Classroom Management Part III: What to Do When All Your Students Hate Your Guts

You have survived Jimmy's temper tantrum, Stacy's rolling eyes, and Mary's comment about your "ugly" sweater. You have endured your homeroom, where Juan and Sara called your activity "stupid." And you have suffered through emails in which Keesha, Marcelo, and Tony--each in separate messages--called your grading unfair.

It is 3:30 PM. The school day is done. You pick up your dented armor--grade book, coffee mug, laptop, self-worth--and stumble out of the classroom. You feel exhausted. Defeated. And you are certain that all your students hate your guts.

This, the third in a series of eight articles about classroom management, will help you deal with the all-my-kids-hate-me phenomenon. Use the advice below to repair your armor and your ego.

DO THE MATH. Count the number of students who you feel "hate your guts." Divide this by the number of students you teach. Is the result less than fifty-percent? Twenty-percent? Do the names on this list change with the passing weeks? This bottom-line approach will help you recognize that you have a good rapport with the majority of your students.

GET CLINICAL. The best surgeon is not the guy with the most followers on twitter. The best neurologist is not the woman with the most friends on facebook. Just as other professions, teaching is not a popularity contest. It is a job. Some parts of that job--such as giving consequences or low scores--may make you unpopular with some students. Remember: an effective and responsible teacher does not Ms. Congeniality make.

MAKE REVISIONS. If you do the math and the percentage of students who "hate your guts" is high, then consider revising some part of your approach. Seek advice from other teachers and administrators. Perhaps the way you ask your students to quiet down needs modifying. Perhaps the way you grade essays or presentations can be tweaked.

BE A TEACHER. Set up conferences with students. Be sure to focus on classroom goals. Get information from the student about why the behavior is occurring. ("Jimmy, why did you fall to the ground and kick the desk?") Discuss the behavior in relationship to class expectations ("Mary, calling a person's clothing 'ugly' is disrespectful. In our class, we respect each other."). Make the situation a teaching moment for you and your students.

You cannot please all of your students all of the time. In other words, an occasional tantrum or rolling of the eyes by a few students does not mean your entire class hates your guts. Students are human. As such, they have emotional responses to their experiences. Using the tips above can help you "depersonalize" these responses and thus avoid feeling disliked or defeated.

Look out for other articles in this series, including the following:

• Tips to Avoid A Classroom Horror Scene
  
• What to Do When All Your Students Hate You
• Five Things A Teacher Should Never Ever Do
• How to Deal with the "Problem" Student
• Tackling Talkers, Whisperers, and Note Passers
• Avoid Loosing Students, and Your Mind, on Field Trips
• How to Win Your Students' Trust and Their Hearts
  
• Stay Sane.  Stay Organized.

Author's Bio

James Guilford, a graduate of Emory University and Columbia University, has worked in education for nearly a decade.  Download the entire classroom management series for free at http://www.jamesguilford.com/free_resources.  In addition to this e-book, you will find chapters from Guilford's young adult novel, The Pencil Test, lesson plans, and other free resources.

Classroom Management Part II: Five Things a Teacher Should Never Ever Do

I'm only human.
Of flesh and blood, I'm made.
I'm only human.
Born to make mistakes.
--Human League, "Human"

If you have attended any professional development session for more than three seconds, then you know you should not smite your students, call them names, or cast a spell transforming them into bloated, wart-covered toads. Still, there are those gray areas--those mistakes that we do not realize are mistakes--those pebbles that tumble over the cliff and set off an avalanche of classroom chaos.

This article will help you avoid such landslides. As the second in a series of articles about classroom management, this article lists five behaviors educators should avoid at all cost. What follows are a list of things teachers should never ever do.

LET'S GET PHYSICAL. But only if you are coaching a sport. Of course you know better than to hit students. As an adult, you should also avoid grabbing, tapping, or hugging students.

• WHY NOT. Touch can be misinterpreted. These tactile cues become even more confused when they are exchanged between a supervising adult and a child. Students have different relationships to physicality. Though you may not know a student's issues, you can trigger them.
• OTHER OPTIONS. To congratulate your students, give handshakes or high-fives. To console your students, listen to them and offer teacherly assistance. To gain the attention of your students, use the strategies mentioned in the next section.

YOU MAKE ME WANNA SHOUT! No matter how your students are behaving, do not shout at them in anger. Shouting is the equivalent of a verbal punch--a slap in the face with your larynx.

• WHY NOT. Shouting adds to the noise of the classroom, the noise you may be trying to address with your shouts. Shouting also startles students and makes them feel unsafe.
• OTHER OPTIONS. Replace shouting with a gentler method of signaling attention. Counting backwards from 5 to 1, ringing a bell, turning down the lights, or issuing a call-and-response clap are some tried and true methods to refocus your group.

