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Honestly, I've found that you can have a well organized classroom with good techniques, but if students don't follow procedures then it won't work. I was fortunate to have a whole new set of 6th graders after the Christmas break, so I was able to restart in a way. I made sure to spend the whole 1st week back from break focused on the students learning and understanding my expectations for the classroom and them when they are in the classroom. I've made a kahoot over classroom procedures and even drew out my room so students could locate important areas in the classroom (similar to science teachers giving the "what wrong with this photo" assignment over lab safety). Now, the classroom runs alot smoother and when I have a new student, they know there are expectations of them in the classroom by seeing others do what they are supposed to do.

Sorry, I didn't have time to take photos of my room for this!

Alexxy Lopez
Lee Middle School

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I decided to make a cell phone "jail" for my classroom this fall. It is true that I do allow students to listen to music on their phones at certain times during class with specific rules.

1. iPods/phones are only allowed during individual work time.

2. I must have expressly stated you may use them.

3. No one should be able to hear ANY sound from your iPod/phone.

4. You must have your music set to a playlist (meaning you cannot be scrolling through anything. It must be playing a playlist and on your desk not being touched)

5. If I signal that it is time to pay attention and rejoin the group, they must be immediately put away.

6. If any of these rules are broken iPods/phones will no longer be allowed in the classroom

However, I am tired of the sneaky texting, selfie taking, and general annoyance when kids decide to break my already lenient cell phone rules.

Starting this fall, if students are caught "illegally" using their phone and breaking classroom law, it will be taken and put into "Cell Jail"

Once I confiscate the contraband it will be placed in jail and the student will be given a parole card. The parole card will explain the cell phones "sentence" depending on how many times they have committed the offense

1. If it is their first offense, I will be lenient and give the phone back after class.

2. If it is their second offense, they will get their phone back at the end of the day.

3. If it is their third (or beyond) offense: Their phone will be taken to the office.

To make my jar I used (all from Wal Mart):

1. A square shaped hinge jar

2. Black electrical tape

3. Pink sparkly skull stickers

4. Silver alphabet letters

Vista Print Template for Parole Cards:

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I decided to make a cell phone "jail" for my classroom this fall. It is true that I do allow students to listen to music on their phones at certain times during class with specific rules. iPods/phones are only allowed during individual work time. I must have expressly stated you may use them.

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This lady implements a lot of techniques I use for behavior and supply management

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Welcome to Part III of my At-Risk Classroom Management Series. We covered rules, expectations, exceptions in Part I, and cultivating culturally-relevant classrooms in Part II.

This week, we will cover incentives and re-redirection. Be forewarned, this is a long post.

Incentives are always preferable to consequences. It is proven that incentives garner more positive results than assignation of consequences.But, I don't give candy, stickers, or similar rewards; my experience has shown that giving out those types of incentives cause students to believe they deserve something tangible (candy etc.) for good behavior.Good behavior should be its own award. I am interested in cultivating a sense of community in my classes, so I like to provide community incentives for classroom behavior.I host award contests for behavior (a few winners), play "behavior bingo" (a few winners of big items like sketchbooks, marker sets, etc.), and class-wide earned incentives (everyone wins) to promote good behavior.

General redirection is all about creativity. Ultimately, you have to find balance between empathy, humor, and what works.You have to get to know your students, and figure out what makes them tick. If you know they don't like something, chances are you have found a new redirection technique.

Also, don't argue with students. You're the teacher. Arguing causes the teacher to lose respect; it demonstrates to students that arguing is an effective means to get what you want in class. Students are good at wearing adults down; for some of them that is their modus operandi at home. Don't engage with them. It should be a "You, them, you and then that is it" conversation.

Instead, I got creative.I told the football coach about the situation. The coach was a great guy, agreed with my assessment of the situation, and was willing to give the boys an in-practice consequence. But, I had another idea. I attended football practice and the boys had to run all the drills I devised for them for half of practice (the length of the assigned detention). I made up games like "marker relays" and "pick up a crayon" stadiums.The boys didn't miss practice, experienced a little bit of discomfort. . . And, they NEVER EVER acted up in my class again. In fact, they actually ended really liking me.

As a bonus, they would tell their friends: "Don't mess with her. She is cool, and she is like crazy good at getting at you."

Also, providing choices is an effective and empathetic way in which to provide general redirection. A lot of students in at-risk environments feel as if they don't have options/choices.Giving students choices helps them to feel in-control. . . And, my students thrive on being in-control.

