Students may not charge snacks if they owe money for lunch according to school policy.  An angry mother confronts the cafeteria manager over the policy, saying her child was “embarrassed” by not being allowed to charge ice cream.

A parent insists that he be allowed to retrieve his child’s homework from his locker at 10 p.m., but the night cleaner knows no one is allowed in the building at that time.  The parent threatens the cleaner.

Today it’s clear that it’s not just teachers and administrators who sometimes find themselves the focus of unhappy or demanding parents.  Bus drivers, custodians, food service workers, and secretaries all report that they too have sometimes found themselves having to deal with parents in difficult situations.  And not all of these non-instructional personnel feel prepared to do so.

Working with difficult people can be stressful for anyone, but it’s particularly tough if you haven’t had any preparation or practice in it.  In addition, sometimes non-instructional staff did not even create the situation that makes a parent upset, and they also don’t have the means to resolve the situation by themselves.  At times it may seem that non-instructional personnel, just by implementing school policy, run the risk of bearing the brunt of a parent’s ire.

So how can non-instructional personnel respond respectfully and honestly while not making the situation more difficult?  How can they protect themselves from being pulled into a problem not of their making?  And most important, how can they protect themselves from becoming a target of criticism for their own behavior?

Like teachers and administrators, non-instructional staff need to acquire skills to help them respond appropriately to difficult situations.  Non-instructional staff need to know what to say and what not to say.  And it helps to remember that responding to an angry parent in kind is very likely to result in a rapid deterioration of a situation that wasn’t that great to start with!

With training, non-instructional staff can adopt certain behaviors before they find themselves in a confrontational situation.  Staff can be proactive rather than reactive.  For example, staff should demonstrate that they expect respect by dressing appropriately and following school protocols.  Everyone, from food service workers to bus drivers to custodians should present themselves as clean, neat, and thoroughly professional in their work.  If school uniforms are provided, they should be regularly laundered and should look fresh.  Those who supervise non-instructional personnel should insist that they, like anyone who represents the school, show respect for the district and their work by taking pride in their appearance.

Following school protocols requires a thorough understanding of rules and procedures as well as recognizing and acknowledging the chain of command.  Again, it’s the responsibility of each area supervisor to be sure that non-instructional employees in his or her department receive staff development just like professional employees do.  Staff development is not a one-shot deal; everyone, no matter what the job, needs not only to be apprised of new developments, but also needs a refresher course now and then to review information that may have been forgotten.

While some employees like school bus drivers have courses or workshops mandated by law, other employees can go for years without any staff development unless a problem arises.  Well-run school districts understand that all employees who work directly or indirectly with children and their parents should be kept up to date with policy changes and should be included in school goals and initiatives.

Sometimes, however, despite a district’s efforts to be proactive, employees will find themselves in confrontations with parents.  All employees should have training in basic skills to respond appropriately in those situations.  Staff can learn what to say, what to ignore tactfully, and how to monitor their own body language and tone of voice.  They can also distinguish between situations they can handle at their own level and situations that need to be moved directly to a supervisor.  Finally, a few practice scenarios will help staff apply theory to practice in specific situations.

Anyone who interacts with students directly or indirectly can find himself having to respond to an angry or frustrated parent.  Staff development can help diffuse or resolve many of these situations – or at least keep them from getting worse!

Retired superintendent and former teacher Suzanne Tingley is the author of How to Handle Difficult Parents: A Teacher’s Survival Guide (Cottonwood Press 2006). You can read her blog, Practical Leadership, in Scholastic’s Administrator’s section. http://blogs.scholastic.com/practical_leadership/

Do you have a question for the editor? Would you like to suggest a post topic? Are you interested in submitting a guest post? E-mail editor Diane Trim.

Photo credits:
091014-A-5177B-020 [cafeteria]: norfolkdistrict / U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Norfolk District
Michael with Dayna [bus driver]: David Mezzo Van Couvering / David Mezzo
mop closet: Robert S. Donovan
Dell Quietkey: scottjacksonx

I called home one night and spoke with Ryan’s mom about Ryan’s grades. She was pleasant, but asked me to just speak to her and not her husband. I thought it was troublesome, but I made a note of it. The next day, Ryan approached me and said he’d do anything if I didn’t call home. Again, troublesome.

At parent-teacher conferences, I met Ryan and his dad. Dad was a Scout leader in the community and Ryan was working on his Eagle Scout rank, which represents hours of community service. As I said, Ryan was a nice kid. I expected the conference to go like other conferences where the parent student and I examined the student’s work and grades and then develop a plan to help the student succeed. Next!

Well, that’s not what happened. When Dad learned about Ryan’s grade, he was furious. Dad asked me why I hadn’t called home. I was confused. Um, I had called home. I also had signed progress reports in Ryan’s file. Dad turned to Ryan with a vicious verbal attack. I could see Ryan shrink in his chair.

