headache every day and souring her entire experience. Finally, we met and came up with a
strategy that worked. She placed an aim question and instructions on the board before the
class so she would not be preoccupied with other tasks. She met students at the door and
blocked their path to force them to slow down. When a student was calm, they were given an
assignment sheet, told to start their work, and allowed to enter the room. Really rambunc-
tious students were required to remain on the side in the hall until they had “their act to-
gether.” After a couple of days, she had established that students were expected to enter the
room quietly and begin their work. She was also able to talk with them about the kind of
class they wanted to have. The students still roughhoused in the yard and the student
teacher had to meet them at the door, but they settled down much more quickly and learn-
ing was taking place in the classroom.
Rachel Gaglione—I always have a class like this line up in the hall and calm down a bit before
they enter the room. Usually, they just need some time to wind down. In addition, I would start the
lesson with a quiet individual activity, not group work.
- It is springtime. It is getting warm outside and the thoughts of young men and
women turn away from school. Cutting is increasing, especially at the end of the day, at
the same time you are trying to prepare students for standardized end-of-the-year tests.
What should you do?
The tendency in most schools is to tighten the screws and get punitive, but I found pun-
ishment counterproductive. Many students simply stopped coming to class at all. The strat-
egy I found most successful was being more of a “presence” in the building by wandering
around during my free periods. Once I had spotted a student during the day, they were
much more reluctant to cut a class later on. Once I went down to the gym after school to say
good-bye to students going on the senior trip. I met three students who had cut my class
that day lining up for the bus. If I had fingered them, their trip was over. I only nodded and
said I would see them when they got back. Embarrassment and good faith seemed to work.
None of them cut my class again.
Rachel Gaglione—The only way I can see to beat this one is to make the reviews and classes
even more fun than normal. Incorporate a game such as Trivial Pursuit, Jeopardy or, the new fa-
vorite, Who Wants to be a Millionaire? This is definitely the scenario for a learning project that
touches on many things, without having quiet time. Sitting and reading is the last thing they want
to do. This is a good time of year to experiment. One June my class made “human” physical
maps. Some of the students were rivers; others were mountains. One was the Continental Divide.
Students had to dress appropriately. Lakes, for example, wore blue,. It got a little crazy in the
room, but they all came to class! - A member of the New Teachers Network refused to admit a student who was chroni-
cally late coming to class. He stopped her at the door and requested an explanation. A
young man whom he did not know, but who was evidently a friend of hers, came up to
them and started cursing at the teacher. The young man threatened to “hurt” the teacher
if he did not stop bothering his “woman.” The incident was observed by another teacher
who reported it to the dean. How should the teacher respond?
This is a very difficult situation and a lot depends on school policy. If the teacher files a
formal complaint with school authorities, both the young man and young woman would
probably be suspended and the young man would have faced arrest. The teacher decided to
take a guidance, rather than a disciplinary, approach and declined to file a complaint. In-
stead, after speaking informally with the dean and apprising him of the situation, he got the
young woman’s schedule from the program office, found her later in the day, and they
walked through the halls talking. The young woman responded to the attention and concern
and they agreed on the following plan. They decided that if she came to class on time in the
170 CONCLUDING THOUGHTS FOR BOOK II