library management

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Home : 2004 : September : 26

library management
By Carolyn

Hi, Gail,

I taught in the classroom for many years, and I am now working as a related arts teacher as you are. We have to set up rules at the beginning of the year, the same as classroom teachers do.

Since I only see
them once a week, like you, I spent the first four weeks (four classes) going over rules at the beginning of each class, along with consequences. I let the classroom teachers know that I was in charge of the classes while they were with me; therefore, I was in charge of handling discipline problems. I wouldn't involve the teacher in calling parents and writing notes. I do this myself.

However, I do let the classroom teacher know, in writing, who didn't behave appropriately. Sometimes, they need this documention to support their conferences with parents. "Well, Mrs. Smith, I am having problems with Mark in the area of talking excessively in class. Mrs. Jones, the library teacher (art teacher, etc.) is also having the same problem."

I don't recommend sending children back to their classroom. The reason is that at that time, teachers are often: in a meeting, making a business related phone call, making photocopies, or doing one of the many other tasks that takes him/her away from the classroom. If you send a child back to the classroom, YOU are liable for him/her, not the classroom teacher who may not be in the classroom. Also, some children who misbehave like to wander around the building doing this and that, and if they get the idea that they can roam freely just by being "bad" in class, they will do it again and again.

As a related arts teacher, I set up a chart on the wall for the classes. I give them a star at the end of the class if they didn't have three strikes (for talking at inappropriate times, mostly). When they have 17 stars, we will have a little celebration with treats and a Spanish video. (I teach elementary school Spanish.) The children love to see the star go up on their chart at the end of each class, and we count them together--in Spanish.