As a teacher, I was totally unprepared for Dad’s reaction. I found myself wanting to make excuses for Ryan. I was relentlessly cheerful. I tried to lighten the mood with a few lame jokes. Ryan and his dad left my room and the next parent came in, but I was really upset.

I talked to Ryan the next day and asked him if he was O.K. Ryan didn’t say much to me; he just shrugged and smiled. The kids told me that he was grounded – again. Ryan was always grounded, they told me. At lunch that day, I went to the school guidance counselor to relay my concerns about Ryan and his home life. Our guidance counselor made the appropriate phone calls and follow-ups about a potential abusive situation.

I watched Ryan carefully for the rest of the semester and tried to encourage him the best I could. He ended up with a low C and I think we were both relieved.

I saw Ryan a few months ago when I was at our city’s farmer’s market. Ryan was a police officer on duty and he looked good. He was taller and still had that quick smile. We talked for a few minutes about the old days. I asked how he and his buddies were doing. He told me who was employed and who were planning marriages and families. Then I asked about his own family. How’s Mom? How’s Dad? Ryan’s body language instantly told me that it was a sore topic and he checked his watch. He gave me his quick smile, told me it was good to see me, and left to patrol the vegetable stand down the street.

That parent-teacher conference always haunted me, as parent-teacher conference nights approached on the calendar. I know that many districts have been holding those conferences recently and I’m wondering: have you had the awkward parent-teacher conference? What happened? How did you handle it? What would you have done differently? Please share your own stories in the comments.

Do you have a question for the editor? Would you like to suggest an idea for a post you’d like to read? Are you interested in writing a guest post? Contact editor Diane Trim.

Photo credits:
Ohio: Southeast Ohio Political Strategy Meeting, June 16: aflcio / Bernard Pollack
19 April 2007: ccarlstead
the parents – April 2: theogeo / Lindsey T

It’s important to prevent problems with parents and use interventions that are effective at defusing unfair or inappropriate blame or criticism. Although there is no rose garden, there are many things that can be done to dramatically increase the odds of teachers gaining parental cooperation, positive involvement, respectful interaction and most important, a strong alliance to benefit students.

The teacher’s challenge, then, is to:

• Set the right tone.
• Gain and keep parental support throughout the school year.
• Provide developmental advice and academic support for their child.
• Successfully handle difficult moments when parents are angry or uncooperative.

Fortunately, most parents care for their children, want what is best for them and with no formal training, wind up raising productive and responsible people. The vast majority are reasonable in their dealings with others. That said, we live in an era where too much of the primary responsibility for a child’s success or failure is placed on the school rather than on harder to face issues such as effort and work ethic, family dynamics and sense of entitlement. All we can do is our best. With parents, it is about listening, learning and helping when we can even if they provoke us. It is about turning antagonism and mistrust to alliance and unity. Our goal must always remain the guidance of children to become successful, responsible adults.

Allen Mendler is an educational consultant and author of several books, including book HANDLING DIFFICULT PARENTS, which contains material about making parents allies. For more information about how to reach Dr. Mendler or obtain his materials, call 800-772-5227 or visit the Teacher Learning Center website www.tlc-sems.com.

Interested in more from Dr. Allen Mendler? Check out next week’s online seminar: Making Parents Allies.

Photo credits:
victory shake: Beneath_B1ue_Skies / Zach Taylor
ShbusinessHandshake: calgrin

Thomas sits two seats behind Lakisha. He’s a smart kid, but keeps to himself. He hates to be called on and seldom raises his hand. However, Thomas always knows the answer. If I praised him like I did Lakisha, Thomas would shut down. When I circulate around the classroom during work time, I say a quiet word to Thomas about how I liked his answer and move on. I don’t engage him in conversation; that wouldn’t be effective praise for Thomas. I just drop the quiet word and it’s enough.

Fair vs. equal: praise. That’s the difference between equal and fair, isn’t it? If I treat Lakisha and Thomas equally, I’d either praise them both publicly or praise them both quietly. The problem is that one method is best for Lakisha and the other is best for Thomas. Treating them fairly means that even though I praise them differently, both students receive the kind of encouragement they need. Fair is better than equal.

Fair vs. equal: teaching. For my research paper unit, I ask my students to produce a 10-page research paper with 50 note cards, an outline, a rough draft, and a final copy complete with title page, proper MLA formatting, citations, and endnotes.

If I have a student who needs enrichment for the research unit, I might ask her to include an infographic with the research paper or conduct interviews with sources in addition to print research. Similarly, if I have a student who struggles with the five-paragraph essay, I’ll probably shorten the research paper’s length and number of sources. Sure, it’s not equal, but it’s fair.

I can’t ask Sean to write ten pages. He struggles to read, struggles to write even the five-paragraph essay, and struggles to come to school. Five pages from Sean would be terrific and he could still meet the unit’s objectives. Sterling could write 10 pages in two class periods. He needs the challenge of conducting interviews in addition to finding other sources.

