Fridays on Defend

[Tom Yum]

8th grade Language Arts to mostly ELL students on the South side.

You're probably a better teacher than you give yourself credit for...but you'll find out more once you get an in class observation from the principal (do they still do that?).

[treelizard]

You're probably a better teacher than you give yourself credit for...but you'll find out more once you get an in class observation from the principal (do they still do that?).

Thanks! I am getting there. It is more difficult in a school that doesn't have very basic things (let alone a curriculum)...

Yeah, they do informal and formal observations...but the students get really quiet whenever they walk in so it's not as helpful as it could be. I also have another person who will be observing and isn't affiliated with the school. That will be nice. I'm also taking all kinds of workshops and reading too much.

The problem has been inconsistent implementation of consequences... I had it under control last Monday so all I need to do is the same thing again...

I'd like to think that humans have evolved beyond the "do what I say or you'll get in trouble" model but I guess that's not the case.

[Ahsen]

TreeLizard Smiling helps

[DickHardman]

I'd like to think that humans have evolved beyond the "do what I say or you'll get in trouble" model but I guess that's not the case.

thats how it has to be. you have to make it known that there will always be negative consequences for behaving negatively. if not, they will run all over you. i know this because i used to be one of those students who would run all over teachers if they let me do so. i would push it as far as i possibly could. it was only the teachers who made sure i suffered a negative consequence every time that were able to deter me from going crazy in the classroom or get me to turn in work. if you are too nice, and too friendly with them they will run all over you. sadly, 8th graders arent really mature enough to be handled any other way. every time one of them does something wrong, or doesnt turn in work, make them have to call their parents, or take away their recess. do whatever it takes, cause i know for sure when i was in 8th grade the only thing i was concerned about in class was which person i was going to shoot my spitball at next. i used to bring tons of plastic straws to school and use them to fire fat, wet spitballs all over the classroom that would stick to people. this was especially true anytime a movie was being shown in class, cause as soon as the lights went off i could fire off as many spitballs as i wanted without being seen.

[treelizard]

Yes, I am learning this the hard way. I think the students have picked up on some inconsistency within the administration. Anyway, what I did on Thursday worked. I just have to keep doing it.

In every age, teachers face new and unique challenges:

1. Teachers each day will fill lamps, clean chimneys.
2. Each teacher will bring a bucket of water and a scuttle of coal for the day's session.
3. Make your pens carefully. You may whittle nibs to the individual taste of the pupils.
4. Men teachers may take one evening each week for courting purposes, or two evenings a week if they go to church regularly.
5. After ten hours in school, teachers may spend the remaining time reading the Bible or other good books.
6. Women teachers who marry or engage in unseemly conduct will be dismissed.
7. Every teacher should lay aside from each pay a goodly sum of his earnings for his benefit during his declining years so he will not become a burden on society.
8. Any teacher who smokes, uses liquor in any form, frequents pool or public halls, or gets shaved in a barber shop will give good reason to suspect his worth, intention, integrity and honesty.
9. The teacher who performs his labor faithfully and without fault for five years will be given an increase of twenty-five cents per wee in his pay, providing the Board of Education approves.

Rules for Teachers, 1872.

[Ahsen]

Treelizard don't forget smiling
Now that takes an effort

[treelizard]

Smiling doesn't work.

[Tom Yum]

thats how it has to be. you have to make it known that there will always be negative consequences for behaving negatively. if not, they will run all over you. i know this because i used to be one of those students who would run all over teachers if they let me do so. i would push it as far as i possibly could. it was only the teachers who made sure i suffered a negative consequence every time that were able to deter me from going crazy in the classroom or get me to turn in work. .

Looks like you haven't changed much lol.

[Hardball]

We all can benefit from #7 on your list.

[DickHardman]

Looks like you haven't changed much lol.

thats not true either. now im armed with the knowledge of multiple martial arts, in addition to having 25 lbs more muscle than before.

