Carpet Behavior

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Home : 2005 : May : 9

Carpet Behavior
By First Year Teacher

I've had the same carpet-behavior issues with my 2nd Graders. I held a class meeting and told the kids that they were choosing their spots on the carpet, so they needed to be making good decisions about where they were sitting.
We talked about reasons why it might not be a good idea to sit by your best friend, etc. Then I told them that if it seemed like they were having trouble concentrating in the spot that they chose, I would choose a new one for them. For most of my kids, drawing attention to the behavior by moving them to a new place was enough.
Then there are the little darlings who just won't

quit! Once I've moved them to a different spot on the carpet, the next step is moving back to their desks (or to another student's desk, if theirs is too close to the carpet). That way they are in a place where they can see what's going on, but they're not close enough to talk to anyone. Also, they're behind the rest of the students so no one can see what they're doing, which takes all of the fun out of making faces and playing around.

Of course, I have one student who ends up in her seat at least a couple times a week, but it seems to have helped with the other kids. I don't know if it would work in your classroom set-up ... just an idea. If nothing else, keep graduation in mind and know that you'll have a real-life example to answer interview questions about classroom management!