Fair vs. equal: discipline. I understand the whole fair vs. equal concept, so, why is it that this excerpt from Dr. Allen Mendler’s book, Handling Difficult Parents: Strategies for Educators, makes me uneasy?

Since not all students learn the same way or at the same pace, you will often adjust assignments to promote success and provide different consequences when necessary if students break rules…If two students break a rule, you will do whatever is necessary to help each student learn not to make the same mistake again.

If an after school detention would help Cole show up on time for class, but Kayla just needs an awkward phone call to mom at work, how do I defend the different consequences to parents? How do I give students the perception that I’m being fair to both Kayla and Cole? What do I tell my principal when Cole’s parents call and insist I’m picking on him?

Mendler says that a teacher’s goal shouldn’t be equal consequences for students, but rather the goal should be to teach success and responsibility. If a phone call to mom chastises Kayla enough and she doesn’t come to class tardy again, mission accomplished. A phone call to Cole’s mom might help Cole come to class the next day on time, but he’ll be late for class all next week. Was the phone call helpful to teach Cole success and responsibility? Not really.

Even though I acknowledge the fair vs. equal concept as educationally sound, I don’t know that I could carry it out in my classroom for discipline. One of the things I tried hard to do was to mete out consequences for rule infractions and try not to worry about which student broke the rule, under what circumstances, and for what reason. You put down another student in my class, I’m going to call home. Use profanity and you’ll find yourself sitting in your chair after school. Come late to class and you’ll make up the missed time during passing time. I don’t care if you’re the star basketball player, the editor of the newspaper I advise, or some kid who loves to doodle. As a class, we decided on rules and consequences in the beginning of the year. It’s the students’ responsibility to follow those rules and mine to issue the consequences.

Like many teachers and many schools, I’ve built my discipline system around equality. Despite the sound fair vs. equal practice, I’m not sure I’m ready to rethink it yet.

Reference:

Mendler, A. (2006.) Handling Difficult Parents: Successful Strategies for Educators. Rochester, N.Y.: Discipline Associates. p. 32.

Do you agree with the fair vs. equal concept when it comes to teaching? How about when it comes to discipline? Do you issue behavioral consequences based on a hierarchy or based on which consequence will work with an individual student? How would you defend the fair vs. equal concept to parents when it comes down to their own child’s discipline? How would you show students you’re being fair?

“With students who lack motivation, the wise teacher picks her battles wisely. It is best to avoid hassles over whether a student has necessary supplies until after the student experiences success.”

-Dr. Allen Mendler, Motivating Students Who Don’t Care, p. 26

For students who always leave folders in their lockers or never have a pen, Mendler advocates having donated supplies in class for all to use, return, and replenish.

Students who forgot materials can help themselves at the classroom supplies center without bothering another student, asking for the hall pass, or not engaging tin the lesson. Students just help themselves to materials and bring in supplies from home to replenish the supply center.

Sources

Pens and Pencils. When I taught, I created my supply center from found objects rather than donated supplies. The custodian for my room knew that I collected lost pencils and pens, so when he swept the hallways or vacuumed the classrooms, he’d collect them for me and put them in my jar.

Paper. Students knew they could have one of those pens or pencils, no questions asked. For paper, I encouraged them to write on paper from the recycle bin. The paper was free and most of it was empty on one side. For those who plan ahead, another resource for no-cost paper is the great end-of-the-year all-school locker clean out. Scavenge for partially used spiral notebooks, packs of unused loose leaf paper, and three-ring binders. Store them in your classroom closet for use the following year.

Books. Loaning out books becomes more tricky. Either the school library (LMC) issued a book to each student or I did. Textbooks are expensive and I was pretty stingy with my extra copies. Like some of my fellow teachers, I required some form of collateral in exchange for the book. Socks, cell phones, car keys, and backpacks made for good exchange items. The problem is: what if, at the end of the day, you’re stuck with one stinky tennis shoe and no textbook? With 100 – 180 kids passing through your door, will you remember which one left in his stocking feet?

A much better plan is to talk to the school librarian and then the chronically disorganized student’s parents. Ask the school librarian if she has any extra textbooks that she can check out to the disorganized student. Then, make the call to the kids’ parents. Offer to allow the student to leave the extra textbook at home and keep the first one in his locker. That way, the parents won’t be running to school every night to retrieve the geometry book and the student has a decent chance of bringing the book from his locker to class. Best of all: you, the teacher, are not on the hook for a misplaced textbook.

Responsibility vs. Expediency. Despite the efficiency of just giving the student a found pencil, recycled paper, and a loaner textbook, I know that some of you disagree with offering these supplies at all. You would rather that the student learn responsibility as a natural consequence of her actions. Brianna forgets her book one day and can’t use it on an open-book quiz. Jason forgets his pencil and he can’t complete the bonus assignment. As teachers, we know that this kind of lesson is powerful.

