AHH! STOP MAKING NOISE!
I'm so frustrated with the noise level in my classroom. My children are so loud so much of the time. Nothing I do actually gets them quiet for more than about thirty seconds. Even when I'm giving direct instructions, someone will invariably start talking (to themselves or to others, or calling out at me, anything from answers to whining about having to "use it" to "I don't have a pencil!" which is my current least favorite phrase) or wiggling their chairs or desks around (SCREEEEE, BUMP, SCREEEEE, BUMP). Both drive me crazy, but the latter is really hard to pinpoint and occurs almost constantly in the afternoons when they are restless (even if we've just done something active). And what can I do for such things besides request that they stop? (I finally decreased the constant desk opening and shutting by making anyone who opens their desk when I'm talking turn their desk around for the rest of the day, but that takes a little while, interrupts class, and is hard to do to those sneaky desk wigglers.)
Also awful are the "request to stop" non-tattles. We'll be on the rug, which is a tight fit, and suddenly Cartisha will shout "AHHH! LAKANDRIA*! STOP POKING ME!" From this, I get the following information: 1. Cartisha is sitting near Lakandria. 2. Someone who may or may not be Lakandria just intentionally or unintentionally touched Cartisha either forcefully or hardly at all. 3. Cartisha does not care that I was speaking. I don't condone tattling, so I'm in a quandry about what to do. Having either student move is a big hassle, I won't punish Lakandria for something I didn't see her do, and it seems unfair to punish Cartisha if Lakandria is really poking her.
*names changed.
Also awful are the "request to stop" non-tattles. We'll be on the rug, which is a tight fit, and suddenly Cartisha will shout "AHHH! LAKANDRIA*! STOP POKING ME!" From this, I get the following information: 1. Cartisha is sitting near Lakandria. 2. Someone who may or may not be Lakandria just intentionally or unintentionally touched Cartisha either forcefully or hardly at all. 3. Cartisha does not care that I was speaking. I don't condone tattling, so I'm in a quandry about what to do. Having either student move is a big hassle, I won't punish Lakandria for something I didn't see her do, and it seems unfair to punish Cartisha if Lakandria is really poking her.
*names changed.
posted by Jessica at 11:43 PM
3 Comments:
from a non-teacher (so take with a grain of salt) -- how about making both the interruptor and the person supposedly doing the poking stand in opposite corners? The message here is that the class will not be interrupted. If someone is poking you, move away from them quietly, without saying anything (maybe it's time to buy one more rug so there's more room on the floor?) Do you think if you consistently made any interruptor (squeeky desk mover, etc) stand in a corner (back to room) eventually they'd understand that interrupting isn't condoned? (Problem is, what if it's a really valid interruption . . .)
Thank you both for the feedback. We do have a hands in laps policy -- we say (and do) "My hands and feet are folded, my back is straight and tall, my eyes are on the speaker, I make no noise at all." If I see unfolded hands I remind and we say the whole thing again. They poke with knees and elbows. There's really no scooting room -- the rug is the biggest one that fits, and also if I let them move around at all then they all move all over the rug the whole time and sit next to people they will talk to (or just keep moving from place to place). And I just don't have enough corners (also, when I move them out of the group, which I do, I have to keep hollering at them to get them to stay where I put them.)
One more suggestion - make being on the rug the greatest thing ever. If you hype it up enough, hopefully, you'll be able to tell kids when they get kicked off something along the lines of, 'if you cant work with the best, go off by yourself.' It doesnt always work because some of the kids will inevitably cause problems, but ive seen some amazing things happen on the rug, and it comes with respect for the rug rules and each other. Im still having similar troubles myself, but i have to keep trying things because my kids are too spacey to focus in their normal seats. Good luck!
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