I occasionally think about how managing a classroom is similar to running sled dogs. When the dogs see the harnesses and the sled come out, the howling, the jumping, and mayhem sets in. It’s amazing how many tangles, chewed lines, and dog fights you can end up with while you’re hooking up 8 or 9 excited dogs – trying not to let the whole gang run off before you have a chance to grab the sled. On a good day, when things go smoothly you have a clean run with no tangles.
Lining the team out was intimidating in the beginning. But you learn to work with this chaos, anticipating the difficult individuals, knowing who to place next to who, and which order to line them out in. It really helps to have a good leader who will stand out in front and not run back to ball up the whole string. You most especially want to secure the sled to something that doesn’t move. With a strong rope. They only have to run off without you once to demonstrate for you that, as the “driver,” your place in the outfit is entirely optional for all they care.
Some days my crew in the classroom resembles a string of sled dogs, where avoiding snarls requires a delicate balance of bully and buddy from the teacher. I don’t want to come on too strong and bum them out, but I have to keep their enthusiasm focused on the project at hand if I expect to get anything done. Day to day, my role as teacher is as much about suppression and showmanship as it’s about guidance and instruction. On a good day, things go relatively smoothly…
I mention this with regards to my classroom after having a sub last Thursday, which meant that Friday I expected to hear about a day with a few rough spots. I don’t blame the substitute for the trouble she had. My class this year is a spirited group, and they require a special kind of control that I constantly talk about. With them. Sometimes emphatically. I get sick of hearing myself and I know they do, too. We’re working this karma out with each other. I can’t quite figure out what the lesson is for me, though. More tolerance, or more authority? Maybe neither, and that’s an interesting possibility.
I like how the first sentence of the note I got from the sub is contradicted by everything that comes after.
Well the day went okay. After their snack break the class began to bicker with each other. The arguing started when the students began telling me how the day was supposed to go. It escalated to: “we hate him/her; she/he is a liar; this is so stupid. At that point I took recess away from the class & told them they could earn it back by working quietly. Then recess became an argument with the class – the students who were acting up said it was not fair to the good students to keep them in. I told them they were a class and needed to work together. [anonymous] blurted out “If you hate kids so much, why are you a teacher?” I got stern with her and told her to sit at the back table. The class got quiet after that…
Their rest of the day was little different, but I don’t need to go there. I’ll need a special list of threats for the next time I have to be out.
Students all came in Friday and went quietly to work. Their heads were down. There was none of the usual chatter. They knew I knew. I let them stew while I enjoyed the peace. I didn’t yell. I wasn’t mad, and they were surprised. Most of them lost recess, and some won’t see daylight for a few days yet.
Someone said, My mom just smacks me in the mouth when I talk to her like that. Hmm…I’ve often wondered how that would work. Probably doesn’t.
I have to dominate them all the time – Sit up straight….feet on the floor….petty little things. I hate myself for doing it. Wish I could just let them be. But if I leave them alone, they horse around and make trouble, and then I have to problem-solve. I hate that, too. How do I teach them to make good decisions when I have to sit on them all day?
When I mentioned this to one of my go-to colleagues, she said, You have to take them from where they are.
Yeah, I think, or “the howling and jumping, and general chaos starts, and it’s amazing how many tangles, chewed lines, and dog fights you can end up with…”
With sled dogs, when you have individuals who won’t run with the team, you leave them home. That clearly won’t work in public school. The only other thing I can think of now won’t work, either. And that’s to have a class about half the size of the one that I’m working with.
6 Comments
I’d be rolling on the floor laughing if I hadn’t had back surgery 9 days ago! I love the sled-dog metaphor. If you don’t mind me borrowing it, I think I’ll switch over from the cat-herding metaphor.
You were gone from your “spirited” class (how diplomatic of you) for a DAY…I’ve been gone from my similar group of fifth graders for a WEEK, and my sub has two more weeks to go! I keep looking for the lessons in this. For them, that is. I’m hoping they will pull through and know how to behave when I’m not there to make it happen. That’s what life’s all about, isn’t it? How you act when your mom’s not there to whack you?
The lessons for me? That’s easy: Let go. Watch the tension drain from your brow. Get caught up on your reading.
If there’s a lesson for you in this, it might be learning how to play the policeman, when necessary. This was a lesson I resisted for years, until I had kids of my own. They don’t need someone to “belt them in the mouth” (who does?) or deny them freedom (my kids, I mean); but they DO need to make continually sure that they have my attention, that I care, that I’m aware of them and what they like and don’t like and need etc. There’s lots of different ways of doing that. At home. At school, sometimes the only way is to play the heavy: shout, get mad, give them a stern talking to. But then again, I don’t work with kids as young as the ones you have.
PS What do you think of my interpretation of Herndon as aiming for self-regulation? And is that where you want to go? And obviously for Herndon, self-regulation doesn’t mean “leave them alone and they’ll come home”, it means a very dynamic dialogic and participatory interaction.
Marco, you and I seem to both be in a Herndon period now. I’m also reading him, and I’m impressed the way he looks at things as they are, and weigh the merits and demerits of his various choices. The self-organizing principle he talked about would never happen with little kids, as egocentric as they are. I agree with you, they do need to know that someone is in charge. Some years they’re more willing to go along. A class that’s too placid, as I’ve had other years, presents other problems – just as vexing, but not quite so urgent. As to where I want to go with kids, that is something to think about. And as my colleague said, I have to take them from where they are.
Doug, thanks for taking the time to explain the angst. I deal with this every day as well. You are so on the money here.
When the team gets all synchronous, and the musher can relax for a moment and take in the incredible scenery screaming by – and the beauty of the team…. well, that’s why we are here, right?
It doesn’t happen often. It doesn’t need to, it’s that sweet. Thanks again.
Good on you Doug for writing and publishing this post. I can empathise with you as I have a class of spirited 10 and 11 year olds here in NZ. When I analyse my group it comes down to several key individuals who for various reasons have their own way of relating (or not relating) to others.
I have two key rules in my class. We respect others and we always do our best. These are explained on the wall, discussed at length and so forth. I never punish the whole class or keep them in. I just target the ones who need it and they can be held accountable for their actions (or finish work or whatever). I believe in a vigorous daily fitness programme – about 20-30mins if possible – and encourage healthy eating. We are a water only school and that has helped. We also embrace the virtues project which is a very positive way of living and teaching. http://www.virtuesproject.com
I know you will know this but I have shared it anyway as a way of acknowledging your blog.
One of the whole ironies is that as web2.0 teachers we can see so many cool things we could do with our kids – but often the rubbish gets in the way and we are achieving less because of it.
I encourage you to teach and be the best you can. I’ve followed your blog since July this year and love your sharing and thoughts and ideas.
Thanks
Tom
*sigh* I miss subbing in your (last year’s) class. This year’s crop of 4th graders is a bit…less conscientious if I remeber from working with them last year. My 2nd graders (on base, their fathers have all just returned from Iraq) require a lot of regulation from me. They need _lots_ of rules and procedures and steps to go through, and I get tired of the broken-record thing, too. “Who are you in charge of?” and “Eyes forward, body to yourself” are two I need to just get printed on a big, lighted sign. That said, even sled dog classes of kids can be managed–and isn’t it great when it works? I hope to get some more work out of them in the next 7 days.
Have a merry Christmas!
-Liz
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