Dictator

Hey All,

I didn't know where to post this, but here it goes. I recently had a terrible day teaching at my school, not that there are many good days. The class I am talking about has pushed me to my ends and has always had a problem. Hell, I kicked one of the kids out of my English Club yesterday! And I’ve started a class once by a kid telling me, “Seth, I hate you.” So, I started to control the class by taking away passing period time, but that has finally broken down. Anyway read about today...

So, the day started as usual...kids coming up to 5 minutes late to class, some without books. A kid Eddy can't even understand when I say, "Eddy get your books!!!" and he is in my class of 5th and 6th graders. I have asked to remove him from class, but he is still there. His Chinese English teacher, has just noticed there is a problem with his poor performance. The Semester is 2/3 over!!!

Anyway, last class we covered a bunch of new words from our reading book. I wrote them on the board along with very simple English definitions. As most of the kids finished copying them, I erased them just to get their attention. So, today, I wrote 8 random words on the board and told them to write a sentence using each of the words. I was hoping to judge where my students stood with grasping these new words.

Some kids forgot their Journal, I let them go and get it. Mind you this happens often. Then some of the kids just started jacking around, walking around harassing other students. So I took away 2 passing period minutes. To no avail they kept on doing the same as before. So, I took away all of the passing period minutes. Yes, all 10, which would make them late for the next class. I constantly warned all of them to be quiet and do their work. I have some repeat offenders on the not doing their work part. It is too bad my grades don't mean shit. I also constantly called them by name, but that doesn’t work either. Eddy, doesn’t usually answer to his English name.

In the meantime, the good students were bringing their sentences up to be checked by me and I did so happily. Finally, kids that care, I mean really care. Still there were others jacking around….I tried to ignore them.

After adequate time to write 8 sentences, 35 minutes, I took a count of who had done it and who hadn’t. Then I got creative with my punishment.

I YELLED, “STAND UP!” and they did.
I then called the names of the ‘good students’ and moved them to the left side of the classroom. The others to the right.
I split the desks into 2 rows in sets of 3. So there was a giant gap between the two ‘teams’ of students.
I redistributed the passing period minutes: Good Students – 0, Bad Students – 10.
And gave a short free-writing assignment. Most everyone worked on it.

*The Bell Rang

I dismissed the ‘Good Students.’ I held the ‘Bad Students’ behind for 10 minutes. There is a desk blocking one door, like that isn’t a fire hazard, and I stood in front of the other.

The ‘Bad Students’ tried to get out of their 10 minutes by showing me their ‘finished’ assignments. I wasn’t having that today, this hasn’t been a good week and I wasn’t about to make anyone’s day.

Well, I have better things to do, like check email and prepare for the next class. And this would make me late. SO, I made them clean the classroom. The 3rd floor English room is one that isn’t normally cleaned, because it is a general purpose room. I made those kids clean that room, just short of mopping and polishing. I have never seen the room so clean before, including the first day of school. Yeah it took them 7 minutes of their time to get it clean.

I am going to continue to use this method. Hell, I might bring in some cleaning products for the room. And some kid can polish my shoes too! What can I say, I am just giving them a taste of reality, if you don’t do well in school you will be doing this kind of job.

What does classroom management say about that?

-“The now hated English teacher” Seth