Hello everyone,
If you will forgive me, I would like to focus a little on the problems of teaching middle school.
Rather, I should say, PROBLEM.
The overwhelming problem of teaching middle school is managing the classroom. Middle school students are very unforgiving of teachers who don't manage the classroom efficiently. I could phrase that previous sentence to read, "Middle school students punish teachers who don't rule with an iron hand," and not be far from the truth.
At the same time, middle school students are savvy enough to know that teachers have weaknesses; they will look for those weaknesses and exploit them, especially if they a tendency toward leniency. They will tell you to your face that you're mean; they will beg you not to give them consequences; they will smile at or flirt with you; they will throw temper tantrums. In short, they will use the full repertoire of all the techniques they perfected in childhood to get what they want, and they will rarely give in until they either get it, or they learn that you're serious.
The secret, then, is to show them that you're serious. Follow up on consequences; don't defer consequences; make sure they don't escape consequences. NEVER be cruel; ALWAYS be firm; ALWAYS follow up; NEVER lose your cool.
Remember that the most effective thing is to use the parents. Invite the parents to come to your class. For a particularly badly-behaved student, require the parents to come and observe. (Make sure you're not absent on the day they come.)
Don't use the deans as punishment. It's ineffective to use them as punishment. Use the deans to keep students who are suspended from your classroom for exceptionally disruptive or egregious behavior; send students to the deans that are on contracts; send students whose parents will not cooperate. Don't send students for minor offenses, and don't threaten students with the deans. For your worst behaved students (often your least skilled students), the deans' office is more of a reward than a punishment. (Having the child's mother come to class and sit next to him/her until he/she behaves--THAT is punishment. It's also a good, reasonable, logical consequence.)
Your regular attendance is important as well. Every day you have a substitute will cost you a day or more of restoring order. It's not the sub's fault; it's just the nature of middle school behavior.
NOW, once you have order in the classroom and you begin to teach, you can begin to tap into the wonderful energy and spirit of early adolescents. They are terrific to work with; they are moldable; they are curious. They want boundaries (really), and they will appreciate you for setting them, even as they buck against them. What's more, they want to be taught, even as they insist that they know it all.
They're just like growing ponies. They're cute and lots of fun as soon as they stop kicking you. You must teach them to stop kicking, though.
Jeff Combe
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
It takes a special kind of person to work with the Middle School population. I appreciate your advice because I work with 50 6-8 grade middle schoolers in an urban charter school.
Many days I walk out thinking, "Why do I do this?" An hour later I can answer that question: because I like them.
Thank you for validating what I have been experiencing for the past two years. I went back to college later in life and have recently graduated. I have been "baptized by fire" as my friend says. But I think that is why I keep going back every day. I like the challenge and the ability to work with a population that needs encouragement and a fresh view of who they are as individuals. Many come from the local school district where they have been told that they are "bad" kids.
I have had success with these students and you are correct, consistency, care and boundaries are key.
I frequently say that some things in education are universal principles and some things are just tricks of the trade. I appreciate the way the correspondent summarizes the idea as "consistency, care, and boundaries." In middle school or high school, those are universal principles. The fact that someone from (presumably) another part of the country sees it the same way is testimony to that universality.
New teachers learn universal principles simultaneously with tricks of the trade, and that simultaneity can be confusing. Try to be clear about what is unchangeable and what is a trick; whenever you're dipping into your bag of tricks, don't let the fixed principles be lost.
Regardless of what you teach or how you teach it, you must be consistent with your policies (including grading, behavior, consequences, and homework); you must care about your students; and there must be very clearly defined boundaries over which neither you nor your students will cross without consequences.
Post a Comment