However, it’s tough to tell a parent at conferences that his daughter didn’t do as well as her peers on the quiz because she forgot her book and you wouldn’t loan her one. When Jason’s mom realizes that the bonus assignment could have pushed her son’s grade from a D+ to a C-, she will ask you why you didn’t just lend him a pencil. “Don’t you care about my kid?” she’ll ask.

You can give Jason’s mom and Brianna’s dad the responsibility argument. It’s a good one. Me, I choose to have my loaner supplies instead. I’d rather spend parent-teacher conferences talking about how Jay and Bree met the objectives of the class instead of how they still can’t remember to bring a book with them.

Reference:
Mendler, Allen N. (2000.) Motivating Students Who Don’t Care. Bloomington, Ind: Solution Tree Press

Do you keep extra school supplies on hand for those students who never remember to bring a pen or paper? Do you lend out textbooks to the bookless? How do you stock your supplies? How do you keep track of your loaner books? Do you think this kind of support coddles students and fails to teach them responsibility? Do you think that this kind of support is just fine because the day’s objective has nothing to do with pencil lead or paper pulp. It’s all about the objectives and the more time we waste quibbling over paper and folders, the less time we’ll have for Avagadro’s number. At what age should teachers no longer offer this kind of support? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

We butted heads two years before. I wanted Sean to turn in homework, but he didn’t want to do anything. I begged, pleaded, and called his mother when she finished waiting tables. I praised each little step Sean took in the right direction and silently gnashed my teeth when those steps didn’t turn into progress. He passed English 9, but only because I pushed and pulled him through it every day.

As a junior, Sean had mellowed and so had I. He still didn’t like to turn in homework, but he dropped the belligerent attitude. When I told him I’d have to call Cheryl, he just shrugged and told me when his mom usually took her break at the restaurant.

Getting to know Sean. One fall afternoon, I caught Sean with a magazine. In the library. To me, this was the opportunity I’d been waiting for. He’d refused to fill out a student information card with his interests and hobbies. Questions about his weekend usually had him spinning tales about spectacular car chases and unlikely bank heists. But now, I had him. He was reading a dirt bike magazine.

I took the seat next to him and asked him about dirt bikes. He tried to hold back, but he loved the sport so much that he couldn’t help himself. He told me all about how he learned to race when he was little and how he still raced. While paging through the magazine, Sean told me about the bikes he’d owned, the bikes he was working on, and the bikes he’d someday like to have. When he let slip that he was racing over the weekend, I smiled.

Attending an outside event. I called the race track to find out when Sean was racing. Instead of going to the Farmer’s Market with my husband and child, I drove out to the track, sat in the stands, and watched Sean ride. He was right: he was really good. After his event, I approached him to offer my congratulations. Once he recovered from the shock of seeing me at the track, he didn’t stop smiling. He introduced me to everyone as his favorite English teacher and told me he’d be racing later. Was I going to stay? Um. Yes. I agreed to hang around another hour if he’d explain the whole dirt bike racing thing to me.

Back in school, Sean was a different kid. I’m not going to pretend that he had a magic transformation into a straight-A student. He was a weak reader and writer and didn’t want anyone to know, but he finally allowed me to help him. He even stopped by after school for some help on days he didn’t have to work. I always asked him about his racing and he brought me photos of the bikes he was fixing. My journalism students featured him in an issue of the school newspaper and I made sure Cheryl received a copy. Sean wasn’t the kind of kid that was normally in the paper and I think he really liked it.

Recognizing student achievement in all forms. After the school newspaper ran the story about Sean and his dirt bikes, the students started to receive suggestions for stories about skiers, ballet dancers, and garage bands. It was a good lesson for the students and for me: it’s great to cover or attend traditional school events like band concerts and volleyball games. It’s even better, and more interesting, to cover or attend out-of-school events. The football players often get a shout-out in class before a game because they’re dressed in their jerseys. Choir students offer public performances. But who recognizes the local karate champ outside of the studio?

My journalism students requested a print-out of the school’s student directory, which they posted on the bulletin board. Every time the student journalists mentioned a student in print, the editor placed a hash mark next to the kid’s name. Her goal was to mention every student in the school at least once and extreme sports became a regular feature in the paper.

Spending those two hours at the dirt bike track changed the way I treated students. When I saw the football players in their jerseys, I wished them luck at their big game. Then I took an extra minute to ask my classes what other special events were happening over the weekend and I followed up with them on their success. Sometimes I’d even show up at a football game, recital, or competition. It wasn’t a bad way to spend a Saturday morning and I know that I reached students who otherwise would have shut me out.

