understand this problem

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Home : 2002 : May : 10

understand this problem
By Carolyn

I had this problem last year. I had students arrive at my room anywhere from 7:30 to 8:00. That meant that some kids would finish their morning work long before others got to the classroom. The later arrivals wouldn't
even have their bookbags unpacked, and we had to be in our related arts at 8:00! It was so crazy!!! My principal wondered what was wrong with me that I had so many unsettled kids, and I told him that it was physically impossible for us to be at a class that started at 8:00 when so many kids didn't even arrive until 8:00 or later. It was the craziest schedule, and after I explained the

situation to him, the principal eventually realized the folly of it. He started related arts 15 minutes later this year, and I had asked for a change in related arts time to a later time. That helped restore my sanity. Ask your principal if you can have a later planning period next year.

It just isn't fair for kids to be scheduled this way. I hope you will speak with your principal about the craziness of this schedule. I agree with you that this is a difficult situation to throw a teacher into. You can't get kids settled in the classroom when you don't really have the time to do any morning work. It's just arrive in the classroom, have no quiet transition, then it off to the races we go!

Why not try this: Leave a worksheet for math or something else that you teach on the kids desks before they arrive. Have every child who finishes hand the work in to you as he/she finishes it. Tell each child that the work will count as a grade, and that every missing morning worksheet will cause a reduction in grade. Use a checklist to mark off those who finish the work. Tell everybody that if they don't turn in their morning worksheet because they didn't have the time, they ought to do it for homework. They will lose points if they don't complete all assigned work. You could start everybody out with 100 points. They could lose five points for every missing morning work paper. As for chasing, well, I don't believe we should do that with sixth graders. Let them know that it is their responsibility for turning in the work, and that you will NOT chase them down for it. I wouldn't even remind them of it.

Let us know how things go.