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Lance Chapman writes:
To follow up on my previous article, I first want to mention that I in no way meant to devalue substitutes. I did not intend to generalize, and if it seemed that I did, then I whole-heartedly apologize. That said, I want to expound on how I dealt with the destruction that occurred in my class when I was absent.
Continue reading A risk - worth it in the end! »
Nick Giulioni writes:
She is a middle-aged woman, the mother of several children, and my teacher. While I may have respected her authority within the classroom through her age and experience, she had done nothing to gain my respect as a person. That was until the day that her room almost erupted into a battleground, but she maintained control.
One day, several students were having a heated argument with someone else for an action he had taken the previous day. It started as a questioning of his motives, but quickly deteriorated into insults. Within seconds, there were threats, and a fight was about to ensue. The teacher, sympathizing with the upset of the group of students was torn between her opinion of the situation and her duty to maintain peace and protect all of her students. She made the right decision.
By dropping an awkward and inappropriate comment as the fight was about to ensue, and taking the attention away from the matter at hand, she was able to maintain a relative amount of peace. She turned the situation from the single student, to herself, distracting everyone from the issue. While several students interpreted this as her just being “awkward,” many others understood her underlying motivation. Her actions showed her intelligence and ability as a teacher, as she understood the minds of her students enough to know how to distract attention away from the brawl that would surely ensue. In so doing, she did something that few teachers could have even dreamed of doing.
For the most part, nothing good results from fights or verbal threats, especially one at school. But this is one exception, where I have gained newfound respect for this teacher. While many students in class that day may not have understood exactly what happened, this teacher deserves to be commended for the way she handled herself. Her character and ability were put to the test, and she passed with flying colors.
Lance Chapman writes:
I had a training class today for an upcoming science unit and as a result, I had to get a sub. I’m ashamed to report that after I went into my classroom after the school day and professional development had ended, I was enraged, discouraged and incredibly disheartened.
My classroom was in shreds –- literally.
The vast majority of my posters were torn down, ripped apart and left on the floor with gum sticking to the bottom. My VHS player and flash drive (with all of my lessons up to this point on it as well as other important documents) were stolen, as well as a computer monitor that is in my storage closet (all these were in a storage unit that was locked). My lab equipment was broken, tagged, (gang symbols in permanent marker) and completely nonfunctional. All 160 of my students now have tagged notebooks with profane language all over the covers. Many of my science books (brand-new this year) are ripped, tagged and coverless. Oh, and the most devastating thing of all, my 7th grade homeroom (I meet with them for 20 minutes per day) has been working on a pen pal project with Indiana 6th graders. They have spent weeks being creative with their letters, attaching photos, drawing, attaching gifts –- now all in shreds. All those photos, gifts and letters are on the floor, and I have to break the news to my 7th graders tomorrow that what they have spent two weeks on is now in the trash and cannot be salvaged.
I’m writing this posting article because I’m truly at a loss for words. I was informed that my substitute teacher had left the room numerous times throughout the day (I don’t even know why) and left the students to themselves. After I told friends who are first-year teachers, many said they would have left. As disappointed as I am, this makes me want to continue even more. My students never act like this when I’m there and I need to reemphasize my expectations for substitute days. But then again, is a class a class when the teacher or substitute isn’t even in the room?
Nick Giulioni writes:
While countless lessons can be learned in the classroom, there are others that teachers cannot even begin to teach within the constraints of a school setting. At Outdoor Science School, a week-long trip that most fifth-graders take to learn about different aspects of nature, I learned several of these lessons as the cabin leader for nine students. Here are 10 lessons -- in descending order of importance -- that these 10-year-olds taught me over the course of a week:
10) Reasoning and explaining one’s actions are always viable options. No matter what age or intelligence, people expect to receive an explanation for a leader’s actions.
9) Counting to three tends to change rowdy children into obedient students, even when no punishment is stated. Can they sense my anger rising, or is it something else?
8) Never let a sleepwalker have the bunk above you. Ever.