Photo credits:
danny: veddderman on Flickr.com Creative Commons
eric: veddderman on Flickr.com Creative Commons
Poppin: TravOC / Travis on Flickr.com Creative Commons
Untitled [dirt bike race]: ragingtornado / Glenn Tremblett Flickr.com Creative Commons

1.  Over-prepare for the first day of class
You only get one chance to make a first impression, and the first day of class is critical. As soon as possible, begin work in your room. Count the desks, find out the number of students, and start gathering materials and books. Learn the daily schedule for the first day, and know what paperwork has to be completed on that day. Plan how you will introduce yourself and plan what assignments and activities the students will do to introduce themselves to you and to each other. Community building is critically important to having a well-run classroom. Consider interest inventories for the first day. Keep the students very busy and engaged in get acquainted activities as well as academic ones.

On the personal side, if you have moved to a new town, get settled in as early as possible, and practice your commute to work. Do everything you can to ensure that you will arrive ready, calm, and organized on the first day.

2.  Plan for classroom management
First of all, plan your philosophy. Read widely about management plans from a variety of theorists and then take the best from each of them for your plan. Find out what the school wide rules are and who provides the back-up support for teachers regarding discipline issues.

Next, plan the routines and procedures for everything students do in your room. Arrange the desks so that you can walk to each student. Make seating charts. Have an entrance table where students pick up supplies. Greet students at the door the first day and ask them to find their seats, based on a chart on the screen, and then to start the assignment on the board.  
Post the rules, with consequences and positive rewards, on the wall. Send a copy of the posted rules home to parents in the first newsletter. Make sure students have a copy for their notebooks or in the syllabus. Teach the rules. Review them on Mondays, and whenever necessary. Enforce the rules equitably. Motivate students with positive rewards that reinforce teaching — computer time, a review game, or extra minutes to study for a quiz.

3.  Accept today’s students
No matter your age, today’s students will not act as you did when you were their age. Accept this and teaching becomes a lot easier! Accept their music, their fashion, their tattoos, and their backgrounds. Today’s students need their teachers now more than ever before, and the toughest to teach may need us the most.

4.  Assess prior interest and knowledge
Do not assume that all seventh graders are ready for the seventh grade curriculum. Use pre-test with students to find their levels of expertise. Have students complete ungraded assignments and open-ended questionnaires about your discipline. Yes, this takes time, but spending a few weeks reviewing or teaching the basics may put you farther ahead later in the year.

Use interest inventories to ask students what they read outside of class, and what their goals are for the school year. Don’t ask embarrassing or overly personal questions, but knowing a little about your students will help you to meet their needs.

5.  Open lines of communication with parents
As the new school year begins, send letters and/or emails home to students’ families. Share the school calendar, the management plan, and also information about the curriculum. Find out when the open houses are scheduled, and meet as many families as possible. Observe how other teachers handle parent conferences, and use conferences when needed. Don’t hesitate to have another teacher or administrator sit in on parent conferences.

6.  Use a variety of teaching strategies
Are you concerned about being too teacher-centered and direct in your classroom? Are you worried that if you teach with groups that you won’t get a good evaluation? The key is to use a variety of strategies and to keep learning new ones. Today’s young students are already using computers and some middle and high school students are taking online classes, so keep current with your teaching methods.

7.  Keep good records (and a new portfolio)
Keep a good plan and your second year of teaching will be 100% easier, because you will know how long it took to complete chapters and activities. In addition to keeping your plans, keep samples of student work and proof of your completion of professional development activities. Some schools may require you to produce a portfolio as part of your annual evaluation. If you change jobs, you will need a portfolio for your next job interview. Your files, both electronic and paper, will help you in your current or future job.

8. Take advantage of your mentor and of professional networks
A mentor can help you to find materials, organize your classroom, plan the curriculum, and just listen to your concerns. If possible, consider having your mentor observe in your classroom or go observe in his/her room. Be sure to thank your mentor for all his/her help and time.

Your membership in professional associations can connect you with a world of other mentors. Consider membership in one organization for teachers, like Kappa Delta Pi, and one for your discipline. Attend their conferences for motivation and ideas.

9.  Practice positive self-help and stress management
First-year teachers often report that their jobs consume them, taking up hours and hours of time outside of the school day. While preparing for teaching, and keeping up with the paperwork is time consuming, prioritize some time for yourself. Exercise, eating right, and creating some down time in each week are critical to staying strong. Make time for friends, and create a support network to help with the personal and life balance issues.

10.  Know what you do and why — reflection works
When the days get tough, remind yourself of the importance of teaching. Remember student successes, and how much students need you as their teacher and as their role model. Reflect upon your job. Keep a journal. Write an article for your professional association’s publication. Create a blog for reflection, if you want to go public. Teachers rarely get all the support they need from outside sources. We need to create and refine our intrinsic motivation often. Be positive in your self-reflection.

Mary C. Clement is a professor of teacher education at Berry College, northwest of Atlanta, GA, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in curriculum, teaching methods, instructional management, and supervision of instruction. She is the author of six books, including Building the Best Faculty, So You Want to be Teacher?, First Time in the High School Classroom, and The Definitive Guide to Getting a Teaching Job.

