Here's what I did.

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Home : 2004 : September : 29

Here's what I did.
By BN

I too have been teaching for years and I once had a class like yours. It seemed like everyother day there was some type of big behavior or emotional upset.I feel for you. This is what I did.It might be of some help.

Is
it the majority of students or just one or two who have been causing all the problems? I had a class where the majority just couldn't get along.Sometimes one part of the class would be miserable and the next week it would switch and different students were miserable.It was sort of odd in a way.They would be totally miserable for four or five days then be fairly good natured for the next

two. It was like they were tired out and were regrouping for the next round.Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse there was a lull.

I really do not see anything negative with students sitting in rows.If this is the only way to get teaching and learning done with this particular group then do what you have to do.
Rows are good for trying to separate students that are having conflicts especially when a large majority of the students are having problems.I spent hours trying to figure out a seating arrangement where people would get along and work together in a group and was not sucessful. So,it was groups of one until behavior improved.

From your post recess and Friday freetime does not have a special meaning to your students. You'll have to think of something that is a real consequence to them.My students don't like silent lunch. In silent lunch they sit at separate tables and are not allowed to talk and socialize during lunch period.We have the card system and the second card is silent lunch.

Have you tried what I call the strict routine? I had everything ready to go and we went from one thing to the next.I wrote a schedule on the board and we followed it very closely. I kept them very busy and they didn't have time for anything else. I made sure they had everything at their desks. There was very little moving around. Usually students can get up to get paper, work at a table on a project, get a book from the class rm library during breaktime, sit on the bean bags to read, playing an ed. game etc. Well, they couldn't do that without someone starting an argument or sometype of upset so they stayed in their seats.(You might want to put things away such as games etc.)

We also had class meetings about behavior and getting along.(Love and logic or the responsive classroom(?) are programs that teachers have had success with.You could research these programs.)Gradually,it improved and I could reintroduce certain procedures i.e.more goup work, sitting on the bean bags, playing ed. review games. Quite a few times their behavior would back slide and we had to go back to the strict routine.It was along year.

I feel for you. I'm sure other teachers will have more suggestions. Hang in there. Tomorrow is Thursday and then it's TGIF.