SECTION A: SOME COMPLICATED BUT PRETTY STANDARD
“CLASSROOM PROBLEMS”
- A student sits with his head down. Other students are talking with neighbors. Even
though the school rule is “no hats in class,” several students ignore you when you ask
them to take theirs off. How should you respond?
There is a broader problem in this room and I do not think a “quick fix” is likely. The issue
is not the behavior of individual students, but the overall class tone and the ability of the
teacher to give direction. As a beginning teacher I took this kind of situation as a sign of per-
sonal failure and I used to get very frustrated. Later I learned that it takes time, hard work,
and a systematic approach to build classroom community. In this class, I would try to de-
velop a core of students committed to learning and interested in the lessons and use them to
win over the others. When you have most of the students, it is easier to deal with the prob-
lems that come up. Then you can speak with “Mr. Head Down” privately, while other stu-
dents are working on an assignment or after class. Ask him if there is a problem you can
help with. Tell him you really want him involved in class. Ask what signal you can give him in
the future to “bring him back into the fold” before he drifts too far off. Humor helps, whereas
confrontation only escalates the situation. Whisper in his ear. Tickle his hand with a feather.
Cover the body with a coat. Sometimes my “class rules” included threats to report “evil step-
mothers” to child abuse authorities for not allowing students to get enough sleep at night or
“recidivist hat wearers” to the health department for endangering public safety (rules on hat
wearing appear to date from an earlier historical period when head lice was a big problem in
schools). When students complain they are too embarrassed to uncover their heads, I point
to my unruly mop and welcome them to the bad-hair-day club. The thing is, if a class is going
badly, these things cannot be dealt with effectively on an individual basis, and if a class is go-
ing well, it is not worth spending too much time or effort on something like this. If a student
still balks after your best efforts, you can always throw up your hands, shrug your shoul-
ders, and suggest they do their hair before they come to class next time. Everyone will laugh
and the situation will be less likely to be repeated. The key things to remember are that it
does not help to get angry, it will take time to change the classroom tone, and relationships
with students will win you allies. In addition, if students are behaving this way in your class-
room, other teachers in the school are probably facing similar problems. You should not be
afraid to seek the advance of colleagues whom you respect on how they are addressing
these issues in their classes.
Rachel Gaglione—I have NEVER grabbed a hat off of a student’s head. How would you like it if
someone did that to you? I ask, “Can you please take your hat off for me?” Usually a simple and
polite request works. Sometimes, if it is a student I do not know, he or she will look at me strangely
in shock that someone asked them nicely to take the hat off. The few times when this does not
work, I say something to bond us together like, “Look, it’s a groovy hat. I dig the Mets too, but Mr.
Rosen says we can’t wear hats in school. You know he always pops into the room and, if he sees
you with it on, he’s going to try to take it from you and he’s going to get mad at me. Just please
take it off for me. If you think someone might snag it from you, I’ll hold it and make sure no one
touches it.” I do not think this has ever failed to work. It requires a commitment to mutual respect
and trust. - A student teacher was having difficulty settling a seventh-grade class right after
their lunch period. After playing outside, students would run into the room shouting and
pushing each other. No work was getting done. How should she handle the situation?
This student teacher was on the verge of giving up. She had started yelling at the stu-
dents, but instead of quieting, they got noisier. This one class was sending her home with a
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS FOR BOOK II 169