Have you ever had “that” class, where your best efforts don’t pan out no matter what? My readers have some encouragement for you. (Wikipedia / laihiuyeung ryanne)
If you haven’t heard, I’ve had a rough time with one of my classes.
A quick recap: big class, big personalities, shushing, punishing, yelling and cutting off from technology. That’s the 12-word summary of my post from last week.
After I published that post, two great things happened. One was that I had a couple of good days with those guys. Like I promised I would, I got back to basics. I greeted them at the door. I focused on eye contact and encouraging. And I didn’t withhold my best from them because I was frustrated.
The second thing was the amazing outpouring of encouragement I got from my readers and fellow educators online. As I write this post, the comment count on that post (including my replies) stands at 29. Posts on my blog never get so many comments, so this did a LOT to boost me up! If you commented on that post or even just read it and sympathized, thank you!
There are really some golden nuggets of wisdom in those comments, and it would be a shame if they were overlooked, so I’m going to share some of them. If you’re struggling or have ever struggled with a group of kids in the classroom, these words of encouragement are for you!
1. Mark wrote that after a technology-rich activity in class, he will ask his students if they enjoy that kind of learning and why. “They always say, yes they do, and explain that they learn more in these ways. I then have an opportunity to speak about the silly things (they might write or do with that technology) and show how it distracts from the learning process and that there is no point in doing this again if it happens again. They soon catch on.”
2. After struggling with a class, Jill Conner has asked for anonymous student suggestions for changes to what they do in class. “I was shocked with the results,” she said. “I had a few suggestions, but most of them admitted that the fault was theirs. Some even apologized. After that things were smoother. Not perfect, but it seemed it brought about an understanding between us.”
3. Chaz suggested that I check out Nonviolent Communication, a communication process that focuses on self-empathy, empathy and honest self-expression. According to an article on Wikipedia, it is based on the idea that all human beings have the capacity for compassion and only resort to violence or behavior that harms others when they don’t recognize more effective strategies for meeting needs. This seems like a good way to connect with students. He also included a link to a site about using NVC in the classroom.
4. Frank gave a long list of great suggestions, but the one that stuck with me most was this: “When you feel yourself getting to a point where you are going to make a bad teaching desicion…make a joke out of it and laugh a little. Must be done with great care…For example: A student once did something pretty bad in my class and topped it off with a swear word (this class was going downhill and I was in a similar position). Everyone looked for my reaction – I looked at him square in the eyes and said “Just because you’re my nephew doesn’t give you the right to do these things”…I took a candybar out of my desk, gave it to him and told him I wasn’t going to tell my brother – his dad. The student was African American and I am white. I kept up this lie all year…the kid had a great time in my class and the students knew better than to mess with someone who was clearly out of his mind….Lessson: go crazy in a good way… by the way he is in his 20s and still refers to me as his uncle on Facebook.”
5. Christine created better teacher-student relationships with 5 to 10 minute mini-conferences. “The only purpose of these was to form a bond between me and the student,” she wrote, “which makes them want to perform. While I eventually lost about half of the adult high school class, many of those who persisted and learned did so because of the relationships we built. I did some other things with curriculum, but the conferences were clearly what made the difference.”
6. Kari Catanzaro reminded me that rough days in class aren’t any one person’s fault. “While I completely understand that you don’t want to blame your students, you also shouldn’t beat yourself up when the students make poor choices; we are all in this together, this adventure called learning, and we have to work together- both teacher and students have the responsibility for making a class activity succeed or flop.”
7. David LaBoone and Joy Kirr use phone calls and e-mails home to parents, and not for poor student behavior. Joy wrote, “I’ve sent at least two a weekend, and those kids come in smiling bigger now, too.”
8. Jennifer, a teacher at my school, e-mailed me and put her best advice into a short list: “Stay strong, remember your core, be flexible and pray!!!”
Do you have any advice for teachers like me that are struggling with an overwhelming class? Share your ideas in a comment below!
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What luck that your post popped up in my feed! I’m struggling with a class right now too. I know it’s a combination of things, with low reading levels being at the forefront. When students struggle, frustrations appear. It happens with us adults too. What has started helping for me is going back to the workshop model. My students do quick writes each day to build writing endurance, and read a book of choice for 15 minutes. I’ve also found that stories can be quite powerful. Students, even 9th graders, LOVE learning about their teachers! My students long to hear my quick writes each day, and it’s starting to encourage a few of them to share. I’m sticking with it to see where it goes!
I think we all feel your pain Matt! If we are truthful, it has happened to all of us at one time or another. Just hopefully not during an evaluation! LOL
It is frustrating for both students and teachers when one or two students ruin an otherwise good day/lesson. I have resorted to having the one who chooses to distract from the class just observe for the day. They do not like it when they cannot be actively engaged with the technology or let their voice be heard. They are not removed from the class where they miss the lesson. They are very much a part, just not an active participant any more. Often they learn more because they see what everyone else is doing. I always debrief with the student after class to evaluate the effectiveness of the “punishment.” Rarely do I have a repeat offender.
Hang in there! Our kids are not perfect, but neither are we!
This is all good stuff, Paula! Thanks for adding your voice to the conversation. I like how you talk to them individually but don’t let it stop there. You give additional support AND give them additional responsibility, too. I’ll bet that adds ownership for them to the class. These are great ideas.
Matt-
I have a very diverse group of students myself this year. Unfortunately, we know from experience, that a few can spoil an entire class. Additionally, we tend to focus on the negative and forget that the positive usually outnumbers the negative. This year I have pulled three such students aside and had a heart-to-heart talk with them. I spoke earnestly with them about how I really care and want them to be successful. I pour a little humor into our conversation and insist that they promise to give a 110 percent. I make a point during the class to make additional eye contact with them especially when I’m checking for understanding. I make a point to stand next to them during an assessment and give words of encouragement. I also give them additional responsibility during the class. These all sound so simple, but the personal additional touch makes a difference, without drawing attention to the negativity.