I think the root of the problem is teacher preparation in college. I hate to sound like I'm harping on Preschool Teachers and their training, but it is fundamentally different from the training I got for Elementary. Maybe because, at least years ago, the objectives for the training was on 1) the developmental level of the child and 2) the appropriate management of behavior needed to accomplish those objectives. I would say 80% of the program for teachers was about managing behavior, and that included everything from setting up the environment to minimize problems in the beginning to managing groups of students (12) to managing behavior when the student was tired, hungry, angry, frustrated to managing behaviors of special needs students. I remember wondering where the class was in my elementary program that would address these issues for el. I was of course so relieved to realize that all that training and experience was completely transferable to my second graders. The "on the job" training also involved being observed and then given helpful critique on how I could do things better. I love that because, if you don't have your discipline skills in place, your day could be a nightmare. For example, one teacher observed that when I placed a student away from our large group time because his behavior was disruptive, noticed that I left them there "too long." She explained to me that when I isolate a student from the situation, I'm not giving that student a chance to gain the very skill he doesn't have. Does that make sense? So, keeping him in group time, maybe close to me, and coaching the behavior would be a better idea if I want him to acquire that behavior. So now the concept of not using isolation as a first resort makes sense to me, and so in most situations, I use a coaching approach before I banish a child from an activity. There is so many, many, little tricks we are taught to get the students to comply, it would be impossible to get into it here. We've had lists of phrases in categories of What to say, What not to say, because we know that HOW you say something is very important and can illicit compliance or defiance. It's really not our fault, we should have more than a casual mention of discipline in our courses. Debbie Beverlee Paul <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: I really hate that this is going to sound like a "blame the victim" mentality, but it seems like it should be said. Few people ( including us ourselves) really understand the "skills" teachers develop for all areas of teaching, including management techniques. And usually we learn by trial and error, which is probably the most common learning technique. It's entirely possible that the "class from Hell" which one teacher has, was indeed equivalent to classes other teachers at that grade level were assigned, at least on paper. The difference could have been what an experienced teacher did/did not do along the way, especially the first few weeks. It could have to do with her/his room setup. Transitions. Time management. Materials. Preventative guidance. Active curriculum. And a host of minute-by-minute decisions that developed "a class." Are there instances where a new teacher was assigned a class with too many challenges? Possibly. But are there also instances where the Class from Hell never developed into that? Certainly. And, unfortunately, the trial and error approach to a new teacher learning those skills is often so painful that they just give up. In my opinion, here's where the system breaks down. In my opinion, it is is far more often that a new teacher is going it alone--and that's the problem--than it is malicious teachers/administrators deliberately assigning new teachers too challenging classes. If that's the case, it doesn't get "fixed" by children assignment; it gets fixed by enough support from literacy coaches, grade-alike teachers, curriculum coordinators, principal, formal and informal mentors, etcetera. We do all have to learn, but it doesn't have to be the hard way!!
One of the clues early on as to what the problem was in this discussion was inappropriate curriculum, and in my experience that's what the problem often is to a huge degree. No mentor, lit coach, etc. can support teachers enough when the foundation is all wrong. Developmentally inappropriate practices cause children to find ways to survive, and they aren't necessarily pleasant. It wouldn't matter who was at the helm of a classroom of ELL kids, for instance, if teaching is abstract, rigidly controlled, and totally inappropriate for them. Read Steven Krashen's work if you can. Read Ruby Payne's work on poverty. Read and talk. All of which you have little time for if you are a beginning teacher trying to survive Wednesday, October 3rd! While I would hate for you to simplify this post into blaming the victim, I also hate that many of us are trying to share techniques for transitions in classrooms with a solid 90-minute direct instruction period inappropriate for most of a particular group of kids. It's a bit like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic! Bev Why do schools give such challenging classes to new teachers? What can new >> teachers do when they find themselves in this situation that won't get them >> fired or given poor evaluations? We can't afford to lose new teachers, and I >> fear this practice is what makes for such a high turnover in new teachers, >> and >> keeps otherwise qualified people shy away from teaching. _________________________________________________________________ http://imagine-windowslive.com/hotmail/?locale=en-us&ocid=TXT_TAGHM_migration_HM_mini_pcmag_0507 _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. --------------------------------- Moody friends. Drama queens. Your life? Nope! - their life, your story. Play Sims Stories at Yahoo! Games. _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
