The first month of school is not even over yet, but the honeymoon may be.
Teachers often refer to the first few weeks of school as a “honeymoon” period when children are getting to know their new teacher and classmates and tend to be more or less on their best behavior. It doesn’t take long, however, before children start testing the limits to see if the teacher means what she says, if the rules students have helped to develop together with their teacher will be kept, and to find out what will happen when the rules are broken.
Early every fall every classroom naturally swings into problem-solving mode. Such is the business of learning. At successive grade levels we teach children increasingly useful ways to solve mathematical problems, how to break through writing blocks and spelling problems, how to approach scientific questions, how to deal with problems around getting homework done. And then there are the problems of getting along with each other.
No one expects honeymoons to last; marriage isn’t like that. It takes hard work and cooperation and lots of problem-solving. As teachers get to know their new classes, they encounter new social dynamics and any number of individual students who present perplexing and sometimes difficult behaviors. Social problem-solving becomes as much a part of the daily curriculum and classroom life as does academic problem-solving.
Late this summer I began reading a book of lesson plans for social problem-solving that is extraordinary and as important an addition to any teacher’s curriculum bookshelf as I can imagine. And, thank goodness, it’s not the kind of book you have to read cover to cover. Once the school year is underway, there’s hardly time for that!
But here are some representative chapters that can throw you just the classroom management lifeline you might be looking for:
—“Student to student conflict resolution”
—“Individual written agreements”
—“Problem-solving conferences”
—“Class meetings”
Oh, the name of the book? Solving Thorny Behavior Problems (NEFC, 2009) by Caltha Crowe, a wise and experienced classroom teacher who writes with extraordinary clarity and conviction. Any one chapter, depending on your current needs, could give you an entire year’s set of social problem-solving strategies to add to your repertoire or upgrade your skills. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Its pages are filled with step-by-step details and rich, real classroom anecdotes that mirror what you are confronting in your classroom today.
You can go to www.responsiveclassroom.org to order a copy. You won’t be disappointed.
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Thanks Chip. The Principal states that it is based on data and research. The data shows an evident need for change and the research shows that self contained is the way to go. Where is the research showing how it will not affect our children if done in mid-year? MOst of these teachers have not taught reading or math in over 20 years and some have never. He states that they will all be prepared in a 2 month time frame. I just don’t understand how.
Dear Kandee – Most elementary schools have self-contained classrooms in grades 3-5 and children tend to thrive in such environments with fewer transitions and more consistent teacher expectations. They still change classes, of course, for art, music, PE, and other special area subjects. The most important variable, of course, is the quality of the classroom teacher, which is true in either model. I do find it unusual, however, that this change is taking place in January. What is the explanation for this change at this time of year? I cannot point you to any difinitive research that fsvors one model over another. Chip
My daughter who is in 3rd grade will have a change in her school environment beginning in January. Her Principal has decided that he is going to modify the classroom structure from a departmentalization/teaming structure to a self contained classroom in grades 3-5. Please tell me where I can go to get information on how this could affect our children.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! The honeymoon was over somewhere in the middle of my first week of school this year. In 8 years of teaching, I have never felt more like a failure in behavior mannagement than with this batch of third graders. This book is exactly what I need to read. Thank you for recommending such great professional books to help resolve the real-life issues of a classroom.
Karen
Atlanta, GA