ben's band bangs.
Ben-Style CM: Modified
So I didn't think I could ever successfully enforce every rule every time. And I didn't think I wanted to. I was pretty strict at the beginning, but even then ... EVERY rule, EVERY time?? I'm doing good if I remember to change kids from absent to tardy when they come in half an hour late, let's be honest.
So I decided to go with the spirit of the law more than the letter of the law, because I've already confessed that I don't enforce some of my rules very much any more (raising your hand before you speak, for example) and I'm okay with that.
I came back from Thanksgiving break and had to give out tons of detentions to keep everybody back in line. I've tried to keep things pretty well under control since then because we (me and my students) are definitely all just about ready to jump ship for christmas break a few days early, and it shows. So here's what I decided to do.
Rules that I don't enforce, well ... for the last two weeks, I still haven't enforced them. I still don't make anyone participate in my class. I still haven't been consistent with the hand-raising policy. But the things that I have found do still matter to me (I don't want any hitting in my classroom -- even if you're playing. I don't want anything in your mouth. I don't want any shirts untucked. I don't want any food...), I have tried to enforce consistently. As in, the sweet little straight-A student gets the same detention for play-hitting her friend in front of my face as the cheating, obnoxious kid who never attends class gets for shoving a girl in the lunch line. This has been less painful than I expected, and I think has probably helped to maintain a working atmosphere for the last few weeks. I don't think I'm capable of doing the every-rule every-time thing, but I definitely see the benefits of just bloody being consistent. It helps them to understand exactly what my expectations are, and it actually helps me, too. Because if joe shmo is driving me absolutely up the wall and I know that I'm just looking for a reason to give him detention, well ... I know I'm not being fair, and a lot of times it's just enough to give me pause. Yeah, mabey he's not doing things by the book, and mabey he's pushing the envelope, and mabey this that and the other, but if he's not breaking any rules, and if I'm not going to change my rules or say anything to him about it, it's not doing either one of us any good for me to stand there stewing. It's like having a rubric for grading a test. If they said this, they get the 5 points. If they didn't, it doesn't matter how sweet they are, they just don't. Keeps everybody under control.
Yay for classroom management and christmas break.
So I didn't think I could ever successfully enforce every rule every time. And I didn't think I wanted to. I was pretty strict at the beginning, but even then ... EVERY rule, EVERY time?? I'm doing good if I remember to change kids from absent to tardy when they come in half an hour late, let's be honest.
So I decided to go with the spirit of the law more than the letter of the law, because I've already confessed that I don't enforce some of my rules very much any more (raising your hand before you speak, for example) and I'm okay with that.
I came back from Thanksgiving break and had to give out tons of detentions to keep everybody back in line. I've tried to keep things pretty well under control since then because we (me and my students) are definitely all just about ready to jump ship for christmas break a few days early, and it shows. So here's what I decided to do.
Rules that I don't enforce, well ... for the last two weeks, I still haven't enforced them. I still don't make anyone participate in my class. I still haven't been consistent with the hand-raising policy. But the things that I have found do still matter to me (I don't want any hitting in my classroom -- even if you're playing. I don't want anything in your mouth. I don't want any shirts untucked. I don't want any food...), I have tried to enforce consistently. As in, the sweet little straight-A student gets the same detention for play-hitting her friend in front of my face as the cheating, obnoxious kid who never attends class gets for shoving a girl in the lunch line. This has been less painful than I expected, and I think has probably helped to maintain a working atmosphere for the last few weeks. I don't think I'm capable of doing the every-rule every-time thing, but I definitely see the benefits of just bloody being consistent. It helps them to understand exactly what my expectations are, and it actually helps me, too. Because if joe shmo is driving me absolutely up the wall and I know that I'm just looking for a reason to give him detention, well ... I know I'm not being fair, and a lot of times it's just enough to give me pause. Yeah, mabey he's not doing things by the book, and mabey he's pushing the envelope, and mabey this that and the other, but if he's not breaking any rules, and if I'm not going to change my rules or say anything to him about it, it's not doing either one of us any good for me to stand there stewing. It's like having a rubric for grading a test. If they said this, they get the 5 points. If they didn't, it doesn't matter how sweet they are, they just don't. Keeps everybody under control.
Yay for classroom management and christmas break.
posted by Miss Marshwater at 5:11 AM
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