Choices
I had a very long talk with, actually to, my class today about choices and respect. It went on for a long time and they listened in absolute stunned silence. It was actually kind of amusing when I think about it, how seriously they took it, considering I was hamming it up big time.
I told them that I didn’t enjoy coming into school and being the kind of teacher that has to shout at the children in her class to make them behave, that I went home every night sad and in a bad mood, and that every morning I woke up hopeful that today would be a better day, only for them to let me down and disappoint me. I talked about respect, or lack of it, and the reputation they have built for themselves among the other staff and classes at school. I told them that whenever I’m away on a course that none of the other teachers at school want to come and teach them so that’s why they always end up with a supply teacher. I know for a fact they hate having supply in and while they usually end up with supply because there is simply no cover available in school, I know that the lady who works in school to cover my PPA and NQT time doesn’t at all look forward to coming into my class. I think I really shocked them actually.
I told them that I could be two different types of teacher, that I could be a nice teacher, one who plans exciting activities for her class, and can have a bit of a laugh and joke with them, or that I could be the type of teacher who shouts at her class all the time. Then I told them that I have to be the type of teacher that best suits their behaviour, and if they behave badly then I’m not going to trust them to do exciting activities and that I can’t be the first type of teacher. I asked the children who are in my Literacy group to explain what type of teacher I was in the Literacy lessons when I’m woring with a class of children who are well behaved and hard-working. All those children described me as nice and fun. Then I asked the children who hadn’t lost any Golden Time this week (and to be fair never lose any Golden Time) what kind of teacher they thought I was to them, and they all said I was a nice, kind teacher. I think it really hit home then with a lot of them that I can be a different kind of teacher to different children, that their behaviour actually has an impact on what kind of teacher I am, or more simply what kind of mood I’m in with them as individuals.
They listened in absolute silence, and I told them all that I wanted them to think very hard about what type of teacher they would like to have teaching them every day. I told them it was a personal choice, that they didn’t need to talk about it but just to go home tonight and decide, to make a choice about whether they wanted a nice, fun teacher, or a teacher who shouts all the time and doesn’t plan anything exciting for them. And then I told them that I would be able to tell in the morning which choice they had made by how they were behaving, and that I would be the type of teacher that matched their choice.
Once I had finished my rant, I asked them all to come and sit on the carpet. As they walked over and sat down I was saying things like “Oooh, I can tell that you’ve made the right choice, I can see it in your eyes and they way you’re sitting so beautifully without talking. Well done!” They responded so well I was amazed. I then proceeded to have one of the best Science lessons I’ve ever had with them, and as it was a lesson about forces, and they were supposed to be working in pairs to feel the effects of pushes and pulls, it did have the potential to be a disaster… but it wasn’t. It worked really well. They enjoyed it, I enjoyed it, and I really think they learnt a lot. We had a bit of a laugh altogther, but even that didn’t get out of control, they calmed down to listen again pretty quickly, and I didn’t have to talk over them, or even wait for quiet for that long either. Geography went well after that too. I was really impressed. I kept mentioning choices, and people who were making the right choice, and people who were making the wrond choice throughout the afternoon and I think it helped. It won’t work with some of them, but the ones who are bright enough to understand consequence and effect in relation to their behaviour might get it.
Who knows whether it’ll carry over into tomorrow, and if it does whether it’ll last through into next week, but I’ll keep on talking about making a choice, about deciding what kind of teacher they want, and we’ll see how I go. It worked wonders today so hopefully…