T O P I C :

They Egg Each Another On

Scott describes the issue: Fortunately, I haven't had too many discipline issues in the classroom and was actually expecting more behavioral problems. They're high school juniors, so I thought I might run into "the attitude" prevalent in teenager circles. Unfortunately, one of my classes seems to behave inappropriately on occasion.

There's a high level of testosterone in the room (three girls in the entire class), and if one kid makes a smart comment, the others jump on it, as if it were a game. The teacher and I have already adjusted the seating chart as best we can, but it doesn't matter where the kids sit, they still look across the room and egg each other on. My mentor has stated he wants to take one or two of them outside to talk privately, as a matter of discipline, but who knows if this minor step will help. Any thoughts on what to do when you've got this situation in your class?

Posted October 12, 2008

R E S P O N S E :

Positive Referrals

Julia Bachelor writes: I can sympathize with your situation. I have had this issue in some of the classes I am teaching, and unfortunately I can remember being the student in the class who looked to get the attention on a few occasions. In my last rotation I worked in a Pod. We often asked students to meet with us during our "team" meeting period. We met with students to give them positive referrals, where we wrote up the positive characteristics these student showed in our classes, signed the paper, and had that student take it to the principal or assistant principal.

This was a way to make sure we addressed students who were positive in class. Of course, we also brought in students whose behavior lacked characteristics we wanted to see in the classroom. We spoke to these students about their behavior — the things we liked and what we wanted to see. Often, this resulted in a change in behavior in that student, and if nothing else, it opened a conversation between the teachers and the student about expectations in the classroom, and was a documented meeting that could lead to other, stricter repercussions.

I agree with your mentor. I think I would try speaking with the student one-on-one about what is happening in class. People — especially adolescents — need to know where those boundaries are. Hopefully talking to them one-on-one will be enough for them to see that boundary line —- especially juniors.

Posted October 26, 2008

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