General Re-Direction Techniques

I do all sorts of things, all the time, to re-direct students.

Example 1, refusing to work/participate:

I use any one of these responses depending on what I feel best fits the situation/student.I will also use them in order to escalate as I feel necessary. And, sometimes I vary the responses and mix them together etc. etc. (obviously). Typically, I only escalate 1 to 2 steps before using my consequences list.

My response #1:"Please get back on task."

My response #2: "Your grade in this class is X. Please do the work, so I can put good grades in for you."

My response #4: "Oooh. I would get on task. I know your Momma (Daddy/Auntie/Guardian) doesn't want to talk to me tonight!"

My response #3: "If you will not participate in class, I will move you to a seat by yourself."

My response #5: "You have a few choices. You can do the work, or I can call your house (other consequence).I'm going to give you thirty seconds to decide. When I look back over here, your behavior will let me know you choice."

Example 2, out of seat/wandering the room etc. :

They wander. I don't know why.

My response #1: "Sit down"

My response #2: "You are not [doing whatever the students insist s/he is doing]. Don't lie to me; sit down."

My response #3: "I better see the blue plastic of that chair touch your rear end in the next five seconds!"

My response #4: "Sit down, or I will give you consequence X."

Why do students call each other names? Why do any of us ever call anyone by a name?It is fun, it is funny, it is mean, it is a way to demonstrate power over another individual, it is way to express annoyance, and sometimes it is a way to tease. The reality is, they do it all the time, and we want to curb enough to create a positive learning environment.

Often, with name calling, there is a preceding situation.None of the given scenarios below deal with that situation, as my initial, primary, goal is to end the name calling immediately. If I believe there is a situation preceding the name-calling that needs attention, I stop the name calling and then request all concerned parties meet with me to discuss the situation and effectively manage it. I get the counselor involved as needed.All bullying incidents must be reported to an administrator at my school.

Here are a few ways in which I handle name calling:

Example 1, Generic name-calling:

Student:"You nasty girl!"

My response: " Stop. Shut your mouth."

Student:"You didn't hear she said to me!"

My response: "We aren't talking about her. We're talking about you. You can either choose to treat others nicely, or you will suffer a consequence."

**If the student continues to argue, repeat the final response until s/he stops. If s/he refuses to stop, give him/her a consequence immediately and tell him/her you will escalate the consequence each time she continues to question you.I don't worry over much about apologies because often that begins a secondary situation; I just want to stop the name calling.**

Example 2, racial/skin-color/ethnicity/cultural name-calling:

Student: "Ugh. Her skin too dark. Only light-skinned girls are pretty."

My response: "That is racist/elitist behavior. It will stop now."

Student: "But, it's true!"

My response: "It is not true; it is an example of racist behavior. Continue racist behavior in any manner, and I will have you removed from our classroom. This is a racism-free environment; we [gesture to the whole class] don't want to be exposed to that garbage."

** I'm careful to not say "your racist behavior" as middle school students are still learning boundaries; sometimes they honestly don't understand they are behaving in a racist manner. Having said that, I have a zero-tolerance policy towards racism; it is very effective in ending this type of behavior in the classroom.No student wants to repeat a racist comment to the administrator. Typically, by the time I voice my second response, other students are nodding and voicing their approval. If students seem to genuinely be perplexed as to how the behavior is racist, we have a class-wide discussion about the behavior.**

Example 3, Gay name-calling:

Student: "Ew. You gay/faggot/lesbo/queer/punk."

My response: "That word is just as offensive as the "N word." If you use it again, I will treat it as if you said the "N word."

Student: "But, s/he acting gay!"

My response: "There is no such thing as behaving as a homosexual unless you are actually having sex. Since no one in here is having sex, you are incorrect and need to stop."

** Using the word "homosexual" and identifying it with sex is titillating to students and is usually very effective at ending this behavior.If the student refuses to stop or escalates, tell him/her you will escalate the consequence each time she continues to question you. Additionally, if students question the gay slurs being equivalent to racial slurs, you have a wonderful opportunity for a class discussion. I use this method for 7th grade and up.For sixth graders and younger, I modify my response and end it with the slur being as offensive as a racial slur. That is usually enough.**

Example 4, repeated name-calling:

My response: "That's bullying. Stop now, or I will turn in a bullying report."