CRY ME A RIVER. Perhaps a kid has shared a troubling story with you. Perhaps you have just had a difficult conversation with an administrator. Perhaps a parent has accused you of being unfair. There are a number of situations in which a teacher may feel like crying. Still, as much as humanly possible, avoid crying in front of your students.

• WHY NOT. Crying places your emotional needs before the needs of your students (literally and figuratively). Seeing a supervising adult cry could make students feel sad, guilty, or unsafe. Crying could also undermine your authority or burden students who are dealing with their own ups and downs.
• OTHER OPTIONS. If a situation at school makes you sad, angry, or frustrated, remember to focus on the situation as it relates to your job. Address it as such. If you are feeling overwhelmed at school or in your personal life, talk with an administrator, mentor, or school counselor.

WOULD I LIE TO YOU, HONEY? If you have not graded the quizzes, then do not tell the students that your dog ate their papers. If you have not read their emails, then do not tell the students that your hard drive crashed.

• WHY NOT. Lying compromises your credibility and your students' trust. Further, lying models a poor way of dealing with responsibility.
• OTHER OPTIONS. Be honest and transparent. Tell students that you have yet to grade their papers or read their emails. Apologize, and then, give them a date by which to expect your response. Exercising this level of honesty models a healthy way of balancing life's many responsibilities.

LOST IN EMOTION. Sadness, angry, frustration, and angst are a part of everyday life. You are human, and, as a human being, you experience emotions. Still, you should tuck these emotions away while you are teaching. Remember: a room full of pre-teens does not a therapist's couch make.

• WHY NOT. No matter if you are angst-ridden or overjoyed, broadcasting your feelings puts your emotions, and not the goals of the classroom, on center stage. Remember: you are paid to facilitate the development of your students, not to publicize your emotional highs and lows.
• OTHER OPTIONS. Personal days, sick days, and extended leave exist to help you take care of yourself. Use these breaks. In addition to these options, turn to family, friends, mentors, and therapists as appropriate emotional outlets.

Though you are an educator--wise, powerful, and all-seeing--you are also human. As a human, you are bound to make mistakes in classroom management. Minding the points listed above will help you avoid grievous errors and will sure up your classroom management skills.

Look out for other articles in this series, including the following:

• Tips to Avoid A Classroom Horror Scene
  
• What to Do When All Your Students Hate You
• Five Things A Teacher Should Never Ever Do
• How to Deal with the "Problem" Student
• Tackling Talkers, Whisperers, and Note Passers
• Avoid Loosing Students, and Your Mind, on Field Trips
• How to Win Your Students' Trust and Their Hearts
  
• Stay Sane.  Stay Organized.

Author's Bio

James Guilford, a graduate of Emory University and Columbia University, has worked in education for nearly a decade.  Download the entire classroom management series for free at http://www.jamesguilford.com/free_resources.  In addition to this e-book, you will find chapters from Guilford's young adult novel, The Pencil Test, lesson plans, and other free resources.

Classroom Management Part I: Tips to Avoid A Classroom Horror Scene

Have you witnessed the following horror scene?

A huddle of students in the back passing notes. A flank of kids in the front doodling on the white board. A cluster of students tucked in a corner playing handheld video games. The entire classroom a symphony of giggles and whispers, screeching and screaming, bleeps and boings and buzzes.

And let's not forget the teacher. Frazzled and flummoxed, he stands beside his desk and holds his hands before him. "Calm down, class," he says. His voice quivers with a combination of annoyance and alarm. He looks as if he has been cornered by a rabid dog.

Though this educator has a Masters from a prestigious university, though he has written detailed lesson plans, though he possesses a wealth of knowledge about the subject he teaches, our tragic teacher lacks one thing: classroom management skills.

This article will help you avoid the fate of our precarious professor. This is the first in a series of eight articles. In this segment, you will find basic classroom management strategies. Use these strategies to ensure that you avoid the horror scene outlined above.

Sign 'em Up. Begin with clear expectations. In the first week of class, students should brainstorm ways to have a respectful classroom. To this discussion, add your list of non-negotiable expectations. From these talks, draft a classroom charter. Have students and parents sign this charter. Now, you have an agreement-and a series of clear expectations-to which to refer when students need reminders.

Aim High. You know the sayings: Start tough. Don't smile until Christmas. It's easier to get easier. However it is worded, holding your students to high standards is key. Assume every student can adhere to behavior expectations. When students do not, follow up as outlined in your classroom's and your school's handbook. Do not waver and do not begin by cutting brakes. Doing either of these things will undermine both the schools protocol and your authority as a facilitator.