Do you have a question for the editor? Would you like to suggest a post that you’d like to read? Are you interested in writing a guest post? E-mail editor

Photo credits:
CRSTE Day of Discovery – 04: krossbow / F Delventhal on Flickr.com Creative Commons
0144 [classroom management]: RLFilipkowski / Rick Filipkowski on Flickr.com Creative Commons
0221 [prior knowledge]: RLFilipkowski / Rick Filipkowski on Flickr.com Creative Commons
19 April  2007 [parent-teacher conferences]: ccarlstead on Flickr.com Creative Commons
Head Teachers Development Program: sridgway / Stephan Ridgway on Flickr.com Creative Commons
0158 [new teachers]: RLFilipkowski / Rick Filipkowski on Flickr.com Creative Commons
Staff Assembly (005): Arbron / Jeff Hitchcock on Flickr.com Creative Commons

We still had trouble when it came to Alicia turning in assignments. She wasn’t a fan of the day-to-day reading and writing expectations I had for my sophomore English students. She had no interest in reading nonfiction and less interest in creating plot diagrams.

Alicia’s home life was not easy. The youngest child of three kids, Alicia was left at home to raise herself and her infant nephew. Mom worked two jobs and Dad had moved out years ago. I suspect that an older sibling and possibly Mom had substance abuse problems. Making ends meet and feeding the family and the grandchild were bigger worries for Mom than Alicia’s grammar and usage corrections. Whether or not Alica did her homework or even came to school didn’t really matter much in that household.

So, what do you do when a student like Alicia isn’t turning in homework? Sure, you can give the kid a zero on the assignment. You can call home, too. But neither of these strategies would work with Alicia. I didn’t want her to fail and reinforce the idea that school was not a place for her. I wanted very much for her to succeed and to realize what a talented kid she was.

Here’s what I did:

1. No busy work. I want Alicia to understand that every assignment I give makes her a better reader or writer. All homework is important and not just time-fillers.
2. No time sinks. If I can have students meet the objectives in 10 questions rather than 20, I’ll assign 10. Alicia is more likely to complete the shorter assignment.
3. Begin in class. Even if you have only five minutes to give students to work on the assignment, do it. Build up that momentum and get questions out of the way. Alicia is more likely to complete an assignment that doesn’t confuse her.
4. Stop by. Walk around the class and observe students working. If a student seems stuck, visit them and clear up confusion. Stop by Alicia’s desk and make sure she’s on track. Touching base with her shows that you care about her progress, even if no one else does.
5. Follow up. When I saw Alicia in the hall, I’d make a point of asking her if she made any progress and whether or not she packed the homework in her bag. Again, I cared about Alicia and her homework.
6. Extend an invitation. I always kept office hours. I’d be available before school on Mondays and Wednesdays and after school on Tuesdays or Thursdays. If Alicia didn’t finish her homework, I wouldn’t assume that she was lazy or stupid. I would assume that her home life got in the way or that she was confused. Extending an invitation to visit me and work side-by-side to finish the assignment was a great way to make a personal connection, grade the work in front of her, and enter a score in the grade book.
7. Make a lunch date. Sometimes Alicia couldn’t stay after school or come early. Let’s have lunch, Alicia. If she stood me up too many times, I’d bring my tray out to her table. As much as she sort of liked me, she really didn’t want me eating lunch next to her. You can bet she didn’t stand me up for a homework lunch date too many times.
8. Call home. Of all the things that won’t do any good, calling Mom is one of the best, especially if she knows that you’ve been working hard to see Alicia succeed. If you’re the one teacher who has made a huge effort to nurture Alicia’s love of poetry and build her self-esteem, Mom’s pretty likely to listen to you. She might not do much, but at least you can mention to Alicia that you talked to Mom. Again, it shows Alicia how important you think homework is.
9. Talk to the coach. I learned early in my teaching career that talking to the coach is nearly as powerful as talking to a parent. Making sure other caring adults know about a student’s homework situation can benefit the student. Sure, the kid might have to run an extra lap or two, but the student knows you care enough to come out to the soccer field after school and follow up with the coach. It’s pretty powerful. Alicia wasn’t in sports, but she did like chorus. The chorus teacher was terrific about talking to Alicia about her homework and even sending her to me to complete a missing quiz.
10. Take an interest in the student. Sometimes kids won’t complete work in a class because they think that the teacher doesn’t really care. Find out what the student is good at, especially outside of class. Talk to her about how she babysits for her nephew and encourage her to bring in photos of him. Ask her about her favorite place to write poetry. Bring in contest entry forms for her to complete and send off her poetry. Begin the discussion about college. Students who know that you care about them as people are more likely to work in your class because they admire you and like how they feel about themselves when they’re around you.