Student response: "I'm not bulling b/c XYZ!"

My response: [grab pink bullying report sheet and put student name on it] "I'm putting this next to you. If you argue with me again and/or repeat any of your rude comments, I'm turning this report in. If you can behave, I will allow you to tear it up at the end of class."

**My school -and probably yours too- has a zero tolerance towards bullying. Students who bully get suspended for a minimum of five days. It is taken very seriously, and students know this. Giving students a visceral reminder of the consequence is helpful.Also, the option to tear up the form is an incentive to behave."

Example 1, general blurting from many parties:

When students are blurting in groups and or in large numbers, I stop the class to address the blurting.

My response: "Look. The shouting out of whatever hits your mind stops us from learning. It is rude. Stop.It is like you have verbal diarrhea and all this poop is just falling out of your mouth!"

Using humor to address the students is particularly effective. When the next kiddo blurts, I get very dramatic and will say "Ah! Look! Verbal diarrhea in action!"It is embarrassing, but in a minor way. . .And, it is a fun and effective means to ending general blurting. And, yes, the kids do laugh, and they do giggle in a way that some see as "wasting time." But, look. They aren't in prison. It is okay for things to be funny; it is okay to laugh for a minute. I promise the world won't end and learning will still happen.

Example 2, blurting during teacher redirection:

Ugh. Nothing gets my blood boiling more than when some darling feels the need to blurt out and/or comment on a student that I am redirecting. Generally, when this happens I assert my alpha/dictator/god-of-the-classroom status. Immediately.

My response #1: "Excuse me? I'm a lot of woman; I don't need back up from you."

My response #2: "You will shut your mouth now. Go to college, get a degree, and then you can come back and run this classroom.

My response #3:"If you are going to contribute to this conversation, I'm going to give you the same consequence I'm giving [the student I'm redirecting]."

My response #4: "Ugh. Quit with your verbal diarrhea!"

My response #5: "Unless you want me all up your business, you will hush your mouth now."

Materials (Mismanagement)

Theft of Your Personal Belongings

Sometimes, students steal items of high value (personal or monetary), and getting those items back takes precedence over a consequence.I handle this psychologically, and I'll explain via an example.

I keep a small zipper bag of all of my USB drives; it contains about twelve drives.These drives house all the lesson plans I ever written (200+) among many, many other items.During the course of a class the entire zipper bag was stolen. I was beyond upset at the loss of the items. I appealed to my classes by describing the situation, describing how important the items are to me, explaining that I would be happy to give the drives to the thief, so long as I could get the information off the drives first, and that I would give two Chick-Fil-A biscuits to the person who gave me either the USB drives or the information to get the USB drives.Finally, I made a reporting box in the event students felt more comfortable giving anonymous tips. The day after my appeal, a student came up to my desk and turned in all of the missing USB drives stating: "I found these in the hallway." I have no idea if that was true or not, and I didn't care. I got the USB drives back. I duly gave the student two Chick-Fil-A biscuits, and offered the emptied USB drives to him/her, which s/he refused.Not only did I get my items back, I gained a lot of respect from my students; they were impressed I kept my word.This year, when my cell phone was stolen, students turned the school upside-down to find it and return it to me; they took it personally.

Oh, and I'm now a big believer and user of Dropbox.

Theft of Dangerous/destructive Materials

The Art room houses a lot of dangerous/destructive tools:Scissors, gouge-tools, X-Acto blades, heavy cuts of copper/tin, liver of sulfur etc. etc.I always state the following when discussing the usage of these materials: "I don't think anyone in here is a thief or a criminal.But, I want you to know that if any of these items leave this classroom, there is a serious consequence.These items are considered weapons outside this classroom. If you are caught with a weapon at school, it is an automatic suspension.Additionally, it will be a legal situation you and your family must handle with the school officer.I do not tell you this because I think you are bad or criminals. I tell you this because you are forgetful, and I don't want you to have to deal with severe consequences because you forgot to return an item.You need to make sure you return all items before leaving class."

That statement is typically scary enough.I know you might think that I am giving students ideas, but honestly, they are pretty creative on their own . . . And, Art materials are easy to identify.If they want to use a weapon at school, at least it won't be mine (yours).

