I haven't read the other responses but I can completely relate
to your post. I just experienced the best cleanup with 7th
grade ever! We finished up a sculpture unit and the room
needed to be cleaned. It went so well that I said they can
part of next class for free draw or games. Some of them were
disappointed! They wanted to move on to the next project!
I'm not bragging- this just never happens! Then there's my
other 7th grade class that couldn't handle 10 min. of wiping
down tables... that's more like what I am used to.

Right now I have a 8th grade class that lost the privileges of
using paint. They had their rough drafts transferred onto the
beautiful watercolor paper and they were out of control when
it came to practicing using paint and the procedures. I was
so upset that they made me hate teaching painting... so
instead of pushing through I changed the structure and
materials. The only supplies they could use were their own
pencils and the paper I provided. We did step by step drawing
on 3-D art. By day 3, they were pretty bored. I reintroduced
watercolor again and it went so much smoother. I think
there's a high possibilty that they will be going back to
pencil but they earned another chance at it. The 3-D
exercises work well for short periods of time for 5th-8th
grade (look up Draw Squad). All my 8th graders could do them
but my 6th graders actually like doing them.

I would take the materials away or really limit them. They
don't appreciate them so why waste the supplies on them?
Structured drawing exercises or scholastic art mags have
really worked for my kids. They are not all like that 7th
grade class first mentioned. On 11/03/09, MinneArt wrote:
> I am in my second year and maybe I was just to optimistic
> about how things would go after a year under my belt. I
> feel stressed and over extended, just like I did in year
> one, yet I am even more annoyed at how some things are
> going. How do I go about resetting boundaries? For
> example, some of the little ones try to hang on me at
> recess (which I didn't allow last year so I am not sure
> where this is coming from). How do I say, in a firm but
> not rude way, "I don't want you hanging on my arms and
> legs - go away!" Other students think that it is my job to
> do their projects for them. Honestly, one of my 6th
> graders today asked for me to cut something for him (which
> was part of the project) and I responded, "You are the
> artist! I know you can do it!" He then replied, "This is
> your job, what are you getting paid for?" !!!!
>
> And reteaching clean-up? Ugh. Middle schoolers only have
> 30 minute periods with me and I haven't figured out how in
> the heck to get materials out and put back away without a
> struggle in such a short time. They knew how to do it in
> 5th grade last year, and even 2 months ago in September,
> but now they are SLOBS! Right now I try to have everything
> out on the tables for them so they can dive right in when
> we are in the middle of a project but then everything falls
> apart when I try to get them to clean up!!!!!! Seriously,
> there is stuff on the floor and the tables and I feel like
> I spend at least 30 minutes after school cleaning their
> messes so that the maintenance people don't have to deal
> with the chaos! Should I just cut worktime down to 20 min
> and have them clean for 10 minutes until they do it in the
> time it should actually take?
>
> And how about kids not liking to put the work into their
> projects? If things are challenging, they moan and groan.
> I KNOW that I am not asking them to do anything out of
> their abilities. Arg! And SOOOOO many days this year,
> kids see projects from another grade and ask "Why don't we
> get to do that, that looks more fun than what you are
> making us do." Seriously, I think I have heard that from
> my third and fourth graders a million times. Of course,
> after I pull teeth to get them to put in some real effort
> and work, they love the result, but getting there is sure
> miserable!
>
> Right now I am just counting the days until Thanksgiving
> and Christmas...which is NOT how I wanted to feel about my
> job! Or my students! Help!

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