Were these magic cures for Alicia’s homework issues in my class? Nope. It was a struggle for both of us to make sure that she turned in her work. It wasn’t a power struggle, though.  I did spend extra time on Alicia and other students like her, but I think that I benefitted, too. Alicia didn’t give me a hard time in class. I didn’t spend time disciplining her and writing referrals. Instead, I spent my time teaching, which is the whole point.

How do you handle students who don’t turn in their homework? Do you call home? Do you give zeros? Do you extend deadlines? Do you hound them in the hallways? Please share what works for you.

Photo credits:
homework: bjortklingd on Flickr.com Creative Commons
5/365: anna gutermuth on Flickr.com Creative Commons
Finals: outcast104 on Flickr.com Creative Commons
Unsure: dylancantwell / Dylan Cantwell on Flickr.com Creative Commons 

I’ve learned that with student assistants or parent volunteers, it’s best to outline your expectations from the beginning so that there are no misunderstandings. Unfortunately, I didn’t do that with my parent volunteer and she ran amok. Eventually, I had to go to my principal to rein the parent in.

With my student assistants, my expectations are that they show up on time and are ready to work: this is not a study hall for them.  My objective for my students is that they improve their knowledge of English while helping me out. My objective for my parents is that they assist student learning (without taking over the class).

I’ll give you my task list and put SA (for student assistant) or CV (for Classroom Volunteer) after each activity. You’ll notice that I don’t have my student assistants or classroom volunteers grade papers. I’m uncomfortable with that. However, you might find a way to make it work.

• Take small groups across the hall to read, CV
• File papers, SA
• Type up tests, worksheets, SA
• Create test keys, SA – I love for them to do this with grammar, spelling, and usage tests
• Develop enrichment projects, SA, CV
• Create bulletin boards for units, SA, CV
• Assist with club meetings, CV
• Pull resource materials from the library, SA, CV
• Preview websites for a web quest, SA, CV
• Supervise field trips, CV
• Upload student projects to the class website, SV
• Create sample projects for students to use as a guide, SV
• Help students make up missing assignments, SA, CV
• Assist students with assignments during work time, CV
• Mediate student disputes, SA, CV
• Administer make up tests, SA, CV
• Prepare visual aids, SA, CV
• Restock classroom supplies, SA, CV
• Make photocopies, SA, CV
• Create seating charts, SA
• Create educational classroom games, SA
• Monitor students, CV
• Set up labs, SA, CV
• Tutor individual students, SA, CV

How do you keep classroom volunteers or student assistants occupied in a meaningful way? Even better: how do you grade your student assistants? Have you had good luck with your classroom volunteers and student assistants or have your experiences been more like a bad horror film? Share in the comments!

Photo credits:
Poppo’s lil’ Helper: Јerry on Flickr.com Creative Commons
Daddy’s helper again: rbphalen / Rebecca on Flickr.com Creative Commons
vacuuming @ cheeky monkey toys: jencu / jenny cu on Flickr.com Creative Commons

However, if I could have looked back at the beginning of the school year, I could have picked out the major talkers. But, I was new. I didn’t know that to stop the problem of the whole class talking, I had to redirect those big talkers right away.

This post is about redirecting talkers at the beginning of the school year – before talking turns into a wildfire that the teacher can’t control. Next week’s post will be about how to douse talking that has spread and become a natural disaster.

1. Identify the talkers. You will have them; every class has them. The good news is that, like most people, their behavior patterns are set and they seldom change those patterns. If you’re watching, your talkers will identify themselves. Sure, their behavior is disruptive, but at least they’re predictable. Watch for them.
2. Circulate. Teaching from the front of the classroom is a lousy idea, so the sooner you cut your ties to the front of the room, the better off you’ll be. Make sure your desks are arranged in a manner so that you can walk to any student’s side at any time. Start feeling comfortable with lecturing from any point in the room. While you talk, read from the text, or lead a whole-class discussion, monitor your students. When one of your students talks to her neighbor, stroll over to her desk and lead the discussion from there until she’s back on track. Then stroll away. Locate your talking hotspots and visit those areas often.

Circulating brings the added benefit of being able to help all students, no matter how shy they are. Some kids will never raise their hands to ask a question or approach the teacher’s desk during work time. Rather than admit they don’t understand, they’ll sit in their desks and be frustrated. You can watch for signs of confusion or frustration and stop by that student’s desk to offer assistance.

3. Mention students’ names. If you’re talking to the whole class, an effective way to keep student attention and prevent talking is to just mention their names as if you’re having a private conversation with them. It feels weird the first time you do it, but if you’re circulating, it’s easier. As you wander around the room, mention the student’s name as you pass her desk. Make eye contact with these kids, too. Here’s how it would sound:

So, Jayne, it really doesn’t matter if Shakespeare wrote the plays or if it was Edward DeVere. It’s good writing no matter who penned it, Shaun.

Of course, you can mention a kid who isn’t right next to you, just to keep them all on their toes, too.

