behavior help

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Home : 2003 : September : 11

behavior help
By Carolyn

For the tattling and "issues," try using a box where they can vent their problems about each other. After they write about it, they may just forget about it. I would take the time to read the notes to find out what their
issues truly are. I have a fifth grade class that sounds like yours, and I encourage them to do this. I even take the time, to respond to their notes like Ann Landers giving advice. Every time my kids begin to argue with each other, I do two things in this order: Ask the child to write that note. The notewriting makes the disagreement silent. If that doesn't work, try time out in

another teacher's room. That works wonders. I had a major blowup between several of my girls last Friday, and I sent the one who was crying and hysterical down to the kindergarten room to "help out" for a little while. When she came back awhile later, she had a whole different attitude. She completed all of her work in the kindergarten room (I know she would not have been able to in my room), and even had a chance to help the teacher with the children. Both teacher and child had a good working relationship.

I know the kids can get you down. I feel it myself a great deal of the time, but I feel that I am making slow, but steady progress with them. They have improved their hallway behavior and are actually getting out to recess more often than they used to. Explosions are becoming less frequent, although I still do have them.

Some days are just going to be worse for kids than another. I think kids are very susceptible to things like weather changes. My kids always seem to be "off" on Mondays after the long weekend of doing whatever and getting up whenever. They are tired and crabby because they stayed up too late. I have also made my kids aware that the reason they become crabby around lunchtime is because their blood sugar levels are becoming low.

I have tried row behavior rewards. I am also giving the entire class a treat whenever we don't lose any of the letters of the word RECESS. They actually did not lose any today.

Instead of addressing problems publicly, do it quietly and privately. The more problems you call aloud, it seems that the more problems you will have. The kids will feed off of each other and their problems. I walk around leaving color coded sticky notes on their desk that describe what they are doing to break procedure: talking while supposed to be listening, off task, not following directions, etc. I really like the color coded sticky note method, and this is the first year I have tried it. The children will start out with a sticky note of a certain color, then move to the next color if they continue to act up (lose recess), then I call the parents if they get the third color sticky note. It's sort of like the color card system, but the "cards" are not publicly displayed where everybody can see them. My feeling is that the discipline issue is between the teacher and the child, and not everybody needs a public awareness of it.