Don't Reinvent the Wheel. Instead of creating your own process from scratch, use the discipline and consequences outlined by your school. Aligning your policy with that of the school's will help administrators to better support your decisions. Further, this will make conversations about consequences clearer for students and parents.

Stay the Course. Be sure to implement policies with consistency. If you say you are going to call a student's parents, keep her after school, or send her to speak with the assistant principal, then do just that. Exercising policies with consistency will add a level of predictability, thus making students feel safe, informed, and fairly treated.

Speak in Code. How will you signal that students should be silent, return from breakout groups, or listen for instructions? Instead of yelling over the students, and thus adding to the hubbub, develop a code to signal that you want your students' attention. Counting backwards from 5 to 1, ringing a bell, turning or a colored light, or issuing a call-and-response clap are some tried and true methods to refocus your group.

Tell the Future. When students fail to meet expectation, narrate their behavior to them. Give them your observation of their behavior. Focus on the ways the behavior interrupts their learning and the learning of others. Tell them what will happen if the behavior continues. This helps the students see the consequences and thus make a decision to change their actions.

Chat 'em Up. When a student is having difficulty focusing, pull her aside and have a private conversation. Again, narrate the behavior and then ask the student questions that will give you information about what they are doing and why. The information from the student will better help you help her.

Take a Guilt Trip. No matter how clear, consistent, and "fair," you feel you are, you will have a student or parent who disagrees with you. Reactions to consequences you implement may arouse feelings of guilt. Instead of internalizing these feelings, move forward with the day and focus on the students who are meeting expectations. Later, find a constructive way to vent your emotions.

Whether you are a new teacher encountering the usual trial by fire, a substitute teacher who is unfamiliar with the ways of wayward youth, or a veteran educator who has lucked up on an unusually rambunctious group, these strategies can help. Look out for other articles in this series, including the following:

• Tips to Avoid A Classroom Horror Scene
• What to Do When All Your Students Hate You
• Five Things A Teacher Should Never Ever Do
• How to Deal with the "Problem" Student
• Tackling Talkers, Whisperers, and Note Passers
• Avoid Loosing Students, and Your Mind, on Field Trips
• How to Win Your Students' Trust and Their Hearts
• Stay Sane.  Stay Organized.

AUTHOR'S BIO

James Guilford, a graduate of Emory University and Columbia University, has worked in education for nearly a decade.  Download the entire classroom management series for free at http://www.jamesguilford.com/free_resources.  In addition to this e-book, you will find chapters from Guilford's young adult novel, The Pencil Test, lesson plans, and other free resources.

Diversity in the Classroom Part II: Five Novels to Help Students Explore Identity and Diversity

Because they are essentially "made up" stories, novels provide a safe way for readers to enter discussions about diversity and identity. Novels build a shared experience and provide a bridge from "the issues" to more personal conversations.  The list that follows highlights novels that provide a platform to discuss these issues.

1. Anthem by Ayn Rand. Self-determination is the central theme of this text. Written from the perspective of the main character, Equality 7-2521, Ayn Rand's novella, ANTHEM, depicts a future in which individuality has been replaced by group-think and unquestioned government rule.

2. American-Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang. What is the price of straddling cultures? This graphic novel about growing up different is both a story of a Chinese-American childhood and a fable for the longing to escaping one's circumstances.

3. The Beggar Maid by Alice Munro. This series of interwoven short stories chronicles the class divide that occurs when the protagonist, Rose, leaves her hometown of Hanratty, Ontario after winning a scholarship to a prestigious university. Without preaching or judging, Munro illustrates the heartache, humor, and happiness that come along with straddling classes.

4. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. This series of vignettes introduces readers to 11-year old Esperanza Cordero. Esperanza is a Chicana in a poor area of Chicago who dreams of becoming a writer.

5.  The Pencil Test by James Guilford.  What are the limits to self-definition?  Is identity a choice?  This novel puts forth these very questions.  It also uncovers the perils and pitfalls that the yearning to belong can create.  Kendry Clare, a white teen, transfers to an all-black high school.  At her new school, Kendry tells a lie that catapults her into popularity and controversy.

Novels provide a great way to explore themes of identity and diversity. Use chapters from these novels to supplement your curriculum. Choose one novel as a book in common. Make one of these readings the center of discussion during Black History Month; or create diversity programming around the themes in one of these book. These books can be useful both in student curricula and in staff development.

