Wow. It's March. Next month, we have our first in-service training. And in two weeks, my "first three months" of hell officially ends. It's not that I expect things to immediately turn around with discipline, respect, etc., but I hope to have more reactions like when, today, my name was carved into the dirt in front of school. This doesn't happen. But there it was, and I don't know why or if it's a good or bad thing, but there I left it. It was easily 8 feet across, so as to be noticed by, well, me. I should have taken a picture!
Given how things are going, and that I started off the year being strict, only smiling in class on the very rare occasion, I'm still trying to find the balance - and possibly a whole new way of thinking - between discipline and my own sanity. If what happened yesterday continues, I don't know how I can teach. I can't discipline everyone all the time, and I can't simply dole out discipline or it will lose its effect. And I doubt the kids will get easier to deal with.
Friday was definitely a breaking point, but Laurenco thought that some fires he helped me extinguish were put out for good. And they aren't.
Trying to give my ACS Tuesday, all I needed to do was uncover the questions, but when I did, there was a chorus of girls screaming, which stopped as soon as I turned around. I warned them that they were losing time, to no avail. Finally, I gave up, saying that they all just received a 0. They protested afterwards, but at the time, showed no remorse.
Of course, things were worse with the downright festive atmosphere Friday after the announcement of receiving a 0. It was a small pleasure to see that turma working in the fields today, just to know that will be in the back of their minds for a while. But is this plague of undiscipline normal? Is it something I can deal with?
I think, more importantly, the problem of cheating that I've already started to address is being pushed up on by other teachers. I think I might start offering to proctor (or help proctor) other ACSs in 9th grade to drive home the point. But, for sure, I'm going to stop offering my "-5" warning for cheating that I see and simply kick kids out of the ACS. Now they know I can see a lot more than they think I can, they're either going to study or try different ways of cheating.
I'm going to start checking their hands for writing (I kicked one kid out for this) and also do the "cabular" shift. Since every desk has two seats, and I can't assign seating for 50 kids, I'll simply shift the kids or switch the kids they're sitting next to. In a lot of cases, when I saw cheating for this ACS, it was a weaker student paired with a stronger student or two equal students with very little middle ground. And the more they anticipate me doing, the more likely it is they'll study.
Peace
John
