Yikes, Definitely some sort of intervention is needed here, but with 3
days left....really not a whole lot you can do but just get through.

If you have her again next year (God forbid! LOL) set herself up to
succeed by forming a relationship with her right off the bat. Get to
know her as much as you can. Get her involved in the art room on day
one: Could she help you load the kiln in the morning if she's there
early, or after school? Hook her in with something fun though---
You'd "pay" her for her time by teaching her how to use the pottery
wheel, or make something extra out of clay. Give her a job with some
responsibility attached---she will hopefully want to rise to the
occassion. This will also give you one on one time together so you can
do some bonding with her. Yes, it is taking lots of your time now, but
it will be well worth it if you can get her to a point when all you
have to do is give her a look and she'll behave.... just because she
doesn't want to let you down. Now THAT would be a glorious day~ lol
However, while you are waiting for this magical thing to happen, you
need to do damage control in the classroom.

If things start to progress to the point that you are at now, then I
would sit her down alone and explain that while you might have let this
behavior continue last year, you will not allow it to go on this year.
You may want to acknowledge that you did allow more than you will allow
this year so she knows right off the bat that "times they are
a'changing." Tell her there will be a consequence each and every time
she misbehaves (stay consistent.... you could take her stick the first
time (or whatever behavior modification technique you use in the room)
and the next time, move her seat. If she carries on, silently put a
note down (I used to pre-print them when I had a student like this---a
boy, a couple years back) that says "next reminder will be lunch with
me." TRY not to call attention to your 'reminders'---quickly deliver
the reminder (as you continue to teach) and walk away as to not engage
her in a power struggle.

I really like lunch detentions because:
1.) They REALLY inconvenience the student: The last thing they want is
to lose out on that social time
2.) They are fairly immediate (unless you have her after lunch...
hopefully you do not!) because the consequence is served many times a
period or two later.
3.) They give you a chance to mentor/talk with the student one on one.
This is the only way to reach many of them, and many times there simply
isn't enough time in the day to get to know them. Lunch detentions
give you that opportunity. Cleaning the room together is a great way
to keep busy and talk at the same time.... Ask her to help clean
brushes. Most kids don't like to sit there anyway and would rather
have a task. If she's really angry, she may say no. Don't act mad, or
disappointed.... simply say "ok---no problem, you may just sit---just
thought I'd throw it out there if you were bored" and then YOU continue
to clean some brushes. The next time, I bet she'll take you up on it
if you ask in the same non threatening manner. She will be more apt to
chat with you if you are both busy in a task--- it will be less
intimidating than if you're sitting at your desk asking her questions.

This is likely to work if:
1.) You are consistent: She ALWAYS receives this consequence when she
acts up. You are giving her warnings, and SHE has the ultimate power
to decide whether or not she'll take that last step and get the
detention. One thing is for sure, if she does decide to go there,
there will indeed be a consequence. That never changes.

2.)You do not engage in any power play with her. Do not argue, do not
get mad. Stay in control of the situation, but do not let her push
your buttons. If she refuses a consequence (Like she will most likely
say something like "I'm not going to your stupid lunch detention" if
you have to assign her one) Do not argue with her. Keep it short "Now
there's a choice you can make. Life IS full of choices." Deliver
(pleasantly) and walk AWAY. Do not engage her. Do not worry about
what it looks like to the class.... if you are confident and are not
rattled, they will know that you are not letting her get away with
anything. YOU are in control of the situation-- and the consequence
that awaits sweet "jane" is something you will be keeping to yourself.

3.)You are able to form some sort of a bond with her.

You will have to get your administrator on board---and explain what you
are doing, because there will need to be a consequence if she does not
show up for your detention. I used to have to go down to the cafeteria
and get "James" the first couple of times. The principal would be
there monitoring lunch which worked out great because he made sure
James came back with me. James soon got tired of that long awkward
walk back to the room with me, and started showing up on his own. This
was ideal (rather than having the principal assign an in school
suspension etc. for skipping) because it showed James that he was not
going to get out of my detention. It couldn't be 'replaced' with
something else. After a while, he just resolved himself to the fact
that I was relentless, and it wasn't worth the extra effort to resist.

Of course the bummer is that you don't get to eat with the teachers,
but it really is a small price to pay to make your life less miserable
(and face it, it's close to miserable when you have a student like that
in class!)

Good luck! Kids like this can really be frustrating, and you may not
see improvement for quite some time. There is no quick fix
unfortunately and there will be days you think you're making progress
only to back-slide again. Don't get discouraged---don't give up, just
do what you can do and go easy on yourself. There often is not
one "right answer" in handling these kinds of kids---they do keep us on
our toes don't they? I often think that God sends them our way to keep
things interesting, keep us humble, and challenge us to be better
teachers. JUST when I think I've got it all figured out, in
walks "Brandon" and teaches me that I still have a lot to learn. :)

Share This Post | Report This Post

Next Post >>

Posts on this thread, including this one