Technology in the Classroom - Six Easy, Inexpensive Ways to Use Technology in Your Curriculum

Educators worldwide have been issued the same challenge: integrate technology into your curriculum. Still, teachers are hard pressed to find concrete suggestions for using technology.  Never fear.  There are many ideas on this page.  What follows are six easy ways to integrate tech into your curriculum.  These suggestions will make your tech use organic to your classroom and user-friendly for you and your students.

1.  Appoint an Expert.  During readings and discussions, appoint a student as the class librarian. This student can use a computer to access online encyclopedias, dictionaries, author websites, and other references.  As unknown references come up, have the librarian do quick research and then report back while the class moves forward. This is a great way to increase understanding without interrupting the flow of the class.

2.  Add Commentary.  Have students submit writing assignments to you as email attachments.  Then, use the Comment function in Microsoft Word to post responses on student writing.  Save each draft to create an electronic portfolio for each student.  You can refer to this portfolio in parent conferences, specialist meetings, and student meetings. You can also use these comments to help with your progress report writing.

3.  Go Over Their Heads. Use an overhead projector or an LCD projector instead of handouts.  This is especially useful for pop quizzes, directions to activities, or short whole-group reading passages.  Using an overhead projector instead of paper is a great start towards a greener classroom.

4.  Refer to the Text.  Use text messaging to send quick reminders. Imagine a text to students about important projects or homework assignments. Imagine a text to parents reminding them about permission slips or parent-teacher meetings.  Texting is greener, quicker, and more reliable than paper notices.

5.  Fan the Flames. Start a facebook fan page.  Use this page to post discussion questions and website links. This page can also be used to initiate conversations about books or current events related to themes and activities in your class.

6.  Add Hype with Skype. Skype is an Internet service that offers free calling and video conferencing between computers. Imagine facilitating a discussion with students from a school across the country—or across the globe—about a novel or a current event.  Many authors offer free or inexpensive online book chats.  Use Skype to bring experts into the classroom without the hassle or expense of airfare, hotels, cabs, or other scheduling nightmares.

Integrating technology in the classroom need not be frustrating or gratuitous.  Moreover, using technology does not require that you teach at a school with millions in endowment or Ivy-League-level resources.  The above strategies will help you incorporate tech into your classroom in ways that are easy, valuable, and inexpensive.

ONLINE BOOK CHATS AND FREE ONLINE RESOURCES

James Guilford is the author of the young-adult novel, THE PENCIL TEST. Have an Online Book Chat (OBC) with James Guilford. With an Online Book Chat, you can easily integrate technology. Moreover, you can give your students an in-depth understanding of the novel, the writing process, and the life of a writer. Visit http://www.jamesguilford.com/speaking__workshops for more information. Find more free resources for parents, teachers, and home schools on the author's website.

Diversity in the Classroom: Five Films to Help Students Explore Identity and Diversity

Many educators agree that middle and high school students need coaching and exposure to develop a broader perspective around issues of identity and diversity. The recognition of this need spawned jobs such as Diversity Deans and Multicultural Coordinators. But how are these themes brought into the classroom? Because educators have so much material to introduce to students, including relevant social justice themes in a curriculum can be difficult. As a teacher and later as a Dean of Students, I often mediated conflicts around issues of diversity. In non-profits serving low-income students and in private schools where the mean family income was six times that of national average, I saw young people struggle with identity. The list that follows highlights five films that provide a platform to discuss these issues.

1. THE BLACK LIST (2008). Director: Timothy Greenfield-Sanders. Not Rated. Diversity is exemplified in the wide array of experiences discussed and perspectives uncovered in these interviews. In this HBO documentary, twenty-five prominent African-Americans of various backgrounds offer their own stories of black life in America.

2. KING GIMP (1999). Filmmakers Susan Hannah Hadary and William A. Whiteford. Not Rated. This documentary tells the story of Dan Keplinger, born with cerebral palsy, and his on-going battle from childhood through college graduation to enter the mainstream and be accepted by society both as a person and an artist.

3. JESUS CAMP (2006) Director: Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady Rating: PG 13. This is great film to discuss (and complicate) ideas around religion. This film documents children at Pastor Becky Fischer's "Kids On Fire" summer camp. At Pastor Becky Fischer's camp, kids as young as 6 years-old are taught to become soldiers in "God's army" to "take back America for Christ."

4. SARIFINA! (1992). Director: Darrell Roodt Rating PG-13. Is there an age limit to political activism? Is there a singular face to oppression? Leleti Khumalo's "Sarafina" says no. This film adaptation of the South African musical by Mbongeni Ngema depicts students involved in the Soweto Riots in opposition to apartheid

5. TRANSGENERATION (2005). Sundance Channel. Not Rated. Are some identities unchangeable? Can we really decide who we want to be? This documentary asks such questions. This Sundance Channel eight-episode documentary focuses on the lives of four transgendered college students who take bold steps to claim their own identity.

