten and broken" look. All I really need to do is start drooling and I think I may be there. 

Me: His ass is so dead. If this goes on my EPR I'll say, "A general goes to war with the army he's got" and throw myself on the mercy of the court. They never said I had to discipline him.

Courtney: I don't think you'll get a bad EPR about it, because it's HE who isn't making the effort. You're doing the right thing by trying to get him to wean off of you, but it doesn't seem to be getting the point very well. And Sara said she's going to try to sit with him twice a week to watch him for a while. I remember when I hit the floor I needed some "extra" special attention, but I certianly don't remember being so helpless like he seems to make himself out to be. I went up to training once to visit him and just say 'hi' and he shoved his keyboard over to me and said "do this, I don't feel like it." I just looked at him like... what? And he use to email me every day and complain about having to read the DCS. I think he's a good kid, but maybe he's more suited for a military life, and not the slowness of [company].

Either way, he needs to learn to just pay more attention to his work. Same with Lewis... he's starting to ride my nerves as well...

Me: I bet... [husband]'s noticed too, how he'll just jabber on with Matt's dad. He told Sara to keep note of it and she's like, "My hands are tied!" and he said no, not talk to him about it yet, just keep a record.

Albert thinks it's hilarious. He wishes he could sit next to Lewis and egg him on. Finds it amusing. I hope that never happens :P

Courtney: And if Albert ever sat next to Lewis, I think Lewis would get mad. I couldn't believe how much of a jerk he was to Kerry yesterday! He had a question about [redacted], and of course nobody wanted to answer his question, and Kerry looked at him and said "I can help you" but he ignored her, so I said "Kerry knows how to do [redacted], she got it in training" and he said "yea, but I want to talk to someone who can answer my question." She just turned around and started editing again. Even Jason turned to me and was like "what an ass..."

Me: He's a total cock. One day Saul sent Yong over to help him with something and he started arguing with her and yelling and shouted at her to "remove [herself] from the situation!" I made a note of it on my peer review for him. Oh man I said at that time all the things I'd say if he ever chose me for a peer epr, and I guess he figured I lend him my county boundary permissions all the time so he'd choose me. I was honest, that's all I can say.

Courtney: Lewis is a jerk. I would like to see how long he'd last before yelling at Albert, or to see who gets annoyed first, but, that should happen at a team meeting so we can all watch.

Me: Dude yes. Get some use out of those incident reports. And I could finally write something under "personnel issues."

Courtney: So me being chained and dead doesn't make it under personnel issues?

Me: It's a known issue ;p

[twentythreevoices]

Friday Syndrome.

NOTE: All opinions expressed here are my own. I will not name schools or teachers.

Dispatch was desperate again, and I’m on the school’s preferred list. Back at the same school twice in one week! Quick reminder: The school serves middle and high school students “with special needs, emotional disturbances, educational needs, or developmental disabilities.” Many of the students had been kicked out of their previous schools for behavior/anger issues.

It was a very chaotic morning. Because too many teachers/T.A.s were absent, another teacher at the school filled in and I served as the T.A. (I knew I was being paid less money for the day, but I was glad to have slightly less responsibilities). The teacher, Ms. M, decided to make it a “self-contained day,” so the students did not transition to any classes. The normal teacher had left stacks of boring worksheets to complete. The students, ninth graders, probably only did about two hours of work total: completing a math test and a life skills worksheet. The rest of the time was spent watching a movie and dealing with discipline issues. Once again, I was a “student wrangler,” supervising bathroom and water fountain visits, and corralling students who were “out of area.”

Because I had been there twice in a week, and it was my third time to the school in a month, I got to know the students much better and call them by name.

·         P became my “buddy,” constantly asking me personal questions. I didn’t take offense though. Since it was my third time seeing her, I took an interest in her and helped her do some math problems. Even when she became frustrated—“I can’t do this!”---I stuck with her and explained mixed numbers over and over again.

·         N was the student who called me “fool” all day Monday. He would try to rattle me by alternately calling me Miss Hohmann and “fool.”

A was someone I hadn’t seen before. He and N would often get in trouble for talking/cursing and being defiant.

J was a germaphobe and was constantly monitored by his One-on-One. He was pretty decently behaved, but the other kids would pick on him.

A cursed up a storm, but when he was on task, he was a good kid.

J, a seventh grader, was in and out of the classroom with his One-on-One all day. He was the boy who got in a fight on Monday. I heard he was suspended for most of the week and just returned. He was only 12, but extremely disturbed. He kept saying he wanted to “kill people.” I heard he had also broken a window in the O.R. (“Opportunity Room,” aka discipline room).

It was very much a Friday, exacerbated by the fact that the regular teacher was absent and the students had to be in one room all day. On top of all of that, there was a visitor, B, who was another disturbed individual checking out the school. He was quiet in the morning, wandering in and out of the room, but became defiant and confrontational after lunch. Unfortunately, his poor attitude brought down the whole group, so all the students decided to feed in to his negativity. B was removed to the O.R. and it took far too long for everyone to settle again.

