Do Something

FDR said "Do something. If it works, keep doing it. If it doesn't . . . do something else." I was talking to a high school senior recently about how she learned grammar from the strictest teacher in school. She said she learned more grammar that year than in all the other years combined. I asked why she supposed that was. "Probably just because everyone's afraid to talk in there so all you can do is listen and learn," she said shrugging. To her it was an off-hand remark, but to me it was a nugget of wisdom. If the students can't hear or focus on the lesson because of so many distractions, how are they supposed to learn? One teaching book I read warns against becoming a greater distraction as a teacher than the student who was initially exhibiting the problem behavior. In my education classes I was taught to be inspiring, to engage the kids and show them that learning can be FUN! But this teacher who gets such results doesn't worry about making grammar fun. She worries about making sure no one is distracting his neighbor so that neither one of them can learn! Where is the answer to the classroom management question? Is it my job to make learning fun or is it my job to police the classroom, putting out rebel fires? I suspect it's actually some elusive middle ground that varies from year to year and from one class period to the next. I'm frustrated that what seems to work wonderfully one day crashes and burns the next day--or sometimes the next period! I try hard to keep my mood out of classroom management, but the truth is that some days I think it's funny when Georgie makes a sarcastic remark--and other days it makes me mad. I guess I'll take FDR's advice and just keep trying something else. Maybe there's a secret formula out there (If so, will someone please clue me in?), but I doubt it.