My first week is over and it has been chall-en-ging.
Honesty time:
My students are not listening to me.
I know this is the first week and we are setting the rules and expectations. We are creating a structure in our classroom so we can begin focusing on our academics. But, it is not working.
Every year there are those bright-eyed cuties that can be challenging in classroom, but this year, I have 7.
Seven.
All with their own story and background that contribute to why they are the way they are.
I feel for them. All seven of them.
I want to help them so badly. I am not and never have been a "Negative Nancy," I just feel as though I have used everything in my "bag of tricks" to get them to listen/follow directions already and it is only week 1!
Now I'm sending out an S.O.S. (The Police anyone?) and I need to know, what is in your bag of tricks?!?!?
A little background & what I've tried already:
The challenges I am having overlap with many of the students.
Yes, I went to their respective kinder teachers and they all had the same challenges there.... somehow, they all ended up in my classroom this year.
{Listening/Following directions:}
We use Give me Five and CHAMPS school-wide.
Give me 5 may as well be a joke in my class. We have tried waiting and waiting and they still talk to one another. We have tried counting down to 0 and they still talk to each other. My kids are at the emergent level when it comes to mastering CHAMPS voice levels 0 and 1.
I use the following attention gainers:
Students that are doing the appropriate thing are always given "cool cash" (school-wide incentive) and/or move their pin up! I also have Mel D's fabulous {reward coupons} that my attentive students love. I have yet to find what my seven love and will work for.
{Talking Back:}
Only one student does this, but it is difficult!
Student moves clip down for this.
{Anger:}
Some have hit others, one punches himself, another throws a crying fit.
Students move clip, are ignored, talked to 1-on-1 or sent to the office based on the incident.
Positive reinforcements and praises are given as often as possible to ALL students. On the flip side, parents have already been called. and recesses have already been taken :(
I have made a sticker-chart for 2 of my students who are working on keeping their hands and feet to themselves. I just need to find out what they are willing to work for!
I am sure there is more, but I am drained.
So pretty please, share your wisdom with me!!!!!!!
What do you do with those difficult children? and what do you do when you have so many??
. . .
Last, but not least, I wanted to share that my Star of the Week freebie was featured on The Cornerstone!! Very exciting :)
Every year there are those bright-eyed cuties that can be challenging in classroom, but this year, I have 7.
Seven.
All with their own story and background that contribute to why they are the way they are.
I feel for them. All seven of them.
I want to help them so badly. I am not and never have been a "Negative Nancy," I just feel as though I have used everything in my "bag of tricks" to get them to listen/follow directions already and it is only week 1!
Now I'm sending out an S.O.S. (The Police anyone?) and I need to know, what is in your bag of tricks?!?!?
A little background & what I've tried already:
The challenges I am having overlap with many of the students.
Yes, I went to their respective kinder teachers and they all had the same challenges there.... somehow, they all ended up in my classroom this year.
{Listening/Following directions:}
We use Give me Five and CHAMPS school-wide.
Give me 5 may as well be a joke in my class. We have tried waiting and waiting and they still talk to one another. We have tried counting down to 0 and they still talk to each other. My kids are at the emergent level when it comes to mastering CHAMPS voice levels 0 and 1.
I use the following attention gainers:
- 1-2-3... eyes on you
- Echo clap
- Teacher whispers "if you can hear me put your hands on your shoulders" and repeats whispers with other movements until whole class is paying attention.
- Teacher sings, "Everyone do what I'm doing..." while touching nose, or head, etc.
- Head up (student repeats) Hands on your head (repeat) Eyes on me (repeat)
Students that are doing the appropriate thing are always given "cool cash" (school-wide incentive) and/or move their pin up! I also have Mel D's fabulous {reward coupons} that my attentive students love. I have yet to find what my seven love and will work for.
{Talking Back:}
Only one student does this, but it is difficult!
Student moves clip down for this.
{Anger:}
Some have hit others, one punches himself, another throws a crying fit.
Students move clip, are ignored, talked to 1-on-1 or sent to the office based on the incident.
Positive reinforcements and praises are given as often as possible to ALL students. On the flip side, parents have already been called. and recesses have already been taken :(
I have made a sticker-chart for 2 of my students who are working on keeping their hands and feet to themselves. I just need to find out what they are willing to work for!
I am sure there is more, but I am drained.
So pretty please, share your wisdom with me!!!!!!!
What do you do with those difficult children? and what do you do when you have so many??
. . .
Last, but not least, I wanted to share that my Star of the Week freebie was featured on The Cornerstone!! Very exciting :)
Go grab all the other fabulous freebies!!
aww, I feel for you. Had a few rough years like this. One of my biggest weapons is humor and building a strong connection with the kiddos. You can start as simple as telling him/her you like something they wearing on a daily basis. It also helps to give them little jobs, even though they don't really "deserve it." Have you tried brain breaks at all? Telling you what has worked with my kiddos like this is so hard, because he one has been soooo different. It is such a case by case deal.