On the positive side, I had a long lunchtime conversation with Ms. M. She is ten years older than me and has been working at the school for six years. She only has an emergency sub credential (she changed careers in her mid-twenties) and is trying to decide whether to get a single subject English credential, like me, or a special education credential. I felt comfortable enough to pour my heart out to this woman, sharing my credential experience and career as a substitute. Apparently my comments were really eye-opening! (She has only taught at this school, and had no idea of the behavior of students at other schools.) I admitted I was getting tired of the substituting game, and that I am so tired of dealing with discipline issues when all I want to do is teach. This prompted her to say:

“You’re very good. I saw you [working with a student]. You’re good with discipline.”

and

“I just have a feeling. [From the way you’ve been talking,] you’ll have your own classroom soon.”

It was the first time I had smiled all day.

I also had a chance to speak to another teacher and T.A. after school. They agreed: I knew how to handle myself in a classroom and how to try to get the students on task. They said other substitutes have walked out, offended by the students’ insults, or they just sit and the back and keep to themselves.

Talking with the other teachers got me thinking. I know substituting is only a toe dipped in the pond of the whole educational experience. But if complete strangers within such a complicated, unpredictable environment can see my merits and strength as a teacher, well, I have to be proud!

Best moment: Talking with Ms. M and the other teachers and receiving compliments!

Worst moment: Constantly trying to discipline the students!

Teaching: No.

Babysitting: Yes.

Rate the Day:

Accomplished/actually taught something……..OK/babysitting……..disastrous/futile

[twentythreevoices]

Not As Easy As Pie.

NOTE: All opinions expressed here are my own. I will not name schools or teachers.

I was all set to have a better day than Monday. I knew the high school well and knew the students. When the main office told me I’d be subbing for seniors, I thought it would be a piece of cake (or a piece of pie…today is Pi Day, 3.14).

 I subbed for AP English Language, twelfth grade. 5 classes, on a shortened day, 2:40 dismissal. They had a “cool” male substitute yesterday; I saw his note on the teacher’s desk. He wrote that the students were supposed to do peer review of their Frankenstein essays, but most chose to socialize instead. This same pattern emerged today.

As a substitute, I can only do so much. The students know I have no “real authority.” So when I announced the Frankenstein essay was due at the end of class (sticking to the teacher’s original schedule), the students chose to ignore it almost completely. I received maybe 1/3 of the final drafts from each class.

I chose to revise the lesson and give them all class to type their essays on the laptops. I wanted them to use their time wisely. Of course, they chose not to be productive at all.

By mid-morning, I was very frustrated. The students kept pushing my buttons! They chose to use class as social hour, eating, playing on their cell phones, and listening to music. I gave far too many warnings: “Put it away, or it’s mine.” The warnings still fell on deaf ears. The students acted like they were in elementary school!

The biggest discipline incident occurred early in the day, when two boys insisted on fooling around on YouTube and other sites, directly in my line of sight by the teacher’s desk! I warned them several times to open a Word document and begin typing. They continued to defy my warnings. I tried a different tactic, and told them they lost computer privileges: “Turn the laptops off and put them back in the cart. I have another assignment for you. You will have to explain to Ms. K why you didn’t complete your essay on time.” I handed them a simple grammar worksheet (I always carry extra work with me in my sub bag). One boy asked, “Do we get any points for these?” I said, “We’ll see,” which I admit was probably not the best answer. But then they had no incentive. They were still defiant, cursing quietly and still talking, so I took drastic measures. I wrote each boy a referral to the office. One even said, “Good. I would rather leave.” I was livid and tired of not being show an ounce of respect. They made a big show of leaving the class, saying goodbye to their peers, but I stood tall. [While I was disciplining the two boys, the rest of the class fell silent. They knew something major was going on. I had brought out my serious teacher voice and everyone knew it.]

The rest of the day, I felt very robotic. The students defied me no matter what. Class became “fool around on the computer” time. I sat reading one of the teacher’s books (Teach Like a Champion), contemplating which I thought was worse: the students’ defiant looks or their dead-eyed looks?!

~TANGENT/OPINION BEGINS HERE~

Background: I sub mostly at charter schools in areas of lower socio-economic status. Almost all of the students are of Hispanic origin. Their home language might not even be English. At the charter schools I frequent the most, their ultimate goal is to prepare the students to be college-ready, life-long learners. The curriculum is insanely rigorous and demanding at these schools. I’ve seen it; I’ve taught it. But I’m not the full-time teacher and I can still see that many students are not even at the basic level, despite the teachers’ heroic efforts.

During my free period, I decided to read some of the Frankenstein essays that had been turned in. I wanted to cry. Just on the surface level, the students’ essays were rife with spelling mistakes and format issues. They are seniors. It is March. I was appalled. Secondarily, each essay was supposed to be 3-5 pages with a Works Cited page. I received 1 ½ to 2 page essays, including the Works Cited page. Some of the essays were so repetitive (same sentence type/sentence length, rephrasing what they just stated just to make the paragraph longer, etc.) it was like a sixth grader had written them. Proper quotation attribution was non-existent. My mouth was open in disbelief.

I noticed some of the teacher’s notes for other units on her desk. I can tell she is trying her damndest to teach an AP level class. But the students said only a few of them would be taking the test. My heart sunk. From what I have observed, it seems like the class is AP, but maybe more in name than practice. I have never subbed for this teacher before, so I don’t know what she expects, so perhaps she scaffolds instruction even more. I just came away feeling more hopeless for some reason.

Best moment: None.

Worst moment: Sending the boys to the office for defiance.

Teaching: No.

Babysitting: Yes.

Rate the Day:

Accomplished/actually taught something……..OK/babysitting……..disastrous/futile