Kidding aside, I decided to take a step outside of my comfort zone and sub half a day in a sixth grade classroom. After all, I am certified up to 5th grade, why not stretch a bit? Stretch I did.
I was slated to begin right after lunchtime. The regular classroom teacher had had some health issues and had been out quite a bit already and it seemed as if there hadn't been a lot of consistency of subs. The teacher warned me that they were very "social." (Which is usually teacher code for difficult.) Thankfully, she team teaches, which gave me a very helpful resource in her partner teacher. Also, I was able to switch groups halfway through my afternoon, which gave me a fresh set of faces. As I distributed the teacher's assignments, I began to think about what I was going to gain from this experience. When I started this blog, I wanted to be sure to learn as much from other teachers as I could. It appeared to me quickly that the biggest focus of this day was going to be holding it together, uh, I mean, classroom management.
In my teaching bag, I always keep a couple of fun books and lots of stickers. I have found that in most cases (at least in younger grades), I can get through ANY situation with these handy items. I figured out quickly that stickers weren't going to cut it.
After trying several techniques (clapping, restating expectations, warnings, etc.). I came to several conclusions on the subject:
1) Positive reinforcement was my best bet, even with these older kids.
2) I wish I had been given more material to "teach" rather than a few hours of busy work.
3) In order for me to be really successful with this group, it would take time. I wasn't going to do it in a few hours, so I cut myself some slack and just tried to keep it together for the rest of the day.
So, 6th grade, though it was a tougher afternoon than I am used to, I still have to say, "I win!" When I turned off the lights and shut the door, you all had your homework, bags, and I still had my sanity.
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