ReplyDeleteThanks Alisha! We have been using brain breaks in the afternoon since it is so long! I agree with you, it is such a case-by-case deal and I am working on building our connection. I think I am just a bit scared for the challenges of the year to come!
DeleteI love the modeling of good/bad behavior! We are doing that now with the Daily 5, but adding it the classroom and school-wide rules is perfect. Thanks for the idea, Tania! It may take a pep-talk or two, but I am determined to show up with a smile every day this year!
DeleteAllie,
ReplyDeleteThank you SO much for this!! I love that idea! I have only heard of whole brain teaching a few times, I am definitely going to look into it. That smiley face idea sounds great!
Yes, that is exactly how I'm feeling... like it is going to be a LONG, hard year :( and I hate feeling this way! So I am determined to change it!! I like the post-it idea too! I will certainly be meeting with many parents, so I like the idea of contracts! Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteDon't be too hard on yourself. Just keep plugging away with consistency. Remember, after winter break, students seem to gel with routines and each other.
ReplyDeleteI can SO feel your pain! This is my challenging class this year too... anger, outbursts, wiggle bodies, special education you name it I got it. I agree though with whole brain teaching! The class/yes is something I use 100 times a day... and I just keep saying it over in silly voices til the special sweeties get the drift. I do A LOT of waiting, sitting down staring at them hoping they get the hint to BE QUIET. Sometimes they do... sometimes they don't lol. WBT rules are great too - we go over them every day and when a kiddo shouts out I say "Rule #2!" and they shout out "Raise your hand for permission to speak!"... a not so subtle reminder to the offenders. The "mirror" and "blow it in your hand" techniques work wonders to keep them occupied during whole group. We do lots of SHORT sessions since their attention spans are shot. Hope this helped a little... Hurray for 3 day weekend!!
ReplyDeleteShout out to the other Kristin Kennedy above! :)
Hi! So sorry to hear that your year is starting out in a challenging manner...mine, too! I saw an idea on Teeny Tiny Teacher for talking. She has a music box that she winds up daily. When kids are talking, she opens the music box. When the class is quiet, she shuts the box. At the end of the day, the whole class waits with breathless anticipation for her to open the music box one last time to see if there is any music left in the box. If there is, she gives them each a Starburst. It might be another tool to put into your bag of tricks...peer pressure can sometimes be a wonderful thing! :) Good luck and keep your chin up! They've got a great teacher and I know you will be a positive influence on their life! Take care ~ Catherine :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words Catherine!! I will look into the music box - she is so darn creative! I am getting so many ideas to try. THANK YOU!!
DeleteI understand your frustration completely! I have felt the same way so many times over the past 3 weeks. One of my tricks is to compliment all of the students that are on task. "Wow, I love the way Bobby is sitting down with his lips closed and his eyes watching. Is there anyone else that is ready to learn?" I continue until I have complimented everyone for being on task. It almost always works for my challenging students because one, they like the positive attention and two, they are seeing and hearing the expectations over and over again. Instead of hearing what not to do ("stop talking), they hear what they should be doing ("sit with your eyes watching and ears listening"). Remember that "fair isn't everyone getting the same thing, fair is everyone getting what they need to be successful." Maybe moving their clip down or up isn't the best strategy for them and you may have to do something completely different. Is that ok? Yes! They need something to make them successful.
ReplyDeleteI hope this helps!
Vanessa
Kindergarten Schmindergarten
Vanessa, thank you so much! I feel like all I've done the past few days is point out the BAD - I need to keep pointing out the good. Even I hate it when all I do is focus on the negative, so I can only imagine how the kids feel!
DeleteThis sounds just like my group last year...you will be in my thoughts, Susan! I have heard good things about WBT & classroom dojo, but have not looked very seriously into either one myself. I recently started using Teeny Tiny Teachers Quiet Creature & gold tag system, and I love them! Like Alisha, I also recommend a lot of brain breaks AM & PM! By the way, just bought your healthy fruits & veggie pack, and it's fabulous! Best of luck to you on finding the right system for you & the "magnificent" seven;)
ReplyDeleteI am definitely going to up the brain breaks. I have a feeling we will need A LOT of them!! I have to look into Kristen's quiet creature and gold tag system! Thank you so much for the tips!
DeleteOkay I am definitely trying the WBT classity class thing!! It sounds great. I'm with you Chrissy! I think I'm going to have to try to keep my own sanity throughout the year and help those kiddos the best I can!
ReplyDeleteI am working on staying calm and consistent. I notice towards the end of the day I am just feeling overwhelmed and I feel like it is obvious to the children as well. I am focusing on patience, patience, patience.
ReplyDeleteI love My Mouth is a Volcano!! I read it on our second day and we did a little activity with it too! I like your idea of putting clipart around because it will remind ME to keep referring back to it! Thank you Kristin!
ReplyDeleteThe book called Teach Like A Champion is filled with so many great ideas. Last year when I went to a new school and had 32 first graders I was overwhellmed! Every night I would read a new strategy as what to do! Check it.
ReplyDelete