[Hardball]

thats how it has to be. you have to make it known that there will always be negative consequences for behaving negatively. if not, they will run all over you. i know this because i used to be one of those students who would run all over teachers if they let me do so. i would push it as far as i possibly could. it was only the teachers who made sure i suffered a negative consequence every time that were able to deter me from going crazy in the classroom or get me to turn in work. if you are too nice, and too friendly with them they will run all over you. sadly, 8th graders arent really mature enough to be handled any other way. every time one of them does something wrong, or doesnt turn in work, make them have to call their parents, or take away their recess. do whatever it takes, cause i know for sure when i was in 8th grade the only thing i was concerned about in class was which person i was going to shoot my spitball at next. i used to bring tons of plastic straws to school and use them to fire fat, wet spitballs all over the classroom that would stick to people. this was especially true anytime a movie was being shown in class, cause as soon as the lights went off i could fire off as many spitballs as i wanted without being seen.

You must have gotten into many fights for spitting on people. In fact, it's a wonder your are still alive. LOL

[DickHardman]

You must have gotten into many fights for spitting on people. In fact, it's a wonder your are still alive. LOL

not at all. i was sneaky about it. people usually didnt know who it was cause i would immediately pretend like i hadnt even noticed that they had been hit with a spitball. i would then bask in the pure delight of watching them look around the classroom in suspicion and anger at everyone else, not havin a clue who fired it at them lol. another thing i used to do was break the nose cone tips off bic mechanical pencils and tape a rubber band to the pencil so it covered the back part that you would normally press down on to make the lead come out. that way i could pull the back part back against the rubber band, while loading the "barrel" with a spitball or small object and then fire it across the classroom at a target by releasing the back part of the pencil that is normally pressed down on. it was great.

and if you didnt have a pencil or straw, you could always use a ruler and an eraser. just take off little pieces off the eraser and stick them on the end of the ruler. pull it back like a tree branch and let it go, so it can propel the tiny piece of eraser across the room at whoever you were targeting. i remember one day in particular when i was in the back of the classroom. i used my ruler to launch eraser pieces at this one kid who was almost in the very front. i tormented this kid for like over an hour cause every time he would get hit he would turn around and have no clue who was doing it to him LOL.....

[Tom Yum]

thats not true either. now im armed with the knowledge of multiple martial arts, in addition to having 25 lbs more muscle than before.

I'm talking about your attitude. You know - growing up?

[jubaji]

The fact that he is lying about the muscle and the MA should tell you all you need to know about the 'growing up' part.

[Tom Yum]

not at all. i was sneaky about it. people usually didnt know who it was cause i would immediately pretend like i hadnt even noticed that they had been hit with a spitball. i would then bask in the pure delight of watching them look around the classroom in suspicion and anger at everyone else, not havin a clue who fired it at them lol. another thing i used to do was break the nose cone tips off bic mechanical pencils and tape a rubber band to the pencil so it covered the back part that you would normally press down on to make the lead come out. that way i could pull the back part back against the rubber band, while loading the "barrel" with a spitball or small object and then fire it across the classroom at a target by releasing the back part of the pencil that is normally pressed down on. it was great.

and if you didnt have a pencil or straw, you could always use a ruler and an eraser. just take off little pieces off the eraser and stick them on the end of the ruler. pull it back like a tree branch and let it go, so it can propel the tiny piece of eraser across the room at whoever you were targeting. i remember one day in particular when i was in the back of the classroom. i used my ruler to launch eraser pieces at this one kid who was almost in the very front. i tormented this kid for like over an hour cause every time he would get hit he would turn around and have no clue who was doing it to him LOL.....

You sound like a punk, Hardman. No, not as in punk rock - punk as in someone who needed a beat down.

There was a guy in my highschool who was a bully. Not throwing spit wads in the back of people's heads, he would find skinny, rich-looking kids. Harass them, steal their shit and sell it. Kind of a big dude, so not too many students had the balls to stand up to them. And those that did and could, weren't bothered by him.

He stole some valuable stuff from this one nerdy, dork; a non-athletic, middleclass white kid and good classmate of mine. A pager or something. The problem was that the pager that he stole wasn't his; it belonged to his sister's boyfriend. The sister's boyfriend was involved in some extra curricular activities involving colors and hand signs.

The pager gets a ring. Kid calls the pager number number and starts talking smack, thinking he's being funny and tormenting one of the nerd's friends. Sister's bf has the kids number and now knows where the kid lives. They payed him a visit and he was a much more chilled out person that year.

Here he was, 6'1" and 220-something pushing and threatening 140 lb kids and the next week decided he wants to be cool and friendly with everyone.