The above films will provide a platform for lively discussions. They will also help broaden your students' horizons and give them information that can be made relevant to most Social Studies, English-Language Arts, or Humanities curricula. Be sure to survey these films before showing them to students.

MLK Day Activities: Three New Justice Issues to Explore with Your Students

An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

For schools, MLK Day is a time to celebrate the accomplishments of the African-American community. Understanding the history, culture, and triumph of Black America is one way to recognize Martin Luther King, Jr.'s contributions to society. To broaden students' appreciation of MLK Day, educators can help students examine broader social justice issues. After all, King was not only concerned with Black America. In the latter part of his career, his work extended beyond the Civil Right's movement into involvement with the poor, with Jewish leaders, and with worker's unions of the late 1960's.

This article highlights contemporary social justice issues, issues with which King might be concerned if he were alive today. The paragraphs to follow define concepts, point out resources, and suggest activities for your students.

AGING AND AGEISM: As a person gets older, they face a myriad of challenges, including health concerns and financial strain. One major obstacle faced by older people is ageism. Ageism is defined as discrimination based on age, especially prejudice against the elderly. To explore health concerns based on aging, students can view The Alzheimer's Project, a four-part documentary by HBO. This documentary charts the impact of Alzheimer's disease on families as well as scientific advancements in the understanding and treatment of this disease. To understand ageism, students can read excerpts from Todd D. Nelson's book, Ageism: Stereotyping and Prejudice against Older Persons. Nelson's book discusses ageism as a distinct form of prejudice and outlines ways to positively shape society's views about aging. In combination with exploring these different media, students can engage in the following activities:

• Interview. Interview an elderly person about their experience with aging and ageism, or interview one or more members in a family dealing with the onset of Alzheimer's disease.
• Letter to self. Write a letter to their older selves. In this letter, students can conjecture the challenges they may face in fifty years and ways to deal with these challenges.

CLASSISM: Classism is defined as bias based on social class and usually refers to the belief that people of middle-class or upper-class status are superior to poor, or lower-class, people. Students can read the New York Times' series on class, titled "The Shadowy Line that Still Divides." In this series, a team of reporters spent more than a year exploring the concept of class and its influence on destiny in American society. Additionally, students can view the movie Maria Full of Grace. This movie tells the story of Maria, a pregnant seventeen-year-old Columbian girl, who decides to work as a drug mule in order to raise money to support her family and her unborn child. In addition to viewing these media, students can engage in the following activities to deepen their exploration of classism:

• Fieldtrip. Learners can visit two venues (e.g. shopping malls, grocery store, or school), one in a lower-class neighborhood and one in an upper class neighborhood. Write a 1-2 page reflection on the differences in these venues and how these differences may affect the lives of community members.
• Reflective journal. Learners could write a journal entry reflecting on their class status. Discuss the benefits being a member of their class allots and the challenges that being a member of their class presents.

DIS/ABILITY. Because all people are more able in some capacity and less able in others, most can identify with the theme disability. Disability is defined as a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. When exploring disability, students can examine the challenges and adaptations that come along with being disabled. Your students can view one of the following three documentaries: King Gimp, Murder Ball, or I Have Tourette's. The documentary King Gimp tells the story of Dan Keplinger, who was born with cerebral palsy, and his on-going battle to be accepted by society both as a person and an artist. Murder Ball explores the life of wheelchair rugby (murder ball) players. In this sport, quadriplegics play full-contact rugby in specially designed wheelchairs. I Have Tourette's, but Tourette's Doesn't Have Me explores the difficulties Tourette's syndrome can cause. The children in this documentary speak about the impact Tourette's has had on their emotions and self-esteem. To complement these documentaries, consider the following activities:

• Service-learning field trip. Arrange a trip where students volunteer to help people with physical challenges. Students can read info about the site they will be visiting and the physical challenges of the people they will be assisting. Next, students can write a 1-page reflection discussing their feelings about the visit before they attend. Finally, they can write a 1-2 page reflection on the visit after they have completed the service project.
• Speaker in the field. The instructor can arrange a speaker to discuss a specific ability challenge, perhaps related to one of the documentaries viewed by students. Before the visit, students can brainstorm questions to ask this professional.

Central to Martin Luther King, Jr.'s work was a belief is social justice, not just justice for Black Americans. To that end, consider deepening your students' understanding and commitment to King's ideals with an exploration of one of the above-mentioned themes. As MLK once said, "Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will."