Rescue Plan

So, it's been a while since I wrote a blog. The only reason I'm writing one right now is because I've resigned myself to the fact that I won't get anything like the amount of sleep I want to get tonight. So if I'm up for 15 more minutes because of a blog, what difference does that really make anyway? I know, though, that in the morning those extra 15 minutes will seem so valuable.

Anyway, reading Merideth's blog and talking to some other second years, I realize that my position is in fact the norm for first year teachers. I'm doing ok. Yes, some days are bad. Most days are bad. My Algebra II class is almost always bad. But I can work through it. Not in the sense that I can just talk louder than my kids and expect them to learn. I tried that, and it didn't work. At all. But in the sense that I can change things. I can turn enjoy my second block class as much as my fourth, I just have to crack down on them first.

Really, that Algebra II class is difficult. The talking, the disrespect. The paper throwing. Eating. Talking back. Refusing to do work. Then, they say "Mr. G, you don't know how to teach this stuff." or "Mr. G, you just don't teach. You just be expecting us to do this stuff, and you ain't never taught it to us." Yes, I taught it. You were just shouting back and forth with someone across the room. The next time I taught it, you were throwing paper. The third time, you were asleep (and drooling) and the fourth time I taught it, you were stabbing someone with a pencil. One student actually dropped my class to take Algebra II with another teacher. She told me she wasn't learning anything in here. Most of my remaining students have told me that they'd like to get out like she did, into the other teacher's class.


But I realized, in a sense, that the students were all right. If I can't control my classroom, and if I can't get students to listen, then it doesn't matter what I say, what I write on the board, or what I plan - I am a bad teacher. At least as far as those students are concerned. They aren't getting anything out of my class except frustration. If they were learning something, then fine, I could deal with the noise and chaos, but, of course, no one learns anything in that kind of situation, except how to avoid getting caught with his hot cheetos.

I dropped in on a colleague's class yesterday. This is my worst block, she told me. The students were all sitting. They were all silent. Even when she was at the door talking with me. They all appeared, at least at first glance, to be working. I can't wait until I can call a class like that my worst class.

Right now, that algebra II class is my worst class. I've spent the night not planning, not grading (grades are due by the end of the day tomorrow and I have not done any planning yet for tomorrow), but trying to come up with a rescue plan for my second block Algebra II. New rules, new consequences. New seating (still working on that). Tomorrow, I'm going to take my plan to my principal if she has time, if not to my mentor teacher. I'll tack it onto the bottom of this post, please leave some feedback. The big thing is not, of course, the plan, but sticking to it. I've been sticking to my tardy policy pretty well, and that hasn't been much of a problem, but everything else I've been too lax on. How, for example, could I have gone until today without calling my loudest student's mother?

I guess, because I've been absolutely exhausted, all the time. There's another thing I need to work on - reducing my workload, especially grading. I've been assigning and collecting homework every day except Friday, and I've been having a quiz in each of my classes every day. Quite often we do classwork, and I tell them I'll take that up too. Usually, I throw the classwork out once they leave, but I'm grading and recording 50-60 quizzes and 30-40 homework assignments every night. Or I should be. Half of it gets shunted off to the weekend. Plus, with the block schedule, I should be busting through two units every three weeks, so that means a test most weeks. I just need to find a way to do less of that. Having the kids grade their own things is one option, but it's really not very appealing. Maybe I'll start making scantrons for the benchmarks. Give everyone one scantron for the week, and then run it through at the end of the week. But ideally I want them to be getting benchmarks the next day, because I want them to know how they did, so that they'll have a chance to make it up if they want / need to.

Anyway, here's my draft of my rescue plan. Good night.

Mr. G’s Algebra II class will follow a new set of rules, starting Friday, September 15, 2006. These rules are being put in place because the classroom has become so noisy, distracting, and disrespectful that it is very difficult for students to learn. Every student in the class is capable of learning the material, if provided with a positive, orderly learning environment. These rules seek to establish such an environment for all students in the class.

New Rules

1. No eating, sleeping or throwing paper.
2. Raise your hand every time you wish to speak. Do not speak to another student unless you have explicit permission from Mr. Gallagher.
3. Be respectful at all times. Being respectful means following all directions the first time they are given. Being respectful means putting forth your best effort during all class work and class activities. Students should be respectful in everything they do, from their speech and work habits to their body language. If I am giving a student instructions and they sigh or shrug their shoulders disrespectfully, this will also lead to a consequence.

New Consequences

A student will receive one warning for all rules. Anything after a warning and the student will complete a one-page writing assignment specific to the rule you broke. Additional infractions will lead to additional pages. A student will not be asked to write more than 5 pages – if he breaks the rules more than five times during a class, the student will be sent out.

In addition, any food brought into the classroom by a student will be confiscated immediately. If the student refuses to hand over the food, he or she will receive an immediate office referral.

Writing Assignment

First Page

• What rule did you break?
• What were your reasons for breaking it?
• What will you do differently next time?

Second – Fifth Pages

• Copy terms from the glossary in the back of the Algebra II book.

If you fail to turn in your writing assignment the next day, you will have detention for the next Tuesday or Thursday. If you fail to show up at detention, I’ll call your parents and assign you the next detention. If you skip that detention, I will write you up. At this point, you will have had five chances to do the right thing. If you are written up, it will be no one’s fault but your own.

I want to ensure that our classroom is a place where students are able to learn. Any action that makes it difficult for students to learn is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated.