Week 8

This past week was week two of full time teaching. This past week each of my classes’ kindergarten through eighth grade finished up the jump-roping unit and ended their last days with a skills test. Many of the students were not happy about being tested, but majority of the students did well for their first time EVER being tested in P.E. This week during five minuets of health, I discussed with the lower the decision-making process and with the upper grades we talked about eating disorders. Both grades, upper and lower responded well to the topics and are beginning to become use to taking the first five to talk about health related issues.

This week, I learned a little bit more about teaching once again from my students in the PreK class.  In previous classes, I would always ask the students that did well in class (participated and listened well) to help me with small equipment towards the end of the class. This week I changed my plan completely with my helpers. I have two students in particular who notoriously is stubborn and the other is extremely bossy (even bossy with me). This week, I had the students participate in an obstacle course. The first day that I had the students work on the obstacle course it was challenging to keep the other students waiting for a turn in their original order and not running around with another student.  The second day, I wanted to try the optical course again, when the students were lined up for their course, the one student was sitting out because she did not feel like doing her work that day. I finally asked her, if she would like to be my “assistant” and help me teach. Her entire attitude change in a split second when she heard that she could help me as my assistant. While I was looking at my two lines in front of me, I had the student that was stubborn take the front spot and I asked the other student that tends to be bossy to also take the front of her line. I bent down and I said to both girls, “ you are the leaders of these lines, it is your job as a leader to remind your friends behind you to stay in line and make sure they are quiet.” Since it was only natural for the one student to be bossy she did a great job constantly turning around to remind them to get in line, stay single file, and pay attention. The other student did just as well in her line because she was following the other student. This plan that kind of just happened worked perfectly in keeping all of the students on task and eliminating some of the work for myself.  

What I learned, I saw that I was able to get more out of my class when I choose an assistant that typically does not like to participate in an activity. This way no one will sit out or throw a tantrum if they have a specific duty to the class. For the students that act up or don’t participate this is an opportunity for them to stay involved and participate in an activity with the rest of the class. For the other students that always do well, they still have the opportunity to be a leader that is rewarded at the end of class with a reward that they get to wear proudly. At that time the other two assistants don’t mind that the others were chosen because they are worn out from their peers and they already feel like being the leader during the activity time was a reward in itself. I was really having trouble with the student that was bossy because she was always making a comment or choosing to do activities her way. Making her a leader really helped keep the students quiet and in line. It allowed me to do more, rather than having to stop the class several times to ask them to quiet down or stay in line. This is something that I will keep in mind for the future, and I will have to try this approach with the older students as well.

This week I came up with an idea to use as a behavior management system for the older grades. Since I asked around and the classroom teachers were having the same problem in their class as I was I decided that I would have to do something completely different for my upper grade classes. Since my upper grade classes always want a day to play basketball or insist on a free day, I thought that I could honor their wish as a reward followed by their good behaviors. I plan to have each class come up with a five-letter word that represents their class. Once they have chosen their class name the students will be told (again) the expectations and rules in which they need to follow in order to get a free day. After each class that I have with the grade level, I will decide how well they did during class as a team. If the students do well they will receive one letter for their team name to be hung on the wall. Once students have behaved for five classes and spell out their team name, they will he granted a free day. Since this plan is completely up to them and their ability to work as a team, I hope that their behaviors will begin to change when they know that they can have a free day to celebrate their good behavior. If this plan does not go as well as I plan, I will have to come up with something different.

For this coming week, I am looking forward to a new unit that will be spent on fitness. I will take the next two weeks and spend that time on fitness since students are testing for ISAT’s. I also will introduce my new behavior plan to the upper grades in hopes of a turn around in behaviors. I will have a lot of time for planning this week because of the testing, so I am planning to take that time to plan ahead for the up coming unit after ISAT’s are completed.