future and was able to change her attitude, the teacher would not make a formal complaint
about the incident to school authorities. However, the teacher would call her home and
speak with a parent. He would tell them that she had been doing well up until this point, but
he was concerned about a pattern of lateness to class. She could then discuss her own con-
cerns about school with her parent. The teacher also offered to speak with the young man
about what had happened, but did not make this a condition for resolving the situation. Al-
though he never spoke with the young man, the situation with the young woman improved.
The teacher is also convinced that his decision not to be punitive improved relationships be-
tween him and the class and contributed to a generally enhanced class tone.
- Students in a first-period class are chronically late. If the teacher starts the lesson at
the beginning of the period, the late arrivals have no idea what the class is doing. When
the teacher decides to wait before starting lessons, even fewer students arrive on time.
What should the teacher do?
This one always drives me nuts. It seems you are damned if you do and damned if you do
not. If you do not start the lesson at the beginning of the period, you are telling students that
they do not have to be there. I tried to address this problem (not always successfully) by re-
organizing my lesson and starting “at the bell” with something that was not crucial. As soon
as students arrived they went directly to work, but I would not launch into the main point of
the lesson until we had a sizable crowd. At the end of the period, we would discuss my con-
cerns that some members of the community were hurting our efforts by coming to class late
and ask them all to make a special effort to arrive on time. I would also offer to call the home
of students with “irresponsible parents” who were not getting them up on time. This would
usually solve the problem for students who were hanging out outside with friends. Some stu-
dents have real problems that are not handled so easily. They may have to take a younger
sibling, or their own child, to school or day care. I try to meet with these students individu-
ally and find a way to address their problem that keeps them coming to school. They may
need a program change that allows them to start the day at a later period.
Rachel Gaglione—Take a walk to the local food mart before homeroom—that is usually where
you will find them. If students are eating breakfast, consider letting them eat in your room. Start
class with a really fun activity so those who miss it are jealous. - A member of the New Teachers Network has a student who just cannot sit still. He
fidgets, gets out of his seat, talks to students sitting next to him, and shouts out answers or
questions. The student is distracting her and disrupting the entire class. What should she
do?
I was that child and I remember being punished by teachers for things I could not con-
trol. I try to approach the situation by thinking about things that would have helped me.
Often teachers seat “disruptive children” in front and in the middle of the classroom, so
they can ride herd on them. But if the student could be controlled in this simple fashion,
neither the teacher nor the student would have this problem in the first place. I recom-
mended that the teacher talk with the student about what was happening in class and ask
him where he wanted to sit and what kind of rules would help him to behave in a different
way. She and the student eventually arrived at the following accommodation that allowed
them both to function in class: She agreed to place the student in a seat at the side of the
room by the window so he could look out when he felt the need, look through a book or
draw, stretch without bothering other people, and even stand up without being disruptive.
She also agreed to let him go to the bathroom (really for a walk) when he asked. For his
part of the bargain, he agreed to do all of his work, to pay attention when something was
important, to try not to talk with neighbors or shout out during class, and to return quickly
from the bathroom. They even worked out a signal so she could get his attention without
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS FOR BOOK II 171