First few weeks of school are done and gone and I cannot BELIEVE week 3 is almost over as well! Time sure does fly, those veteran teachers weren't joking about that! :)
As for my classroom, I have such a wonderful class full of eager students wanting nothing more than to absorb knowledge and soak it in! I absolutely LOVE it! It's different from what I had before and it's a welcome change :)
Now, that is not to say it has been all rainbows and butterflies! I don't want to paint this unrealistic picture of perfection (although, they are pretty close!) ;) but I have had a few issues with behavior! Mostly students being talkative and not following directions, but I believe I have corrected this by rearranging the seating. However, I still struggle with one of my students in particular. I'm hoping my beautiful blogging family can pull together and help me out!
This "angel" of mine is gifted and therefore was placed in the magnet program after being in General Education last year. This angel continually is doing something other than what they are supposed to be doing. From playing with pencils in their desk to kicking and nagging other students of their team. I finally made this student an "island" and today they did a little better. However, that's not the end of it! This student seems to want hand holding every step if the way no matter what assignment it is. If I refuse (because I KNOW they are capable of doing it). This angel COMPLETELY shuts down. I mean, refuses to do work. Why do I do? Have you had a student do this? What was the strategies you used that worked? I feel like I'm grasping at air here, so any and all suggestions are welcome! Thanks in advance y'all!
Also, speaking if behavior- I'm not that thrilled with my individual behavior system. I just don't feel as though it serves that instant gratification purpose that students thrive on. I have tried the clip chart before and was not impressed either because it lost it's valor about half way through the year. Currently, I use the behavior punch cards, but sometimes I cannot just stop what I'm doing to punch a card for good behavior. Any suggestions? The kids enjoy the fact of getting a punch, but I don't feel like I'm doing it enough. For consequences, I use a behavior think sheet, which is also not working because it is so incredibly time consuming and once again- I cannot stop what I'm doing to hand one out. I need a better idea to work instantly. Suggestions here would also be greatly appreciated!
So once again, I sincerely apologize to my awesome followers for the delayed post but I'm still trying to keep my head above the water! I promise posts will be more regular within the next few months- plus I might actually have something to share then that is exciting! For now, I don't feel as though anything I'm doing is blog worthy! Haha! That will be changing tomorrow though!
Tomorrow is Open House and I have a very nice and thorough presentation ready, so I'm nervous/excited :) Wish me luck and PLEASE leave some suggestions! I truly read every one of them :)
Thanks y'all!
Lindsay
