a temporary "solution"

Home

Chat

Blogs

Collection

Directory

Home : 2004 : December : 16

a temporary "solution"
By df

I don't teach kindergarten or first grade, but deeply admire how hard those teachers have to work...an amazing amount of energy is expended each day just managing the little guys. Don't know if this is of any help, but after
"tolerating the intolerable" talking with my class of chatty fifth graders, (at times my classroom sounded like a flock of parrots! Have you ever heard wild parrots flocking?...oh my goodness!), I started a new tactic: they have been losing free recess minutes if I must remind them to quiet down - just raising my hand and ticking off the seconds ("One One-thousand, Two One-thousand,

Three One-thousand...);one hand equals one minute of recess time. Oh they can get those minutes back by following "The Backup Plan" ...which is (muuuhahaha!) taking them outside for lap running around the playground asphalt. All that excitement and nervous energy has to go somewhere...so they're running and walking laps for every minute of recess time they owe. Oh joy. Seems to work though. FREE recess time is one thing...Lap Running Recess time isn't much of a recess.
I hope the ringing noise from the constant hum in my ears dissipates soon from this noisy month. Have a whole new appreciation for the silent expression of a wagging dog's tail.