Continue reading 10 things I learned at Outdoor Science School »
Lauren McCabe writes:
I feel that I have tried everything. I gave him a chance to make up missing assignments, held him after class to talk one-on-one about his behavior and lack of class participation and even regularly call his home to update his parents on his grades and behavior. This is the same student who came to me on the first day of school and looked me in the eyes and said, “I need to graduate.”
During parent conferences (which the student must also attend), we discussed his poor grades and looked at the prospect of graduation at this point. It looked dim, but I thought it was something we could work on together. We developed a plan to help him organize his assignments and get back on track.
Continue reading He keeps me awake at night »
Lance Chapman writes:
I think it’s time for an update on my troublesome female student whom I wrote about in a previous posting. After much internal debate, I ultimately decided to have her removed from my class. I thank everyone for their advice and want to emphasize just what a good decision this was. Amazingly, the class has improved so incredibly much. I’m noticing that there are students who participate now who never did before. This is essential for me to check their understanding of the concepts I'm teaching. I realized that enough was enough when this student refused to sit in her seat and then attempted to listen to her iPod in the spot of her choice. Sending her out of the class was not generating any improvement, so I talked to the counselor and had her transferred to another class.
Fortunately, this has been a great decision not only for me, but for her as well. Thus far she is thriving in the class and not instigating any challenges for the teacher. I’m always checking up with that particular teacher and I’m very happy that she has been acting and performing so well.
I don’t want to give the impression that I simply send students with behavioral problems to other classes. What happened in this case was more or less a “student trade.” That particular teacher sent me a student who was not behaving well in his class. At first I was skeptical of this act, but that student is adjusting quite well in my class. However, I do realize that this is still the “honeymoon” period for both students, so I need to be extra explicit about my expectations for the class and establish a strong foundation from the start.
Nick Giulioni writes:
My parents have raised me well. They have taught me to hold doors for ladies. They have taught me to take responsibility for my actions. But most important, they have taught me how not to succumb to the pressures of life. They have taught me to deal with my problems, not avoid them, especially not with drugs. This they were adamant about.
After South Pasadena’s grand opening of the $3-million “Field of Dreams,” where the Tigers christened the field by defeating the La Cañada football team, I should have felt ecstatic. I should have stormed the field with my classmates to celebrate the win. Instead, I found myself taking the keys away from two friends who were far too drunk to drive.
While people may scoff at such a small issue as several high school students drinking, it was a serious reality check for me. I realized how peer pressure and stress affect morally strong people. One of the students in particular shows so much potential. He is smart, funny, and polite in addition to being one of the best athletes I know. But he buckled under the pressure. Everything in his life, from growing up to dealing with repeated injuries to thinking about his future got to him, and it was simply too much for him to deal with.
I pride myself on not drinking, even if that means being the odd man out. I deal with my anxiety in my own way, whether it is throwing my cell phone across the room, slamming doors, or just yelling at my parents. But last Friday was almost too much for me to bear as I witnessed my friend in such a state of delirium, the world whizzing by him in a blur.
I’m positive that thousands of underage students drank alcohol (or worse) across the country Friday night for a variety of reasons. It just makes me sick to my stomach to know what some of those students experienced as a result of getting drunk. The only solace I find is the hope that these thousands of students also have a responsible friend to relieve them of their keys and take them home safe and sound.
By engaging in such dangerous activities, these people are not merely dulling their pain but amplifying their responsible friends’ stress and straining their relationships. As long as I am able, I will be there for my friends in their times of need. But I have to admit that I was terrified that night. Nothing I have faced is as scary as my friend not being able to recognize my face, and possibly be in a life-threatening situation from alcohol poisoning.
Why do capable students filled with unbelievable potential make choices that jeopardize themselves, their health, and their futures? Can being there to carry them home bring them back from that edge? Does taking their keys and taking them home to face the music help or hurt the situation? Does leading by example have any effect? Honestly, I don’t know.
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