lately i’ve been feeling like that proverbial frog in the pot of water on the stove. you know the story, where the water gradually gets warmer and warmer but the frog doesn’t notice until the water’s boiling, and even then he still doesn’t notice because he’s beyond the point of noticing anything – he’s dead.
okay, so perhaps a wee bit melodramatic, but the analogy holds true.
in my classroom, i’ve been gradually raising my voice a decible or two louder every time i need my kids’ attention, my inner stress level is gradually getting higher and higher, my hair is frazzling out an inch or two more a day… sometimes i feel like miss frizzle, although in name only. in personality, she was always the epitome of a calm and collected teacher. (and who wouldn’t be with a magic schoolbus at their disposal?)
but now i’m mixing my analogies. let’s stick with the boiling frog. i have two classes in particular that have been inching their way toward chaos, one day at a time. they’re my two biggest classes with 33-34 kids in them. the first class is right after lunch – understandable – they’re all hyped up on social interaction and junk food. the other class is the last class of the day – also understandable – they’re psyched to be escaping school! but just because they’re both understandable does not make me any more understanding. i expect them to behave the same as my other classes and they’re just not living up to that expectation.
but then today i realized all of the sudden - i’m in boiling water! and as i realized that, i decided to jump out and institute a new regime in my classroom. benjamin franklin said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. so starting tomorrow, i’m going to do something different. we’ll see how it works.
the important point for me to remember is how easily i’m tempted to be complacent, even in the midst of frustration. instead of taking proactive measures every day to ensure the best classroom environment possible (for both student & teacher), i tend to set my course of action and stay on it indefinitely, even if it’s not working.
today i learned the merit of taking the time to think through what i’m doing and to ask myself if it’s the best thing i could be doing. that extra hour of mental problem-solving after school was so worth it today. i feel prepared for a new school day tomorrow, free from worry & anxiety, excited to try out new things.
it’s a good feeling.
p.s. if you’re curious about what i’m going to do differently, read on.
i’m going to put them on seating probation. at the beginning of the semester, i let my classes choose their own seats but then they have to stay there every day – basically they’re creating their own seating arrangements. but starting tomorrow, if they behave in such a way that i have to raise my voice to be heard, i’m going to spell out ‘chaos’ on the board, one letter at a time. if they reach the last letter, i will create my own custom-designed seating arrangement for them. i’m pretty confident this will be an effective strategy – there’s nothing high schoolers hate more than to be separated from their friends. that’s why i don’t do it to begin with – they all love their friends so much, i don’t want to punish them from the get-go. but if they can’t handle it, then i’ll oblige their need to be separated.
as simple as this strategy may be, i’ve only just now thought of it. sometimes i’m a little slow on the uptake. makes me wonder what else i could be doing to help them control themselves…
(if you have ideas, i’m all ears!)
