Tweet

() Comments

Report

That's not true that the only difference is giving
swats. The other difference is your lack of
consistency. You've made constant changes over how
you approach classroom management and discipline.
These are smart girls they can sense you are unsure
of yourself and are taking advantage of your internal
struggle. If you want to give them swats, then give
them swats, if you don't, don't, but stop trying to be
the teacher you feel they want or need and be the
teacher you are, and then do that tomorrow, and the
next day and keep doing it. What will happen in time is
the routine will become the rule and word will get out
what the expectations are and where the line in the
sand is drawn.

On 3/24/17, Caitlin wrote:
> I'm 24, originally from Texas, went to the northeast
for college at Vassar,
> and am now back in Texas teaching 10th and 12th
grade English and
> coaching tennis (I played tennis in college).
>
> I was really worried about classroom discipline
given my young age, the
> fact that I went to an all girls college, that I'm soft
spoken, etc. So I
> gave it a LOT of thought and a lot of planning, and
I've been shocked,
> overall, at how well I've been able to control and
manage a classroom.
> For my "regular" classes anyway, the ones I was
most worried about.
>
> The problem, ironically enough, is my honors class.
Filled with honors
> students, predominately girls, and students who
don't seem to get in
> trouble in ANY of their other classes. Yet they walk
all over me.
> Constant disruptions and, honestly, bad
teaching/learning environment
> because of it.
>
> Over the course of the year, I've tried mixing up my
approach. I went
> from the nice but firm, to the super firm, to the
super laid back cool
> young one. None of the approaches worked. I've
tried rewards to
> encourage, I've tried detention, I've tried ISS. I've
done a few office
> referrals, but there is a stigma on those in my
school, especially for new
> teachers, like you can't handle it yourself, and I
can't rely just on that.
>
> I really am at a loss for what to do. One of my tennis
players said that
> she thinks the only thing different is that I'm one of
the few teachers
> who doesn't utilize corporal punishment (which is
fairly common at my
> school). Its hard for me to imagine that is what is
causing such a big
> change of behavior, when this is the class with the
best students,
> students who aren't getting in trouble in other
classes..... I'm not
> necessarily anti-spanking, and I in fact got pops in
11th grade at this
> very school, but I just tend to think corporal
punishment decisions are
> better made by the parents, not in school. So I
resolved to not give
> pops.
>
> Meanwhile, I've been able to maintain classroom
order jsut fine in my
> other classes (including with some tough students)
without using pops.
> Its hard to imagine that my honors class is the place
I need to start
> applying them.
>
> I really don't want to go against my decision to not
use them, but I have
> tried everything else, and my student/player isnt
wrong when she points
> out its really the only thing that makes me different
from other teachers,
> and the only thing I haven't really tried.
>
> Thoughts?

Posts on this thread, including this one