Reach 106 Assignment #3

I really enjoyed these two articles. The first article, "Assuming the Best" basically sends the message that as educators we must assume the best from our students. Those classrooms that have effective management are the ones that have a system in place to prevent misbehavior before it starts. The article talks about the invisible contract that exists for both the teacher and the student. The student's contract states that the students wants to learn appropriate behavior and the teacher's contract states that he or she will do the best to teach it. We as teachers have to be very careful to make sure that we are consistent because our students are watching us to see if we are following our end of the deal. We have to be clear and say what we mean and mean what we say. Furthermore, this article provided five strategies to help yield positive results.

Strategy 1: Volume, Tone, and Posture

Take the time necessary to address the behavior at that moment. We want to avoid the "drive-thru" discipline approach. Some specifics mentioned are softening the voice, lowering the tone, and making sure not to humiliate the student.

Strategy 2: Two-by-Ten Strategy

This particular strategy called my attention more than the others because this is the first time I had ever heard of it. Target one difficult student and for 2 minutes every day over 10 days take time to have a personal conversation with this student about his or her choosing. It seems that this strategy is highly effective according to the research provided in the article. I make phone calls and talk to one particular student but it has not been over the course of 10 consecutive days, so starting on Monday, I have one student already in mind to use this strategy to establish that connection that he seems so hungry to have. I am hopeful that this strategy will be as effective and powerful as the article suggests.

Strategy 3: Break Things into Steps

Here the teacher breaks down things into smaller and more manageable steps. I can see where this strategy would be helpful for a handful of my students who are spread out among the four first grade classes.

Strategy 4: Use Behavior Rubrics

I like this one, and at Rocketship we have the Zone 0,1,2 already in place. I like the idea of also using it for getting in line, and walking in a line which at Rocketship there is a lot of rotation, so I am constantly lining up and walking students to and from the Learning Lab area.

Strategy 5: Use Visuals

Use a diagram, drawing, or photograph of what they are supposed to do. THis would be a great one to use for putting supplies away or for having them be ready at the beginning of class. What should they have out on their desk. It also gives the time limits to get it done. LOVE IT.

The big idea I took away from this article was when my little Highlander or my little Spartan act out, they are definately sending me a message that they need to connect in a positive way with me. I am getting the message, and I want to get better on acting on that.


Next, the other article we had to read is "The Teacher as Warm Demander." In high poverty schools, we cannot afford to have disengaged students because the results are not able to be repaired. THe results are dropouts, unemployment, poverty, poor health, and becoming a statistic in the criminal justice system. The stakes are very very high. I have always worked in lower income schools, and I know I will always make that choice, so this is a huge reminder to me that I cannot afford to not do my best to get them engaged. If I don't then this will set them on a path for future disaster. The article talks about how a warm demander may sound too harsh. When I think of a warm demander Preston immediately comes to my mind. I equate the warm demander with "tough love." Warm demanders are relentless about two very important things: treating each other with respect, and completing their academic tasks necessary for future success. At Rocketship respect is a huge piece of our culture and so is responsibility which fits in with the completion of academic tasks. Persistence is also a piece of the second one. The article talks about building relationships and even the small things like using the student's name, a smile, or a handshake are powerful in building those. I say good morning to each of my students as he or she walks in the door. Somtimes I give them a high five and other times I touch their shoulder and I say each student's name as he or she enters the classroom. The other piece that was useful for me was about going beyond believeing but insisting. Here again Preston is a wonderful example of this. THere are definately certain behaviors at ROcketship that are nonnegotiable. I like that idea. I like phrasing it that way.

