discipline - Balancing Act
Parents Evening - challenging pupils
So my three late nights went well - parents evening was particularly enjoyable. I always start off dreading them and especially when I have to try to give positive news to the parents of the pupils in the lowest attaining Maths group in Year 9!
Around half-way through once I’d realised that even the parents of the naughtiest kids were on my side. I always try to concentrate on the work and only include behaviour when it’s really a problem (i.e. if it’s seriously disrupting their learning or the education of others).
Behaviour
Apparently being taught by an experienced teacher is having a positive effect on this group. I have some problems managing their behaviour, they are a challenge, but the lessons eventually go the way I want them to. Several parents told me that things were much better this year than they have been in the last couple of years.
Confidence
I can’t help letting my natural persona spill over into the classroom. You’ve probably noticed I’ve a strong sense of humour – luckily this seems to work with most teenagers, I always worry about teachers who don’t seem to have a sense of humour (or any other personality traits). Many parents commented that their child was suddenly starting to enjoy Maths since I’d become their teacher. I don’t’ think it’s because of my teaching techniques per se but more about the way I treat them. A few talked specifically about the an confidence and I think that’s because I won’t let anybody get away with ‘acting dumb’.
I end the meeting with something like a mini-contract. In addition to following our policy of shaking hands with the parents I also shake hands with the pupils; I make sure they know our handshake is about sealing a deal – usually it’s about ‘putting your hand up before speaking’ or ‘volunteering for more answers’ or ‘showing full working’.
Over confidence
It was particularly satisfying to have Saffron, our somewhat indifferent trainee teacher, observing. This is the most challenging class that she’s working with and I think she’d decided that because they’re not perfectly behaved I’m a bad teacher. Even after fifteen years of teaching it still gives me a confidence boost hearing that I’m giving my pupils a confidence boost.
I have to be careful though– it’s Year 10 parents evening next week and pride comes before a fall!
Submitted by Mrs OC on 17 Jan 2009
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Comments: British pupils the ‘easiest’ in the world to teach!
This TES article makes not so much interesting as incredible reading. I’ll let you read it for yourself but also provide a link through to the originators of the study.
Well, on face value I don’t believe it and neither does anyone on the TES thread apparently!
Anyway, I don’t know about you but I don’t think that ‘easy’ covers teaching in any country in the 21st century if you’re doing it properly. I do often find it funny how some teachers view the situation in their own school.
I’ve moved schools quite a bit and know that the first couple of years in a new school are quite a challenge in terms of establishing behaviour management within your classroom. After a couple of years it gets easier as you’ve known more of the pupils from an early age and each year more of the classes contain pupils who you’ve taught before.
I also know that my current school is a nice place to work in – there are some very interesting characters but for the most part our pupils know why they’re in school and do as you ask them and engage in lessons. For a large inner-city comprehensive we’re a breeze.
It therefore surprises me when I hear “established” saying how bad our pupils are – en masse, not just after a difficult class and not qualified to ‘bad for our school’ in fact they often go on to say ‘how awful the school is’ – I usually intervene at this point.
I know I always like to look on the bright side but it worries me that these established characters can poison the minds of newer and less-experienced staff (who may well be having a bad time just because of they’re still developing their teaching styles) and I don’t think that this article is going to persuade them to change their view point but I’d be interested in ideas on what will.
Submitted by Mrs OC on 03 Jan 2009 Posted in: Searching for weapons: cascading our inset training
It was a cold October afternoon. Middle leaders sat waiting for Mrs O'C and Nigel (the pastoral deputy) to cascade what they'd learnt at an inset about searching for weapons.
Luckily only that afternoon Mrs O'C had confiscated a small screwdriver disguised as highlighter pen from a Year 8 boy during a walkabout visit to a maths lesson ...
Our presentation on searching for weapons - it's multiple choice full of hyperlinks - you click what you think is the correct answer, it will either take you to an explanation of why it's correct - click on the question to get to the next question or it will take you to the 'you are wrong' screen and you can choose the question to return to. Have fun!
Submitted by Mrs OC on 27 Oct 2008 Posted in: Topics in this blog
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