Oh! I am so there!

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Home : 2005 : March : 15

Oh! I am so there!
By LBD Lauren

I'm currently teaching a self contained behavior disorder class with students from 8th through 12th grade. Seven students and each kid has at least four credits per semester.

So, how do we do it? I wish I knew. The first
year I tried to plan the zillions and zillions of lessons, but then there was no way to deal with the fires of behavior and teach each kid each lesson (not to mention I didn't leave the school until 8 and got there at 7 the next morning). The next year I started grouping the kids and it worked much better. I've got more energy to . . .teach!
If your state is like ours, you've got

some general guidelines about what the kids have to know for the assessments or exit tests or whatever. I take the general statements from that list and then find out how to teach that to all of my kids. For example, 9th and 10th both have readings related to plays in them. Seniors have that as well. The guys in 8th enjoy it and my students in 11th, they've got to know the Arts and Humanities aspects of it. With one lesson on Macbeth, I've hit terms, history, art, music, and if I'm lucky dance and creative writing. (Never hurts to throw in mental illness with that one as well.)

I have a blast trying to tie it all in and my joy for doing it this way flows over to them. My older guys love helping the younger guys and even volunteer teach individual lessons.

My administrators look the other way for the most part. I've sat down with at least two to tell them that there's no possible way that I can cover it all and that I'm doing the best that I can. Their general response flows with the, "This kid was learning zilch in the classroom and he was keeping the other kids from learning, anything is improvement."

General Notes:
I leave by 3:30 every day, please do the same. We need more male teachers in this field and I don't want you to burn out.
Join CCBD (council for children with behavior disorders). They are a support team that's already set for you.
Have fun in your room. If stomping about and yelling had worked then these kids would have been fixed by now. That stuff didn't work, do something positive in your class (www.behavioradvisor.com).
I'm pulling for you and let me tell you, there isn't anything I'd rather do in my life than teach these students. I hope you find the same joy.