4. Redirection. Most of the time your presence is enough to quiet talkers, but not always. Assume that your talkative student is asking a question of her neighbor so that she can get back on track. You can tell if she’s talking about the assignment or her weekend plans from her volume – weekend plans are usually loud; classroom assignments are usually sotto voce. However, give her the benefit of the doubt.

If you can have a quiet word with your student without breaking the flow of the class, do so. You can turn the pages of her textbook so she’ll be able to follow along. You can put your finger on the passage the class is on. You can offer her a pencil or piece of recycled paper. You can bring her a textbook from the shelf along with the check-out sheet. None of these will disrupt class.

However, if this is your third trip to her desk, you might need to have a quiet word with her. Station yourself next to her desk and give the class something to do while you redirect Chatty Cathy. You could ask Matt to continue reading aloud to the bottom of page 52. You could ask the class a question, tell them you’ll give them a minute to think, and then ask them to write their response on the exit slip for the day.

Bend your knees and get on the same level as your chatting student so you’re eye-to-eye with her. Ask her in a low voice that only the two of you can hear if she needs something or if there’s a problem you can help her with. Again, give her the benefit of the doubt. Communicate to her your faith that she wants to succeed and be a good class member. Does she need extra help? Is she confused about the task? It’s like a used car salesman: what can I do to get you in this car/lesson/assignment today?

If you have to make yet another trip to her desk, keep the class busy, bend your knees, and explain that her talking makes it difficult for you to teach and others to learn. Ask her how she plans to solve the problem.  Let her know you’re disappointed in her behavior and that you’re sure her parents will be disappointed, too. Express your belief in her that she wants to learn and that you’re confident the two of you won’t have to make a phone call to Mom at work at the end of the class. Remember, keep your voice low. You’re at the disappointment stage, not the rage stage.

5. Praise.  After you’ve visited a talking student and redirected her behavior or had a quiet conversation, watch her. Try very hard to catch her doing something right. I don’t care if it’s just turning the page in the textbook, that kid is now following along. Wander over to her desk, make eye contact and give her a smile and a nod. If you can, whisper a nice job or a thank you. Once you’ve established that you want to catch these kids doing something good, they’ll try to make eye contact with you. You can give her a thumbs-up from across the classroom or a nod.

Make a note of her positive behavior and include it in your electronic grade book as a note for the day. Write something like: “Cathy followed along in the textbook during class.” It’s small, but Mom and Dad are used to hearing, “Cathy disrupted class.” They’ll like seeing “Cathy participated well” on a grade sheet.
If Cathy’s been difficult to redirect, but you’ve caught her doing something good, hold her after class and have her dial Mom at work. Mom will be thrilled to hear that Cathy had a good participation day in class, trust me. That’s 90-seconds well spent. You’ll have Mom’s support if you ever have a negative phone call to make and Cathy will think you’re on her side, too. Again, make a note of the call in your electronic grade book. That’s a call that will pay huge dividends with principals and guidance counselors, too.

6. Change seats. Sometimes Chatty Cathy just can’t control herself. The temptation of having her best friend or soon-to-be boyfriend next to her is just too much. You have two options: change Cathy’s seat or change the tempter’s seat. My first reaction is to move the non-talker.  Moving the kid who isn’t talking is less likely to provoke the talker into protesting her innocence to the entire class. Usually the non-talker is relieved to move, too. Then she doesn’t have to feel rude about pretending she can’t hear Cathy.

Cathy might be a hard-core talker, though. You could move a plant next to her and she’d talk to it. Cathy needs to be as close to front-and-center of the classroom as you can get her. If you can put her near your desk, that’s a great option, too.  Do it quietly, though.  Change her seat near the end of class, if you can manage it. She’ll have less time to complain to anyone who will listen about how you’ve singled her out.

7. Harness the power of the wind. Cathy’s strength might be talking. She might be a really good kid, but she needs to talk to learn. Again, assume your student wants to succeed and set her up for it.

Since you’re circulating around your classroom, it’s pretty tough to run your Smart Board when you’re nowhere near it. You’ve moved Cathy up front, though, so she can work the controls and even write on the board. Cathy can be your designated writer. It’s a challenge for her to talk to another student when she’s at the front of the class, but she still might need to talk. You can ask her for feedback while she writes. For example, you can ask her, “Cathy, how do you feel about the idea that Shakespeare might not have written the plays? Does it bother you?”

You might also ask a question of a class member and then get Cathy’s reaction to it. If she says something rotten, say I’m surprised to hear you say that, Cathy and wait for her to realize she was inappropriate and correct herself.  Offer her public praise. If she resists the self-correction, ask another student in the class: How would you have worded Cathy’s criticism?

Of course, these methods aren’t foolproof, but they’ll take you pretty far with individual talkers, before the talking situation gets out of hand.

Do you have any methods for redirecting your big talkers? Share them in the comments so we can all learn!