You missed my point. Perhaps I was not clear. 85% of my students are decent kids, and would do well if given the chance. But they are not given that chance!
Roughly 15% of my students are disruptive. They'll use their cell phones in class. They'll insult other students in the middle of a lesson. They'll come and go as they please. So I call home. And I get no answer. So I arrange for a conference. And I get empty promises from the student. So I write up the misbehavior. Administration will not support me. Their agenda is public relations, not school discipline.
I am actually a multiple award-winning teacher (thanks to my honors classes). But I don't have it made. I often think I should have gone into pharmacy instead. Much less grief there.
How are they not given a chance to do well? Don’t you give them that opportunity in the classroom?
“Roughly 15% of my students are disruptive. They’ll use their cell phones in class. They’ll insult other students in the middle of a lesson. They’ll come and go as they please.”
So you, as the classroom teacher, allow this? How does this help the other so called 85%?
“I am actually a multiple award-winning teacher (thanks to my honors classes).”
Yeah. So much for those “awards.”
It would be a cold day in hell before I’d allow any student of mine to disrupt class in any way, or any student to use their cell phone, or be disrespectful to me or any of their classmates, IN MY CLASS. And there’s a snowball’s chance in hell of any student “come and go as they please” in MY class regardless of what admin thinks or does.
You want control of your classes? Then control them. Don’t rely on Admin.
Yeah, half of my students are hungry, even with free lunch and breakfast, and yeah I provide snacks of fishes or pretzels or teddy grahams, and candy on Fridays. But in my room, they behave because there’s no other choice. I don’t tolerate misbehavior. And I don’t give a damn what admin or parents think about that.
I don’t get paid enough to care.
And I tell my kids...I don’t tolerate backtalk from my own kids and I love them, so don’t expect me to tolerate it from you.
My students like me(most of them, lol) because my room is a safe environment for them. Every child wants to be/feel safe. They get that in my room. Those who want to learn, learn in my room. But no mistake, we do things my way all the time.