Parent Involvement and Musical Chairs!

I hope that you have been able to make some improvements in your classroom management. Here are a few things to consider if you are struggling with chatty, busy, or deviant students.

First thing first, parents are you best partner in combating misbehavior in the classroom. Make sure you are in constant contact with parents' of those students who are disruptive during instruction time. For primary aged children you can print out a blank calendar and put smiley or frowning faces inside the date and add comments when necessary. I call this a conduct calendar. If your students have agenda books or homework notebooks, create a section inside of it and make notes regarding the student behavior. You can always opt to do it the old fashioned way, pick up the phone and call. In this day and age with email and texting, communication has become impersonable. Parents do appreciate actually speaking to their child's teacher. So by making a phone call or setting up a meeting you won't only attempt to improve a student's behavior, but you will begin to build a rapport with the parents. By building a relationship with the parent, both parties become more at ease discussing the issues that a student is having. Of course you are aware that students often act out because of things that happen at home. Many attention seeking students display these behaviors because they are ignored at home.

Second, musical chairs! Move those desks and chairs around. Some students can not sit together. Think about you students, their personalities, behaviors, and academic levels. Write each student's name down on a piece of paper, draw your classroom, then begin to place students according to their personalities, behaviors, and academic levels. You may even have some students who need to sit alone.

Lastly, two heads are better than one! Consider having a parent or grandparent to come in a assist you doing a part of the day when students are always misbehaving and off task. Or consider having them work with students who may be struggling academically. Be sure to check with your school and the district guidelines for volunteers and background checks.