Good Lord-Amighty!I have no creative advice about throwing.I use general re-direction and consequences.I do sweep between classes, so I can really tell when a class has been tossing stuff about, and so I can give that class specific consequences/new rules/etc..I don't have enough time to watch individuals to prevent throwing materials, so I simply say: "I can tell which general direction from which items are thrown.All students in that area will suffer the same consequence if the throwing does not stop." This is a helpful tool since the non-throwing students will quickly identify the thrower to avoid a consequence. Divide and conquer.

Sometimes, nothing seems to work and you are losing ground and respect as a teacher (along with your mind!).When that happens, it is time to bring in "the big guns"

Give all students (or special ones you identify) an administrative referral form (whatever is the most powerful behavior-based form at your school) that is already filled out with their name. Place the form at the student's desk/area.This is a powerful, visual cue that lets the student know that any misbehavior will be dealt with swiftly.At the end of the class, if the student has demonstrated good behavior, allow him/her to destroy the form.I know we don't like to waste materials; but that little waste is worth positive behavior in my opinion.

Some Things I Don't Do. . .And, Wish Others Would Do the Same (I'm judgy like that)

Do not put troublesome students out into the hallway

When class is in session, there are very few adults in the hallways.Removed students are usually angry and upset; they are not likely to hang out by your classroom.Instead, they wander. Your hope is that they wander to the bathroom or to the front office. In truth, however, they might wander to another teacher's classroom causing issues. . .Or, (and this is my worst fear), they might wander outside the building.My school has cameras, and whenever I point out students might wander out, someone points out the cameras. Cameras are all great and fine, but you have to notice the student is missing (there are 1,000 kids in my building), and review the right camera to account for his/her actions.By the time all of that happens, any number of horrible things could have happened to the student. And, if that isn't horrific enough, you were the one responsible for that student's well-being. So, don't put kids out of your classroom. If a kid ever leaves my classroom, I immediately send an email to every administrator, the secretary, and the school officer alerting them that I have a missing student.

Do not send troublesome students to another teacher's classroom

This is NOT an answer.When you send a troublesome student to another teacher's classroom, you are just removing the problem to another location. And, you are causing a problem for that teacher.First, the student you are sending out is having issues, s/he is probably the least likely to go to the place you assign, and will end up wandering the hallways causing disruptions. This is also unsafe, as no one is able to account for that student (see above). Second, should the student go to the assigned teacher, that teacher has to stop his/her class, identify why this student has appeared, assign him/her a location, sometimes provide an assignment, and hope that s/he doesn't begin the "bad" behavior in his/her class.

I can't tell you how many random students end up in my classroom because I catch them wandering the hallways due to being sent out by a teacher. I pull them into my classroom because I want to be able to account for them in the event of an emergency etc. etc. And, this is annoying as I am managing someone else's problem.

When other teachers do this, I go and personally hold them accountable. I have no issue explaining my stance on this to anyone in my building at any time. If a student is that big of a disruption in your class, you need to have them removed by an administrator.

I know that some of you have this as a procedure between you and another teacher.Hey, if you have that set up between you and a colleague, and you are both okay with it. . . Then go for it. I wouldn't recommend doing it, however, unless you classrooms are next to/across the hall from one another.

Do not demand tardy notes

Kids are tardy all the time in my building, and it is incredibly annoying. I give a lot of leeway for tardiness, as I don't have the time to mete out that many consequences (it would be for pretty much every kid!). I do note all tardies, of any kind, in my gradebook.This is just good practice, as that way you can account for a student's whereabouts if asked ("yes, student A was late to my class that day, s/he did have time to graffiti the bathroom wall, as Student B claims"). I give about a three minute window, and after that, I expect some sort of explanation from the student.If the student doesn't have a note, I ask where s/he was and with whom.I make a note of it, and then I email/ask that teacher if the student is telling the truth.If the student is lying, I assign a detention.Obviously, it usually takes about day to determine all of this.

FINALLY, a Note on the "Panic" Button

Whew! What a long post. What kinds of things do you do in your at-risk classrooms to manage the behavior!?

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Pt 3 At-Risk Classroom Management: Incentives and Redirection

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Welcome to Part III of my At-Risk Classroom Management Series. We covered rules, expectations, exceptions in Part I, and cultivating culturally-relevant classrooms in Part II. This week, we will cover incentives and re-redirection. Be forewarned, this is a long post. Incentives are always preferable to consequences.

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Classroom Expectations - Beginning of the Year

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Classroom Expectations - Beginning of the Year

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LV Art Classroom Management Plan Syllabus 2016-17