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Getting students to accept the whole show
Filed Under "At-risk" students, Behaviour Management, motivating students
My grade nine locally developed math class really keeps me on my toes. There’s never a dull moment. I’m always being challenged to find ways to keep my students engaged. They’re a lively lot.
I’m still greeting them at the door with a welcoming smile and a puzzle of some sort so they’ll feel welcome, come in and settle down right away. That’s still working well. I’m also still having them be “teacher for a minute” and explaining how they do a question. That’s working well, too. What I’m still dealing with are the effects of the frustration that some of my students experience because they’re really weak math students.These kids are in grade nine but are really working at the grade 3-6 level. They have huge gaps in their knowledge. Most of them don’t know basic things like how to find the average of a list of numbers or how to find the perimeter of a figure.
Of course they know that their math skills are weak. Many hate being in my locally developed math class. (I don’t take it personally) Some of my students insist that they should be in applied level math, the next level up. Some even think they should be in advanced level math. But, of course they need to be exactly where they are- in the locally developed math class. Their self-esteem takes a big hit and with that comes a negative attitude. Couple that with the frustration they experience because they find math so challenging and you can appreciate the challenge I face – “the effect of too much frustration is invariably irritability, withdrawal, rebellious opposition or aggressive rejection of the whole show.” (Thanks Tracy for this quotation by Fritz Redl)
My challenge every class is to get these students to accept, not reject my “whole show”. I want these kids to feel better about themselves and experience less frustration while doing math. I’m not always successsful with every student in every class. I was really discouraged this week with the whole show and wondered why I actually volunteer to teach the locally developed math classes. Ironically, it seems whenever I get really discouraged, a former student will greet me in the hall with a smile and say “Miss, I’m in your math class next semester”. That’s when I really know that a student has accepted my whole show. I answer, “That’s great. I can hardly wait”, and mean it.
PS. The circus photo reminds me of when I first started teaching and was refining 
my classroom management technique. It had been a pretty hectic class and as the bell rang I muttered under my breath that the class was like a three-ring circus. One of my students heard me and told me enthusiastically that circuses were fun.
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Elona! Your post, especially the last line, made my day. I have been having a rough few days of teaching, and have contemplated going into hibernation several times.
Everyone keeps telling me it’s just newbie teacher blues. I guess what I am missing from my “whole show” these past few days is MY enthusiasm, which I know is so crucial to making my students feel enthusiastic about being in my class. Talking to friends, taking a walk, writing a letter to a far-away friend, and now this post, have all helped me clear my head and hopefully restore some of what has worn away. I hope to go into all my classes with as much welcoming energy as you seem to bring to yours.
Thanks!
-Sukhdeep
Sukhdeep,
The good thing about life is that change is constant so there will be bad days but there also will be good days. You wanted to go into hibernation. Some days I’m looking to retire. Same thing. Some days are just like that!
I just look at what’s going on in my class that makes it a circus and then change things to restore order. That could be talking to kids privately, moving students, calling home, getting help from VP or BTAs.
If it gets to be too, too much, take a stress day. I’m serious. Just the thought of doing that helps me. I haven’t had to do that (I’ve been close) but knowing that that’s an option reduces my stress.