This link will bring you to an article written by
Ron Clarke, he wrote a book called, "The End of
Molasses Classes: Getting Our Kids Unstuck -- 101 Extraordinary Solutions for
Parents and Teachers"
After
reading this article I thought of another good post that I could add for the
beginning of the school year. A few tips I have learned in the past to
help the parents and the teachers. In my past 5 years in the school
systems I have come up with some great ideas which I found others use as well,
and some that I have found myself seem to solve a lot of problems. So
here are my tips.
Tips
for teachers
Behavior
Management.
1.
Respecting EVERYONE
In my art classes I always told
students that my room was a place of respect. I called all my students
Mr. And Ms. before their first time, as well as when they would ask me
questions respond with yes ma'am and yes sir. I do this as early as PreK
and all the way up to working with adults. I have found that the younger
ones laugh a lot at first, but it is easy to deal with a disrespectful student.
The first thing I say is, "Do you feel respected by me?"
Most say yes, I talk to them about what I do that seems respectful. This
is usually the first thing that pops into their minds. It begins with the
name, it is a powerful thing, and seating charts really do help when you have
737 different students. If you add Mr. or Ms. to that name you are
showing that you respect that individual and it usually ends up that they will
return the favor. Basic golden rule; treat them the way you wish to be
treated.
2. The
students should be the ones talking to the parents:
When I have worked in any pull out classroom this has been
my saving grace. I always tell the students, "I didn't do anything
wrong, why should I talk to your family?" Whenever a student acts up in
class they have the 3 strike rule. Strike one: a verbal warning from me,
if it stops there, it goes no further. It’s between that student, and me not
their homeroom teacher, not anyone else in the classroom. Strike 2: they
keep it up, I write down their name as a reminder and it is now and issue
between me, the student, and their homeroom teacher, if they have a card
program it usually results in a card change, but they need to know that their
actions have consequences outside of my classroom. Strike 3: THE CALL I
inform the students that during sometime that day they will call their families
with me. I always talk to the student by asking them, "Why are we
calling home?" They can usually tell you but students also need to
organize their thoughts. I help them figure out what they will say and
then dial the number. The call begins the same way, "Hi, this is Ms.
B, I am a teacher at (said school) and I have (students name) with me.
Today we had a bit of a situation and they are here to tell you about
it." Pass the phone to the kid. If it doesn't begin in crying,
then the family hears it from their student's own voice. This way it
can't be said, "My child wouldn't do that." Its also nice
because if you do it once, word gets around, and kids know they will be held
accountable for their actions.
3.
Send good notes home too.
Kids will
often act out for several reasons, and sometimes they need something
attainable. I have found with most kids who are disruptive, after a few
calls home they aren't affected. So what do you do then? My
solution is to give them something to work towards. I used good notes
home, they simple and on neon green paper. Some kids only needed to have
one good day to get one sent home, then it moved up to having 3 good days in a
row to get one, and it would increase from there. It just depends on the
child you have and what their need is. It's amazing what a free note on a
green paper can do for a kid's self esteem. Many will remember it for
years to come.
4.
Keep a detailed log.
Many of
us have had the parent who comes in and tells us we never heard from you.
Having a log of when you spoke with them, or sent notes home, or had any
contact is hugely important. Those documents are hard to hide. Take
detailed notes. If you got voicemail and it was full, write it down. If you
called 4 times and spoke with the aunt, the grandma, the uncle, and the cousin,
write it down. It will help you if there are any disputes.
Tips
for Parents
1.
Truly listen to the teacher.
Sometimes
we are so angry that our child has a grade they do not feel they deserve, or we
are so upset about something that happened we don't want to wait to hear what
the teacher has to say. Take a notebook in with you when you meet with
the teacher. Write down questions you have about the incident or grade,
and write down others that may come into your mind as the teacher is talking.
If you are angry, it always helps to take a deep breath and count to 10.
Simple I know, but remember many people have had a hard day. Many
teachers have had 30 kids yelling at them, been told new lesson plans are due,
have after school programs they are running for free, and quite a few have a
second job to get to. So listen to what they have to say, take a deep
breath and speak calmly, and write down the answers. If you are unhappy
with the outcome of the meeting, then reconvene with the teacher as well as an
administrator later on in the day.
2.
Offer to help out before you are asked.
Every
teacher would love to have extra hands in the classroom. It may be things
as simple as taking down a bulletin board, or coloring a poster, or even
cutting out some laminated tokens (here is a hint always leave a millimeter
edge of laminate around the item ;) ). Teachers need help, it is
sometimes harder to delegate as so many things are going on, but ask if you can
observe or help out one day. Sometimes something as simple as sorting
crayons into baggies so there are sets with all the colors of the rainbow
(ROYGBIV) is helpful. If you are thinking you don't have time, we
understand. I have often sent work home with parents who have worked
nights to do at home and send back with their kids. Sometimes the teacher
just needs 50 circles traced on blue paper, or 30 triangles cut out of orange
paper for a math project. These are all take with you projects that you
can do on your own time and return, no need to volunteer during the class time.
I promise though, if you reach out to the teacher, when something comes
up with a grade or situation, it will be much easier for them to approach you
with the details if they know you and your student better.
3.
Keep things professional.
Sometimes
talking with a teacher everyday makes you feel like they are your best bud.
You might want to share with the teacher some crazy story about your
weekend, or invite them over for dinner. If you are friends outside of
school before your student is in their classroom this is fine, but no matter
how close you seem to be, it is not professional for the teachers. Today
there are many hoops teachers have to jump through, and many obstacles and
restrictions we are put under. In my current district teachers are not allowed
to have any second job in which they come in contact with students that they
have or have had in the past. This means no tutoring, no private lessons,
no story time with your Mommy and Me group, and hardest for many to accept, no
babysitting. This is something that breaks my heart, but in this day and
age I understand. Please, understand that it may not be anything
personal, but with all the policies in place teachers have many restrictions.
They can't be your friends on Facebook, they aren't allowed to come to
your child's birthday party, and I wish i didn't have to mention this but, the
probably can't date a single parent of a student in their class either.
These rules are there to protect your students, so please do not hold it
against the teacher when they deny a personal request.
4.
Donations are always welcome.
Many
teachers are always doing projects that they need little things here and there.
Often art teachers need old t-shirts for smocks, or newspaper, or
magazines (as long as they are appropriate). Other items often used by
elementary students, egg crates (used for paint trays), Styrofoam anything
(they make printing trays, paper plates, quart size Ziploc bags (perfect for
marker storage and pencil storage), and baby wipes and Clorox wipes are ALWAYS
appreciated. Keeping things clean is difficult with 30+ bodies in a room
per day, so if you can't do anything else and you can afford to or find things
donate. You can always ask the teacher if they have any donor's choose
grants up, a website where teachers can post what they need where families and
friends can donate a little here and there to fund their item. These make
the best gifts at Christmas, and you can even buy gift cards. Many people
would be surprised at how many teachers ask for items for their classroom for
their own birthdays and holidays.
5.
Smile, be courteous, and say thank you.
In today's
world, teachers have been kicked, dragged, and shoved around. Parents
will really get more being sweet and patient that gruff and rash. It's
amazing the difference a note (at times other then teacher appreciation week)
will make to someone who's day has just been rough. Remind them why they
wanted to be teachers in the first place, share your students' growth with
them.
No comments:
Post a Comment