keeping Kids in line

Home

Chat

Blogs

Collection

Directory

Home : 2003 : September : 11

keeping Kids in line
By Sandy

I agree with the other two. This is my second year working as a sub. I am hoping to become a full time teacher soon. I agree with the others, if you want to offer a "treat" let it be 5 or 10 minutes at the end of the day
to do a class activity like a game or art project. If you depend on using minutes lost at recess, you will not have anything to keep them in line for the rest of the afternoon. I think they need recess to run off extra energy. In fact, you are really punishing yourself, by not getting the break you need and the children will be cranky. Keeping them after school is not usually possible

since a lot of them go home by bus, and you cannot reach their parents and tell them they will need to be picked up after school. Using the "wonderful" technique works well, and so does writing their name on a paper to report to the teacher. I give them one chance to correct their behavior. If they behave as a model student for the rest of the day, I will give them amnesty and remove their name from the teacher's report. That usually works really well. Also if you can find some leadership role for the worst trouble maker it usually pays off. They are the ones who are used to getting attention for bad behavior and when they are given the chance to be a leader they usually behave better than the "best helpers" chosen by the teacher. One last idea. I often bring a pretty tin and good behavior tickets and give them out to the students who are listening, working well alone or with others, focusing on their work, responding to questions, etc. I catch them being good. The students write their names on the ticket and put them in the tin. At the end of the day, I have the desinated helper for the day draw two tickets from the tin. The persons whose names are called can choose something out of the treat bag. I give away fancy pencils, stickers, or little things that I find at the dollar store. I don't offer many choices at a time. One day I may only bring in pencils, another stickers,etc. That way no one can be upset that one got a better choice than the other. Hope these ideas help.