Reach 106 Behavior

This week ended on a difficult note. I had two first graders suspended on Thursday for attacking another quiet and meek first grader. I was shocked that one of the first graders was involved in this kind of physical attack because in class he is a quiet and focused. I have not once seen him bother other students or act out in a physical way whatsoever. However, the other boy, Alejandro has been in some trouble before especially last year. This past week I met with his mom in person twice, and she gave me a quick but hard education on his personal home life situation over the past few years. Due to his family situation which he has not dealt with in a positive way, he has anger issues and acts out in an attempt to gain control. He really is a nice boy, and I like him a lot, and somehow out of a total group of 80 first graders, I know that a lot of the students will do fine and will not require my having to go above and beyond. However, this boy will need a lot of my focus and attention not at the expense of setting the others aside. Alejandro is definately one of my priorities for the year. He will need my understanding, patience, extra attention, and swift action to any future aggression toward the students at school. Preston made it clear that he wants the first grade team to be aware of this problem and to act swiftly and severely when we see him bully or physically attack other children. I have started this process by trying to get to know his mom and their situation. I am lucky in the sense that she has been very open and honest as to why he is behaving this way. I see his mom as an ally in this struggle. She makes herself available and reminds me that I can call anytime to report on Alejandro's decisions for the day. So far I see her as a strong, capable, caring single mother of three elementary school age children who loves her children dearly. She has cried both times we spoke, and I have a lot of respect for her and for the choices she has made as a mom. I know I only have to make 20 home visits as the math teacher, but I am going to check in with Alejandro at least once a month at his home. His mom told me that he has been working with a child psychologist, and contacting that person will be on my to-do list as well. I plan on checking in with his mom as necessary and if that means on a daily basis then I will do that. I want to speak with Kate more about this plan as she is his literac;y teacher. I want to call not just when he has made poor decisions and not had a good day but to recognize and value when he has chosen well and has made good decisions and made me proud. I think this child needs to hear that because he has made comments to his mom like,"Mom what is wrong with me? Why can't I be like Evelyn?" Evelyn is the sister who is a model students and receives praise.


This article although very short made a lot of sense that misbeahvior usually stems from boredom, lack of attention, feelings of inadequacy, and control seekers. Children don't consistently misbehavior for the sheer pleasure of misbehaving and f inding themselves facing unpleasant consequences. There are reasons that make sense as to why misbehavior occurs. Overall, I have three really good classes with good behavior; unfortunately, my last class of the day, The HIghlanders are quite the handful. I know that getting this class on track is going to be a big job. All three students involved in the incident on Thursday are Highlanders.

reach 106 Assignment 1

After careful thought over the course of several days, I finally was able to organize what I wanted to describe as my high and low points for the first two weeks of school. In terms of a high point, I think the majority of my students in all four math classes are becoming familiar and comfotable with me and the routines we have. We have spent a lot of time drilling procedures and I am happy to say that the procedures are coming along pretty well. They know how materials are distributed and collected. They know how to transition from carpet to the desks and vice versa. They know what they do when they come in the room at the beginning of class. In this respect I feel very confident that the flow of procedures will continue to get stronger as the weeks go by.

Where I have encountered a lot of frustration is in the area of the the core value of responsibility. With the exception of one class, I have anywhere between 5-8 students who are not prepared for class. They come into class without their folder, or with the folder ripped up or shredded into pieces, no progress report, no homework packet, or a homework packet with incomplete homework. Too many students lost their folders in the first few days of school; some have completely destroyed them. Every single day I spend an enormous amount of time checking the homework and hearing the same excuses. I hear things like, "I lost it; I left it at home; I left it in the car; I don't know, etc." Responsibility is such a huge value, and I know that if I want them to be responsible then they have to understand what that word means. I have to be relentless and continue to go after them, but it is overwhelming to track for 80 students. They lose their recess, but this does not seem to be having enough of an impact on changing their behavior. I have begun to make phone calls home to inform the parents that homework is not being done, and some I have had success with and others not yet. This problem of the homework is frustrating and draining. This is the biggest struggle Ihave had thus far.

In terms of the behavior management system, the children know how to move their clips and they know what the pictures mean that they pull out of the cups. They know they have to put it behind their number on the pocket charts. THey are good at being able to identify which behavior breaks which core value so I am very happy about that. Doing this system for 80 children is quite a task, but it is being done.